Sunday, April 08, 2007

Britney Spears - Liposuction / Lipodissolve?

The Sun is reporting that Britney Spears may have undergone a non-surgical fat reduction procedure called Lipodissolve while in Las Vegas recently:

The Toxic singer has had trouble shifting those last few blobby bits after giving birth to sons SEAN PRESTON and JAYDEN JAMES. So she decided to Do Somethin’ about it and nipped to see a liposuction specialist in Las Vegas.
The Advanced Lipo Dissolve centre specialises in a non evasive treatment of a series of injections which claim to permanently dissolve fat. It sounds painful and Britney looked a bit tender as her minder helped her on with her jacket.


Lipodissolve is a trade name for a type of mesotherapy. This is a controversial technique pioneered in Europe some 50 years ago which claims to reduce fat and improve cellulite through dozens (sometimes hundreds) of injections with small needles. Non-invasive it is not. To my knowledge, although the technique has been around for a long time, there are no large scale scientific studies which have proven that it actually works. I do not believe that the medications used are FDA approved for that use.

There are a couple physicians who perform mesotherapy in my area, although none of them are board-certified plastic surgeons. The one who does the most is an ER physician who is a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery. In my practice I have seen probably ten patients who've had mesotherapy prior to seeing me, and all but one saw no improvement after over $1000 of treatment and were therefore consulting for liposuction. One patient, a male, did appear to have improvement in the fat below his neck, however. Hopefully Britney will be one of those in whom it actually works...

Dr. Rob Oliver's Plastic Surgery 101 blog has a very well-written post in this subject as well, with some other astute observations.

For more information on mesotherapy, visit "Mesotherapy not proven as a safe alternative to liposuction," from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Story credit: Pink is the New Blog.com
Photo credit: photorazzi.com

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.
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9 comments:

  1. Tony,

    I made note of your post on Plastic surgery 101. If this is true, I'm stunned that someone would be stupid enough to do this on someone with a very publicized recent psychiatric breakdown. How do you establish she's able to consent for this? You can't.

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  2. Anonymous7:40 PM

    Is Tumescent liposuction (liodcaine at up to 55mg/kg) FDA approved?

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  3. Anonymous6:15 AM

    We are getting outstanding results in our practice. You can visit http://ashworthmedicalclinic.com/mesoresults.shtml to see the results of Dr. Ashworth. I received additional training from Dr. Ashworth and am currently using his HSL-LipoRelease in my Age Management Practice.

    I have had the procedure done on my thighs and have seen first hand the results for the treatment of cellulite. I only offer lipodissolve on patients who are trying to lose a minimal amount of fat and cellulite. Large amounts are better left to plastic surgeons.

    Dr. Williams

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  4. Dr. Williams-
    Thank you for the information. I am glad that your results are good. Mesotherapy does have promise, and if the results live up to the hype, can save some patients from going under the knife. It is important for us as physicians to present all treatments to our patients in an honest fashion. The limitations and risks of this procedure must be explained to patients, as well as the possibility for no results at all. There are many patients whom I see for which liposuction is not an option, and hopefully mesotherapy can become a valid alternative for them. Feel free to share any other thoughts you may have about this treatment. Unfortunately, some patients I've seen have had mesotherapy presented as an alternative to abdominoplasty for excess skin, which is completely inappropriate.
    I do agree with Rob Oliver's assessment on Britney Spears' mental state. From what I have recently seen with her, I doubt she is in the proper psychological state to consider serious cosmetic medical treatments.

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  5. Anonymous9:00 AM

    Tom,

    Great article and you really have highlighted the dangers of what Britney underwent.

    I enjoy your blog.

    Clint

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  6. Anonymous5:48 PM

    Britney Spears looks great with or without liposuction. She gets such a hard time!

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  7. Anonymous7:44 PM

    yeah, don't give the lady a hard time. Anna Nicole whiel living got mroe attention and deservedly so. anyway, lipodissolve does work and is really for people who ar enot obese just a little overweight, liek 20 to 35 lbs.

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  8. Yes, and I am sure that you are a good Lipodissolve proponent, with your outstanding spelling.

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  9. Anonymous12:12 PM

    Hello Doctors,
    I have been hearing alot lately about LipoDissolve treatments.

    I am a 27 year old woman, I am 5 foot 1 at 110 lbs, so I am within my healthy weight range, but I do have that abdominal bulge that seems resistant to all the diet change and excercise that I do.
    At proportions of 33, 30, 34 (I have not had any children yet) I am strongly considering trying LipoDissolve for my stubborn fat desosit. What is your opinion on this, for my situation?
    -M.K. rosesarered1234@hotmail.com

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