Will Lipodissolve Continue to Remai...( Leading Dermatologist Doin...),Health

Leading Dermatologist Doing His Part to Warn Consumers

OMAHA, Neb., Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Lipodissolve, a treatment for unwanted fat, has been in the news for the past several years with significant controversy about its effectiveness and safety. Now, Fig, the parent company for up to 18 facilities around the country that offer this treatment and defender of this procedure, has closed its stores and is considering declaring bankruptcy. This is in addition to a longtime 'unsatisfactory' rating by the St. Louis Better Business Bureau, with 102 complaints over a year's period.

Despite the closure of this company, there are many companies still selling the non FDA approved substance, PC/DC, which is used for this procedure. Joel Schlessinger, M.D., Board-Certified Dermatologist and Board-Certified General Cosmetic Surgeon and immediate past-president of the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery (ASCDAS), has been involved in spotlighting the dangers of treatment. He is also involved in efforts to stop this treatment from being performed in his state, Nebraska. Just Monday, December 10th, Kansas enacted stricter restrictions on this procedure.

"It doesn't surprise me that Fig closed down -- the handwriting was on the wall when they received the unsatisfactory rating from the BBB. While I've been working on the Lipodissolve issue, many people have sustained harm from this unapproved procedure. Now, countless people have lost their money without any recourse due to the financial uncertainty of this company," says Schlessinger.

"Patient safety shouldn't be put in jeopardy for the sake of making a profit," said Joel Schlessinger M.D., founder of LovelySkin.com. "I've seen half a dozen cases of patients who received treatments and then had pain, swelling, bruising, bloating in the treatment areas, irregular dimpling and divots in the skin. Hopefully, this closure will stop some of this from happening."