Lipodissolve - Is it Safe?

Lipodissolve

Joel Schlessinger, M.D., President of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery (ASCDAS), responded to the recent decision by Judge David Bruns to block the proposal by the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts to ban the liposuction treatment, Lipodissolve. "This procedure is still unsafe in my estimation and has the potential to cause significant harm, especially given its poor track record in Europe, Brazil and Canada," the board-certified dermatologist and general cosmetic surgeon said.

The safety of Lipodissolve, a treatment involving a series of injections of a mixture of phosphatidylcholine and sodium deoxycholate (PC/DC) to break down body fat, has long been criticized as unstudied by medical entities. In addition to Schlessinger's statement on behalf of ASCDAS, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society of Dermatologic Surgeons have also released statements against the use and practice of Lipodissolve. The proposed ban by the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts was the first of its kind in the United States, and followed the lead of Brazil, Canada and the United Kingdom in banning Lipodissolve treatments. "The decision to reverse the Kansas block on Lipodissolve unfortunately goes against FDA statements regarding the safe and responsible practices of cosmetic dermatology," states Schlessinger.

"I am quite concerned that this process is going on in a wide variety of unregulated settings. Many cases have come to my attention where patients suffered long-term consequences, most of the time without having any idea of the potential for problems prior to having treatments performed" said Joel Schlessinger M.D. "Additionally, the individuals administering the procedure are frequently unskilled in sterile technique, the ingredients used in the treatment are untested and the procedure remains unregulated. Consumers need to be aware that there are definite risks of complications from a procedure like Lipodissolve, which involves the injection of a foreign substance derived from cow bile into the body."

Dr. Schlessinger continued, "Lipodissolve is essentially a drug that has not been tested or FDA approved. While I do hold hope that it will eventually be studied under controlled trials, until this is done there is no way to ensure that it is safe. There is a huge industry that has been built up to promote this and they tout studies showing its safety, but all of these studies have been performed by the company selling the product. This flies in the face of solid, scientific research."