Injectable Fat Dissolving, Is it too good to be true?!

When you hear about injectable fat dissolvers such as Kybella or PCDC, do you often think that it’s too good to be true? That you can actually treat stubborn fat with pinpoint injections instead of spending all your days at the gym or watching what you eat? Well, it is not too good to be true!! Injectable fat dissolvers ACTUALLY work. Let me break it down for you a little.

In 2015, Kybella hit the market as one of the first drugs on the market to have FDA approval for dissolving fat away on submental fat aka the double chin. Since then phosphatidylcholine deoxycholate (PCDC) has since come out which is a compounded drug very similar to Kybella, however, it is more potent and typically less painful. These injectable fat dissolvers have gained a lot of popularity among people who are not wanting to go under the knife or receive liposuction but still want to treat a specific area.

Not to dig too deep into the science, but the way that these products work is that phosphatidylcholine induces the breakdown of fats to release fatty acids, and deoxycholic acid is a bile acid that destroys the cell membrane, allowing the adipose cells to be broken down. After it is broken down, the body then metabolizes the drug and excretes it in the feces.

The most commonly treated areas include:

– Double Chin

-Abdominal Fat

-Love Handles

-The Bra bulge

What to expect during the treatment:

PCDC will be administered in a series of injections using a very small needle. This procedure takes as little as 20 minutes with minimal downtime.

What to expect after the treatment:

The most common side effects include swelling around the injection area, bruising, tenderness, itching, and redness. This typically resolves over the next few days but may be tender for up to two weeks. Do not massage or apply pressure for 24 hours after the procedure. Ice packs may be used for comfort.

Is it for me?

If you have any stubborn fat that won’t budge and do not want to go under the knife, you may be a great candidate. Typically, 3-5 sessions are needed, 4 weeks apart. While there are no official studies that evaluated the safety of PCDC in pregnant women, we would rather err on the side of caution and treat you when you are no longer pregnant or nursing.

Ivy Aesthetics is located in Chanhassen, Minnesota, and serves the SW Suburbs of Minneapolis including but not limited to residents of Chaska, Excelsior, Victoria, Minnetonka, Minnetrista, Cologne and Waconia.