Injection Lipolysis

In the body there is a subcutaneous fat layer beneath the skin layers. In people with weight problems, most fat accumulation occurs beneath the skin. This is not a weight-loss technique; it is a procedure performed to give shape to the body.

Drugs are injected into the fat beneath the skin. This enables the fat to be removed in a controlled way. This method has been used in Europe and America for some time. With the presentation of the results of series numbering in the thousands in reputable international plastic surgery journals evaluated by objective peer reviewers, the reliability of the technique has now been demonstrated more clearly.

A special template with 1-1.5 cm spacing is placed on the skin, and the points to be injected are marked on the skin. Then, according to the patient's needs, different volumes of a drug that will dissolve the fat layer beneath the skin are injected into the marked points. With this method it can be applied to all body areas where liposuction is performed, such as the head, neck, arms, anterior abdominal wall, waist, legs and the sides of the knees.

Although sometimes only one of the techniques is preferred, in practice they are used as complementary techniques rather than as alternatives to each other. If minor deformities that bother the patient remain after liposuction, these deformities can be eliminated with one or two sessions of injection lipolysis. In patients who normally could not have liposuction because of skin sagging, the skin can be tightened with a few sessions of injection lipolysis, and liposuction can then be performed.

It has been shown that in the plastic surgery community over the last 10 years, office-based procedures such as filler applications have increased more rapidly than surgical methods performed in the operating theatre. In patients who do not want liposuction, at the end of 5-6 sessions of injection lipolysis treatment the same result obtained with one session of liposuction can be achieved. In this way, although the improvement is slower, patients can also be offered an option other than surgery.

A person who wishes to have this procedure can have injection lipolysis at 3-6 month intervals without needing to be admitted to hospital or to receive anaesthesia. After being kept under observation for a few hours after the procedure, they can return to daily life. Among the most important advantages of the method are that it is repeatable, has few side effects and is not expensive.

Imported drugs that have received the permission and approval of the Ministry of Health are used. The company supplies the drug to the physician or institution under sterile conditions. Using a drug approved by the Ministry of Health is a very important point. Physicians no longer prepare the drug used in this method themselves by mixing different drugs. In addition, patients can know the exact content of the drug applied to them.

It is beneficial to have a waiting period of 4-8 weeks between two treatments to be applied to the same area. The reason is that after the injection, shaping in the body continues throughout wound healing. Following the drug injection, the fat tissue breaks down and localised tissue damage occurs. When these tiny areas of tissue damage formed at each injection site are repaired by the body, the net effect observed in the skin is that the skin becomes tighter and firmer. In other words, shaping in a favourable direction continues during this waiting period. By paying attention to the waiting periods between treatments, unnecessary additional interventions can be avoided or unwanted overtreatment can be prevented.

While the desired goal is reached in most patients after 3 sessions of treatment, in some this number may go up to 6 sessions of treatment. The most important factor determining this difference is the amount of deformity present in the patient when treatment begins. If the deformity is greater, there is a slower, longer process of improvement and more sessions are needed. For this reason, the treatment period can sometimes reach 1-1.5 years.

The maximum dose that can be applied in one session is fixed. If treatment needs to be applied to different areas of the patient, then each area should be treated on different days. A few days should be left between areas to allow time for the applied drug to be cleared from the body.

Every drug carries a risk of allergic reaction. This method is not recommended for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, those under 18 years of age, or those with chronic diseases. Apart from the general problems caused by chronic diseases, since an intervention affecting fat metabolism is performed, this procedure may worsen chronic diseases. In addition, since the drug is metabolised in the liver and excreted by the kidneys, this method is not recommended for those with liver and kidney failure.

It is not safe to perform this procedure in those using blood-thinning drugs such as Coumadin and heparin. It may cause bleeding under the skin and bruising. It is also not recommended for people with diabetes and peripheral circulation disorders. It is not recommended in patients with certain autoimmune diseases (diseases in which the immune system attacks its own cells). It is not preferred in those receiving chemotherapy or who have used steroids in the last 6 months. In addition, it is not applied to those who want this method in order to lose weight; this method is not a technique applied for weight loss.

At the time of application there is pain from the needles used for the injection, but because the needles used are very short and thin, all patients can tolerate this very comfortably.

Although it is rarely observed with the new-generation lipolysis drugs that have become popular in recent years, with some lipolysis drugs itching, redness and mild swelling, as if the treated areas had been stung by a bee, may occur after the first application. Although this is better tolerated on the abdomen and legs, if the treatment is applied to the face or chin, patients need to be followed more carefully. The redness disappears within the day following the procedure, while the swelling may take a few days to subside. The patient notices a visible improvement within two weeks, and the final effect of the treatment develops within 4-8 weeks. Increasing local blood flow is beneficial. For this reason, active exercise and massage increase the success of the method. However, unlike liposuction, there is no need to wear a compression garment.