What are ALL the side effects of injection lipolysis?

I have a lot of experience with mesotherapy.  It sounds like you have some muscle spasm from either direct injection into the muscle, or extravasation (leakage) of the meso from the fat nearby into contact with the muscle. The phosphatidylcholine is very inflammatory - good for fat dissolving, bad for muscles.  It should eventually get better on its own, but there are some injectables that can relax the muscle sooner.  You may want to consider laser lipolysis in the future.

Many dermatologists and plastic surgeons are worried about mesotherapy because they do not understand the outcomes of the treatment. The biggest complication of the procedure is not knowing or fully understanding what is specifically being injected.  Today, we simply do not know how effective and safe the mesotherapy injections are.

Mesotherapy is a minimal invasive procedure which employs a series of multiple injections of various pharmaceutical and homeopathic chemical agents into the selective areas of fat. Mesotherapy injections target fat cells by inducing fat cells to rupture and/or causing cellular death.  A patient may feel burning and irritation at the injection site and experience swelling at the time of the injections and immediately afterwards. The most common agents injected are Phosphatidylcholine/Sodium Deoxycholate. 

Personally, I have been very interested in mesotherapy, but reluctant to use it until I know I can expect reasonable outcomes consistently.  Until that is accomplished, I must recommend that you be extremely cautious.  Please check into the credentials of the treating physician and his/her experience.  You should seek treatment by physicians who are properly trained and certified by The American Board of Aesthetic Mesotherapy.  Check with your state medical boards to see if mesotherapy treatments are allowed.  

Thank you for your question, and I hope this helps.

Dear MarD,

It is important to know excactly what medications you received in the injections. The most commonly used medication in injection lipolysis is Phosphatidylcholine/Sodium Deoxycholate (Aka PC/DC). Scientific studies have shown that Injection lipolysis, when performed using PC/DC causes an intense inflamatory reaction which in turn melts the fat. This reaction can cause soreness, swelling, lumpiness, and stiffness in the general areas of treatment. The stifness and lumpiness in the treatment area can last up to 10 weeks. Please also remember that several treatments are required before you see results.

As a general rule, it is important to seek treatment by physicians who are properly trained and certified. The American Board of Aesthetic Mesotherapy is a good place to start. Also, it is important to know what products were used in the injections. If you don't notice any improvement in the next few weeks, you should seek the advice of an experienced physician.

Hope you get better soon.

First of all, I regret your difficulty and frustration.

Unfortunately, when it comes to “lipodissolve”, the public does not know all the potential side effects or risk because it has not gone through FDA approval. There is a large clinical trial underway, sponsored by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, but those results are not available yet.

I have seen many problems from “lipodissolve” and it is possible that the inflammation produced by such a treatment could limit mobility of the muscles, tendons, and joints, depending on where the material was injected.

As you have already heard, we do not know exactly what is in these injections and therefore can’t tell you all the potential side effects. I would suggest you consider seeing a sports medicine expert for further examination and potential physical therapy recommendations, to improve your situation.