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Surgeons body warns against lipodissolve |
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Wednesday, 16 May 2007 |
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The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, which represents many of the plastic surgeons in the US, has issued a warning to prospective patients to avoid lipodissolve, otherwise known as mesotherapy and lipolysis.
Their warning is based on three issues
- The lack of reliable data proving the safety of the procedure
- The lack of FDA approval for the procedure or its ingredients
- The fact that the procedure may be conducted by unsuitably trained personnel
"Safety needs to come first. We do not have definitive information on injection fat loss treatments. All we have is a few small studies and anecdotal evidence. Until we know more, we cannot recommend these procedures to patients," said Foad Nahai, MD, president of the Society. "The bottom line for patients is this: Don't allow yourself to be injected with an unknown and untested substance."
According to the society's warning, there are no published peer-reviewed scientific reports of properly controlled trials to confirm the safety of the procedure. The society also claims that there are numerous reports of complications arising from this procedure, including localized necrosis (death of the tissue), granulomas (disfigured tissue caused by inflamation) and bacterial infection.
"Mesotherapy treatment centers are opening all over the country and these consumer outlets may not be staffed by trained medical professionals. Patients seeking fat dissolving treatments should be educated about the lack of clinical data supporting these treatments and cautioned to wait until there is reliable information to guide their decision," said Alan H. Gold, MD, president of the Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation (ASERF). "For now, the only proven method for eliminating unwanted fat cells is suction assisted lipoplasty [more commonly known as liposuction], a procedure that has a long and successful track record for both safety and effectiveness."
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