FDA Warns Of Risky Cosmetic Procedure

The Food and Drug Administration cracked down Wednesday on fat-melting injections used in spas all over the country.

Lipodissolve injections are said to be a cheaper, non-surgical alternative to liposuction, but the FDA warns that cheaper doesn’t guarantee quality or safety.

Doctors said the injections are dangerous and could potentially cause permanent skin damage.

“I don’t know if it’d be deadly, unless you put a whole lot of it in,” said Dr. Ronald Fragen, a cosmetic surgeon.

“We end up seeing a lot of those patients come to us for reconstruction, and a lot of times there’s so much scar tissue we can’t really help them,” said Dr. Mo Zakhireh, a plastic surgeon.

Lipodissolve is a procedure involving a series of drug injections. The intent is to dissolve or permanently remove small pockets of fat all over the body. But the procedure is not FDA approved.

“Essentially you’re causing a controlled burn on your body underneath the skin,” said Zakhireh.

The procedure is often called mesotherapy. The Vein Doctor Medical Group in Palm Desert once offered the procedure, but officials say they stopped because the injections didn’t produce the results they expected.

“The problem is [that] it’s much cheaper, obviously, to have somebody inject a chemical than it is to have a surgical procedure,” said Fragen.

Dr. Zakhireh said lipodissolve costs $3,000 to $4,000. By comparison. liposuction runs anywhere from $6,000 to $8,000. But he warns that choosing lipodissolve could cause major problems down the road.

“If you’re going to do it, do it right or don’t do it at all,” said Zakhireh.

The FDA recently sent warning letters out to companies advertising the prodcure. Many companies claim lipodissolve can treat some medical conditions, but the FDA said that’s false advertising. The companies have 15 days to respond.