Lipodissolve and liposuction are alike only in their ultimate goals: to permanently remove fat from the body. The jury is still out on the former while the latter is a tried and true method used successfully by tens of thousands of people every year.
In the lipodissolve procedure serums that “melt” the fat are injected into small problem areas. The most common serums used in the procedure are phosphatidylcholine and sodium deoxycholate (PC/DC). Typically, the serums are injected multiple times for a single area. The drugs however are not approved by the FDA, which has issued repeated statements alerting consumers that the drugs are on a buyer-beware list. The FDA cannot guarantee consumers’ safety when these drugs are used because virtually no studies have been done on the long-term effects of the chemicals on the body.
The major pro for selecting dissolve over suction is the much less invasive nature of the procedure. In suction, the doctor uses a tube-like suction device to remove unwanted fat in a selected problem area. The device literally vacuums out the fat while the patient’s vital signs are constantly monitored. This procedure normally involves infiltrating the affected area with fluids to aid in loosening the fat cells and maintaining the patient’s fluid balance.
Liposuction is approved by the FDA but lipodissolve is not. The amount of fat removed is limited to five liters; the level of risk involved in the procedure corresponds to the amount of fat removed.
The results from dissolve are much less dramatic than suction. Dissolve is designed to remove small pockets of fat from the body and does not result in weight loss. The small areas of fat are dissolved but no one is really sure where the fat and chemicals actually go. Doctors believe that they are excreted from the body as waste, but there is concern that the chemicals could invade the blood vessels or liver.
One of the major considerations when choosing one procedure over the other is the patient’s downtime. Liposuction is a major medical commitment that may require up to four weeks for complete healing. Lipodissolve on the other hand normally requires only about three days of discomfort from symptoms such as irritation at the injection site.
There are two additional types of dissolve: rapid laser and high definition rapid laser.
In addition to the regular PC/DC injections, rapid laser includes three sessions in which a cold laser is applied to the injected areas. This extra procedure creates greater, more rapid dissolution of the fat cell membrane.
In the second sub-procedure a hormone injection is added to the PC/DC and rapid laser treatments, a procedure known as high definition rapid laser. The hormone appears to aid in fat dissolution in the targeted areas but also aids in dissolving subcutaneous fat throughout the body.
People are considered non-candidates for lipodissolve if they have cancer, have recently been through surgery, have Hepatitis C, have kidney disease of any kind, are pregnant or nursing or have bleeding disorders.