Whenyou walk through the doors into the waiting room at MedSculpt, a body contouring facility in Tysons Corner, you might not expect to see someone like Scott Kirby. Trim and athletic, with a warm smile and friendly demeanor, Kirby is a successful communications specialist and avid cyclist. The Gambrills, Md., man seems to have it all. All but a flat stomach.
“I exercise regularly and eat right, but I have still not been able to get the results I wanted,” Kirby said.
And that’s where MedSculpt and lipo-dissolve come in. Lipo-dissolve is a nonsurgical method of body contouring. Also known as injection lipolysis, it targets small pockets of stubborn fat that are resistant to diet and exercise. Lipo-dissolve works on the layer of fat just below the skin’s surface. A natural, soy-derived substance, phospatidyl choline, is combined with a bovine derived substance, deoxycholate, to form the compound PCDC. Administered through a number of microinjections (the number of injections depends on the size of the area being treated, and can range from 50 to more than 100 shots), PCDC effects an inflammatory state on fat cells. The inflammation causes the fat cells to dissolve, and they are then eliminated via the liver. Lipo-dissolve has been performed for more than a decade in Europe and South America, but is relatively unknown in the United States.
Dr. Roger Friedman, a board-certified plastic surgeon, hopes to change that. Since opening his first MedSculpt clinic in January 2007, he has performed almost 1,000 lipo-dissolve procedures.
“Lipo-dissolve is perfect for someone who is looking to lose inches, not pounds,” Friedman said. “It is particularly effective on limited, localized areas, such as the area under the cheeks and jowls, love handles, abdomen, upper arms, knees and back roll.”
To get the desired results, most people need between two and four treatments. Costing anywhere from $1,800 to $2,400 per area, it isan affordable alternative to liposuction with a shorter recovery time. According to Friedman, the side effects are generally limited to swelling, some minor soreness, dizziness or nausea. Kirby recalls that after his first treatment, “It felt like I had done 100 sit-ups. I took it easy for a day and was fine the next morning.”
Not everyone is as ready to accept lipo-dissolve. The FDA has not yet approved it, and because of that, the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons have all warned against it. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery warns consumers that the injected compounds are not regulated and could cause serious side effects including bacterial infection, disfiguring granulomas (masses of chronically inflamed tissue) and tissue death.
Dr. Edward Lack, president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, feels that although the academy is not ready to endorse it yet, lipo-dissolve shows promise for the future. He advises that the most important step a consumer can take is to do his or her homework.
“Medispas are popping up all over the country, and there are procedures being performed by laypeople,” he said. “Make sure that if you do choose to have lipo-dissolve, it is in a facility with a doctor on the premises and that the procedure is medically supervised. Ask how many times the procedure has been done, look at before and after pictures, and interview other patients.”
Sue Saunders is a registered dietician. She can be reached at [email protected].
