What is in Lipodissolve?
Lipodissolve contains phosphatidylcholine (PC) and a bile salt (deoxycholate or DC) plus a combination of the B vitamins and vasodilator. Each component has been studied and shown to improve the results of the injections.
How much can be achieved with 1 treatment?
A single treatment has a maximum dose of 2.5 grams of PC. This makes enough solution to cover an area 15 cm by 30 cm or 6″ by 12″.
When the belly is treated, the average person loses 4 cm off their waist measurement with a single treatment.
How often are the treatments done?
The treatments are spaced 8 weeks apart. The reason for this is that we know that the Lipodissolve compound turns on a host of enzymes in your body that affect how you handle fat. These enzymes remain activated for about 8 weeks.
If a second treatment is given (anywhere in the body) before the 8 weeks is up, these enzymes will have less of a jump from their starting level (still somewhat activated from the previous treatment) to fully activated level so you might get less impressive results.
Does the full treatment have to go into a single area of the body?
No. You can divide the maximum treatment dose of 2.5 grams of PC and put a little bit in your chin, a little in the backs of your arms and the remainder somewhere else.
The key thing is that you put an adequate amount in the area you are most concerned about. For instance, if you are most concerned about shrinking your saddlebags then I would want to use as much of the treatment dose as necessary to cover the saddlebag area and only put shots in other areas if there was some compound left over. If I did your chin and your arms first and put what was left over in your saddlebags then you wouldn’t see very good results in your key area.
I will carry on with more FAQs in the comments section, in order to keep this posting short on the front page.
What are the side effects of the injections?
The treatment is causing inflammation at the injection site, which is associated with discomfort, burning, swelling and itching.
I tell everyone that if these symptoms are really severe then taking an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen (Advil) will make a huge difference BUT you run the risk of decreasing the amount of skin-tightening from the treatment. So far no one has felt the need to take the ibuprofen.
Some people have low blood pressure and lightheadedness after the treatment. In my clinic, we monitor everyone for at least 1/2 an hour after the injections are completed, measuring blood pressures and having the client drink lots of fluids. Nobody leaves until they are steady on their feet.
Needless to say, with 200+ injections, you are going to get some bruising. Usually it is just a few bruises across the area, not every injection causes a bruise.
In some cases, the area can swell up to 3X its original size. The swelling is at its worst for the first 24 hours and returns to the original size at the 3 – 5 day mark after the treatment.
Some people experience diarrhea or a menstrual period at the wrong time after the injections. If either one happens, it is usually just in the first few days after the injections.
It is possible to develop nodules at the site of injection that you can feel under the skin. These usually resolve within 3 months.
You may develop a darker tone to the skin (hyperpigmentation) at the site of injection. This is more likely to occur in people with darker skin (Mediterranean, Southeast Asian or African heritage). If you expose yourself to sun after the injections, hyperpigmentation is more likely to develop. If it develops, it may last from weeks up to 2 years.
The most worrisome side effect that you might hear about is skin loss (necrosis) at the site of injection. Thankfully, this is a rare side effect when the treatment is given by properly-trained medical doctor. A risk factor for necrosis is having too much pressure on the skin so you should not wear compression garments or tight clothing after the injections.
Another risk factor for necrosis is doing the injections into an area that is too scarred to be able to expand with the swelling. This causes the pressure to build up in the tissues. For this reason, people who have already had liposuction (which can cause scarring in the tissues) should be very carefully assessed before proceeding with Lipodissolve in the same area.
Who should and should not have Lipodissolve?
Lipodissolve works best on people who are normal or near-normal weight (BMI < 30). It is best for those pockets of fat that don't go away with diet and exercise. Lipodissolve should only be used on fully-grown adults and avoided during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Lipodissolve is not useful in people with serious medical conditions such as advanced liver or kidney disease, serious autoimmune diseases or serious acute or chronic infections. It should not be used on people with blood-clotting problems. Lipodissolve should be used with care in people with diabetes. It is safe in early-stage diabetes but should never be used once evidence of disease in the small blood vessels (microangiopathy) develops — conditions like retinopathy and microalbuminuria. Obviously, anyone with a known hypersensitivity to any of the components of the injections should not be given the injections.
What areas can be treated?
On the face, the lower cheeks, jawline and neck can be treated.
On the body, we can treat pretty much anywhere except female breast, arms below the elbows, and legs below the knees.
Some areas of the body are much more suited to Lipodissolve than liposuction, according to a plastic surgeon friend of mine. He told me that back rolls (rolls of fat on the lower ribs of the back) and the chin area are very difficult to treat with liposuction and they respond well to Lipodissolve.
Can Lipodissolve be used to treat puffy eyelids?
The short answer is: Yes, but …
Lipodissolve was pioneered by Dr. Rittes in Brazil, specifically for fat pads in the lower eyelids but this treatment should only be undertaken by an experienced physician.
Most of the time, bulging lower eyelids are NOT caused by fat so injecting Lipodissolve doesn’t help and could cause bleeding problems around the eye.
Some limited research had indicated that the deoxycholate portiong of the PC/DC mixture does the real work of adipocyte lysis. What is your opinion regarding this?
Also, do you find that people have nausea with the treatment and at what dosages of PC/DC?
Hi Derek,
Yes, DC alone will cause rupture of fat cells but DC is very irritating so the treatments are more painful.
Studies have shown that the PC component liberates fat-dissolving enzymes from the mitochondria of the fat cells, leading to better dismantling of the fat.
The experience of the NETWORK is that the final results are superior for PCDC compared with DC alone.
Today I went in for a lipodissolve treatment and they gave me a few test shots to see how my body will react to it. I don’t know if it’s just because I didn’t get a full amount of the lipodissolve but I have a lot of energy and I want to exercise. Would it be harmful to exercise so soon after getting shots or should I wait the 2 days before I do anything too active? Does being active in the days after the treatment have a negative impact?
Hi Jacinta,
There is no harm in exercising after Lipodissolve. I advise my clients to resume exercise as soon as they feel up to it. You can imagine that if someone has a lot of swelling and feels bruised that they might not feel like exercising.
For you, having only a few test shots, you should be absolutely fine exercising.
Hi Derek,
I missed your last question before.
I find some people feel nauseated and some don’t. It doesn’t appear to be dose-related.
When I did my jowls and neck area, I only used about half a gram of PC, compared with the maximum dose of 2.5 grams, and I felt nauseated for about 45 minutes afterwards.
Side effects like diarrhea, menstrual irregularities, low blood pressure, are dose-related and infect limit the maximum dose to 2.5 grams.
Do you think that Lipodissolve will ever be suitable for reducing the size of the lips? Is the subsequent collagen formation a problem in treating this area?
Hi Mary,
There are 2 problems with putting Lipodissolve in the lips.
One is that the lips are primarily composed of muscle rather than fat so you’re unlikely to reduce the size of the lips. If you inject Lipodissolve into muscle, you have a greater risk of causing nodules.
The second reason is that we are cautious about doing Lipodissolve on areas of the face that are prone to losing volume as we age. If treated with Lipodissolve, those areas tend to look haggard later in life.