Fast-dissolving spa treatments could have severe side effects, FDA warns

Fat-dissolving injections seem like a godsend for those who fear going under the knife, but the Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning for a number of non-approved jabs that could do more harm than good.

The nonsurgical injections, which promise to dissolve fat cells in certain areas of the body, have reportedly caused adverse reactions, including injection site knots, cysts, deformities, infections and permanent scarring.

The FDA reported that the procedures are offered at various med spas and clinics across the U.S., as well as sold online under the names Aqualyx, Kabelline, Lipodissolve or Lipo Lab, which have not been approved for safety or efficacy by the agency.

They commonly contain phosphatidylcholine or sodium deoxycholate, neither of which are FDA-approved.

Otherwise known as “lipolysis injections,” the fat-dissolving jabs are typically injected into fatty areas of the body, like the chin, back, stomach, upper arms and thighs.

Currently, Kybella, from Kythera Biopharmaceuticals, is the only fat-dissolving treatment for excess chin fat approved by the FDA, but it has not been evaluated for use in other areas of the body.

Officials also cautioned against seeking treatments from unlicensed personnel — such as those who are employed at clinics or med spas — and urged those seeking fat-dissolving procedures to not self-inject at home due to the risk of infections or other serious complications.

Obesity medicine physician Dr. Dan Maselli, of True You Weight Loss in Atlanta told NBC News that the “patient might not know what they’re injecting into” if they attempt to treat themselves.

“They might think it’s fat tissue,” he explained. “It could be a muscle tissue. It could be your blood vessel, or it could be around a nerve.” 

The warning comes just ahead of the holidays, when people are scouring for a quick fix before gathering with colleagues, friends and family and are eager to look their best.

“Especially this time of year,” obesity medicine specialist Dr. Shauna Levy, based in New Orleans, told NBC News. “People have holiday parties and they want to look up to society’s standards.”

And that’s not the only hot market jab as of late; a year-long Ozempic frenzy has resulted in a soaring demand and an uptick in counterfeit injectables, “thousands” of which were recently seized by the FDA.

The agency has previously warned against the dangerous drug dupes, which have proven to be near-fatal.