Fat dissolving treatments

Fat dissolving solutions are injected into the treatment area and liquidate fat cells. They are made from plant-based compounds mimicking natural compounds found within the human body. Deoxycholic acid is found in humans and dissolves the membranes of fat cells, leading to release of the fat. This destroys fat cells permanently and the cells from this process are then eliminated via our lymphatic system. The results are only permanent if you maintain your weight. As soon as your diet changes to include higher fat content, and the body needs to store more fat, more fat cells will be created.

Aqualyx has been approved and licenced in the UK and is a safe treatment. It has been used since 2009, and millions of treatments have been performed, across many different countries. There have been very few adverse effects reported, but the most common side effects are swelling, bruising, redness, itching and mild pain. However, new generation fat dissolvers such as Deso have since come along and because they are derivatives of dexoycholic acid, tend to be more comfortable. This too has been fully licenced and tried and tested.

Swelling is a common side effect of this treatment and therefore for some people who have abdominal treatment, using a corset can make things more comfortable. However, it is important not to use this before 48 hours.  For other areas such as the chin it is difficult to hide this, and you may wish to choose a treatment time which doesn’t involve social events for a week. After 48 hours you can hide the area with a scarf or jumper. Some also involves the use of local anaesthetic, and therefore if you have a known allergy to local anaesthetics, then this treatment would not be possible.

For the first 48 hours after treatment, keep the area clean and don’t use any soaps or products on the skin. Gradually over 4-6 weeks, the product works to break down the fat and so massaging the area after 48 hours, helps the product to keep working. There will be tenderness when you press the area, until the product stops working. So before getting your next treatment, it is important that there is no tenderness. If there is, then moving the appointment by 2 weeks if a good idea. There is no point in adding more product if the last treatment is still working. So normally the three treatment sessions are spread out once every 4-6 weeks.

The process of breaking down fat takes a number of sessions. The larger the area you are treating, the higher the number of sessions you may need. Generally, we recommend 3 sessions as a minimum and review. For smaller areas, this should be enough. There will reach a point where there is not enough fat to inject and therefore treatment must stop. It is common for people to think there is still fat in an area, when in fact there is loose skin, especially if you have been dieting and had significant weight loss. Treatments to help with loose skin can be discussed with you if this is the case.