The Cosmetic Use of Phosphatidylcholine in The Treatment of Localized Fat Departments

There is little published research on the use of phosphatidylcholine injections for reduction of localized fat deposits, though the use of this modality in Europe has increased substantially in the past 3 years. This article reports on the treatment of 100 patients with localized fat deposits presenting to a cosmetic practice in the United Kingdom. The author’s clinical experience using phosphatidylcholine injections (250 mg/mL) to treat subcutaneous fat deposits is described, as are the clinical effectiveness and sideeffect profile. Patients received 1 to 3 subcutaneous phosphatidylcholine injections in various areas of localized fat deposits. Outcome measures included patient assessment of improvement, percentage reduction in skin thickness, and physicians’ global improvement rating. Phosphatidylcholine was found to be effective in reducing subcutaneous fat in the treatment sites by a mean of 22.8% and produced few side effects. Regression analysis of the effectiveness of phosphatidylcholine against variables such as age, sex, treatment site, and body mass index showed little difference between the patient groups, indicating that this treatment approach may be used effectively for a wide patient demographic. Clinical experience with off-label use of phosphatidylcholine for small areas of localized fat deposits suggests that this treatment is relatively safe, inexpensive, and effective.