American Society of Plastic Surgeons, (ASPS) Cautions
Several medical societies have issued statements warning against the use of injectable fat removal treatments known as lipolysis, lipotherapy, or lipo dissolve
American Society of Plastic Surgeons, (ASPS)
Founded in 1931 with more than 5,000 members, the ASPS is composed of board-certified plastic surgeons who perform cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. The mission of ASPS is to advance quality care to plastic surgery patients through promoting high standards of training, ethics, and research in plastic surgery (from http://www.plasticsurgery.org) The ASPS released a statement in April 2005 warning plastic surgeons of the unknown dangers of fat removal via injections. The group warns patients to be wary of the safety and effectiveness of the procedure until safety and effectiveness are confirmed. "Without data to support claims that mesotherapy works, the procedure appears to be a mystic type of therapy," said Susan Kaweski, MD, ASPS DATA Committee chair.
In July 2008, the Society issued Guiding Principles for Mesotherapy/Injection Lipolysis. The Society stated that there is very limited scientific evidence on mesotherapy or injection lipolysis for fat reduction. The scientific evidence that does exist is of low quality and does not allow ASPS to support a recommendation for the use of mesotherapy/injection lipolysis for fat reduction. ASPS further states that only FDA-approved uses of drugs may be commercially advertises; it is illegal to commercially advertises any non-approved or off-label use.
Click on the links below to view warnings
July-08 ASPS Guiding Principles for Mesotherapy/Injection Lipolysis. Because safety and efficacy cannot be ascertained from the available body of English literature, ASPS believes further scientific testing of fat reduction mixtures is needed before recommendations on their use may be formally issued...(Read more)
March-08 Lipodissolve and Mesotherapy (Injection Lipolysis). Thus far, there is a lack of clinical research in the United States demonstrating the safety and efficacy of injection lipolysis treatments. The first FDA-approved clinical study is being conducted to determine the effectiveness of this technology. Injection lipolysis-often referred to as lipodissolve or mesotherapy-involves injecting a mixture of chemicals, generally consisting of a combination of phosphatidylcholine and sodium deoxycholate, into the skin and/or subcutaneous fatty tissue in order to dissolve fat cells. Some treatments also contain vitamins in the injection mixture... (Read more)
Dec-07 American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and American Society of Plastic Surgeons Offer Patient Advisory to those Affected by Fig Lipodissolve Closures--Responding to the recent reports of the Fig Lipodissolve Centers going into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the ASPS and ASAPS offers the following advice to patients currently in treatment there... (Read more)
Apr-05 Mesotherapy Not Proven As a Safe Alternative to Liposuction--Plastic Surgeons Caution Against Unknown Dangers. The allure of shedding unwanted fat with a series of simple injections, known as mesotherapy, sounds too good to be true - and it just might be. According to an ASPS Device and Technology Assessment (DATA) Committee Report... (Read more)