As women approach perimenopause and menopause, weight gain becomes a challenging issue. On average, middle aged women gain about a pound a year with body composition shifting to more fat and less muscle. The weight gain is particularly frustrating since many women discover that weight loss strategies that may have worked in earlier years are no longer effective. 
There are serious health implications associated with the extra pounds, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and certain types of cancers, thus minimizing weight gain is critical for healthy aging. However, adoption of new weight loss strategies should be safe and must include enduring life style adjustments for long term success. Unfortunately many women search for a quick fix and some are turning to risky procedures such as lipodissolve.
Lipodissolve is Unregulated
Lipodissolve, billed as non-surgical fat removal, is an unregulated and potentially dangerous procedure offered by spas across the U.S. Spas offer lipodissolve, as a series of injections described as a “fat-melting” alternative to liposuction. The process is also known as injection lipolysis, lipozap, lipotherapy, and mesotherapy. There is no standardized list of ingredients for these injections since they are typically chemical cocktails with a makeup that varies depending on the pharmacy or spa that prepares the injections. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) reports a range of adverse effects including infections, defects and tissue death after lipodissolve. The FDA has reports of permanent scarring, skin deformation, deep, and painful knots under the skin in areas where the lipodissolve treatments were injected.
FDA Cracks Down on “Fat-Melting”
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cracking down with long overdue warnings for the claims spas are making about lipodissolve since the injections have not been proven safe or effective and are not approved by the agency.
FDA warnings have gone out to six U.S companies:
- Monarch Medspa in King of Prussia, PA
- Spa 35 in Boise, ID
- Medical Cosmetic Enhancements in Chevy Chase, MD
- Innovative Directions in Health in Edina, MN
- PURE Med Spa in Boca Raton, FL
- All About You Med Spa in Madison, IN
So although a quick-fix for menopause weight gain may be tempting, lipodissolve is not FDA-approved and the safety and efficacy of the procedure has not been established.
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