A weight loss procedure known as Lipodissolve can no longer be performed by physicians and other medical professionals in the state of Kansas effective September 15, 2007. The mandate handed down by the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts makes it illegal for physicians and other medical professionals to perform the lipodissolve procedure unless it is being used as part of an approved investigational drug trial.

The safety of lipodissolve has been under scrutiny from consumers, physicians, and government agencies worldwide. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society of Dermatologic Surgeons have both issued statements against the use and practice of lipodissolve until there is an FDA approved product with data to support its safety and efficacy. Each organization discourages doctors from giving the injections and patients from pursuing the treatment.

The move by the state of Kansas to ban the lipodissolve procedure was the first of its kind, as it is the first state in the U.S. to put such a restriction on the lipodissolve procedure, also known as advanced lipodissolve, lipo-dissolve, or mesotherapy. The ban affects the most common form of Lipodissolve, which is phosphatidylcholine and sodium deoxycholate (PC/DC), and is consistent with the FDA's statement that PC/DC is a new drug requiring new drug approval. The ban in Kansas, follows the lead of Brazil, Canada and the UK, three countries that banned lipodissolve treatments for cosmetic use.

The banning of this procedure in Kansas has led some who have received lipodissolve injections, and who claim to have benefited from them, to question whether or not the ban was unnecessary. Critics of the ban argue that complaints from individuals who received the procedure from unlicensed or unskilled professionals are behind the ban of lipodissolve, and that it is safe when performed by licensed individuals in an appropriate setting.

At the heart of the debate over the lipodissolve procedure is the safety of the lipodissolve drugs that claim to melt fat. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to fully study or approve the drugs.

The lipodissolve procedure is said to be minimally invasive, requiring the injection of drugs into specific areas of the body where fat loss is desired. Unlike liposuction, lipodissolve is a non-surgical treatment, which allows most individuals to resume normal activity within hours of having the procedure completed. According to lipodissolve proponents, the result of the injections is that fat melts away and is secreted in one's urine over the course of several weeks.

"While lipo-dissolve may seem like the miracle fat loss treatment, there is no evidence or scientific research that proves the safety or effectiveness of lipodissolve drugs," says Mark Lu, senior staff writer for eHealthInfoLine.com.

The lipodissolve ban by the state of Kansas is the first in the U.S., but without FDA approval in the near future, many more states could follow along soon.

People considering cosmetic surgery should do their homework before going under the knife -- or needle in this case.