The science on whether fat melts after injections is around the corner! The Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation (ASERF) of which I function as the vice president announced that it has FDA approval to begin a clinical study that will answer the questions whether one type of injection lipolysis is safe and if it dissolves fat! Stay tuned!

After receiving an email inquiry regarding Lipodissolve I felt compelled to touch base on options available for fat removal.

What can you do to remove tummy fat?

• Eliminate Simple Carbs From your Diet
• Liposuction / Tummy Tuck
• Lipodissolve?

Eliminate Carbs.Tummy fat is usually collected in people who eat simple carbs such as: white bread, pasta, rice, bananas, corn, peas and all fruit except apples, berries and cherries; try eliminating these foods from your diet for a month or two, this may help you achieve your desired look. Beer or alcohol with mixers are also major contributors to tummy fat so don’t over look eliminating these beverages from your diet as well.

Liposuction / Tummy Tuck. The gold standard procedure for removal of diet and exercise resistant fat is Liposuction. For patients with good skin tone liposuction is ideal; those whose skin won’t shrink after liposuction can resolve that issue with a tummy tuck.

Lipodissolve. Lipodissolve (Mesotherapy, Fat Dissolving Treatment or Injection Lipolysis) is a non-surgical procedure which aims to reduce or eliminate fat cells by use of multiple injections over a period of time. The procedure is still in the early stages and is striving towards being able to achieve predictable results.

Although lipodissolve is causing a stir of interest due to its non-surgical and painless appeal it is currently awaiting approval from the FDA. As of September 4, 2007 the FDA approved “clinical trial investigations regarding the safety and efficacy of one type of injection”. I will keep you updated on any new information regarding this procedure once it becomes available.

There is also some debate regarding lippodissolve simply being a fad. However, I believe that it will be here to stay once the results are predictable and it is embraced by Plastic Surgery.

Will I offer this service in the future? Yes, assuming it gains FDA and Plastic Surgery approval. My patient’s well being comes first.

To better understand what options are best for you an initial consultation would be best. Please contact our office we’d be more than happy to find what would work best for you.

Update: Read “Fat-Melting Mayhem” by Joan Kroan to get a behind the scenes insight as to what is going on in the lipodissolve clinics in the U.S. The November issue of Allure Magazine will be publishing “Fat Chance” also by Joan Kroan which we will link to as soon as its available.