Surgery

Lipo-Dissolve: Can Injections Really Melt Fat?

Lipo Dissolve involves injecting a cocktail of substances into subcutaneous fat deposits - in the hope of "dissolving" the fat tissue.

Marketed as a safer and less invasive alternative to liposuction, proponents say lipo-dissolve is useful for treating small "problem areas" such as love handles, bra fat and a softening jaw line. (via)

Despite having a number of advocates (such as fig) and anecdotal success stories - there are considerable risks.

Obesity Surgery More Popular

In a strange counterpoint to the apparent "decline" of dieting - obesity surgery has experienced a huge increase.

Lose Weight: Swallow a Balloon

This isn't another student prank, but an actual trial undertaken by doctors in Italy. The patient swallows down a soft silicone balloon (manufactured by Inamed Health):

Once in place, the balloon is filled with 500ml of saline through a small tube that also goes down the throat and which is attached to a self-sealing valve in the neck of the balloon.

Weight Loss Surgery: What is the Best Procedure?

Four types of obesity surgery have been examined (via Reuters). Vertical gastrectomy appears to be the quickest and resulted in the most weight loss:

Vertical gastrectomy removes up to 95 percent of the stomach and leaves behind a thin tube-like stomach roughly 2 ounces (60 milliliters) in volume. Patients who underwent this surgery lost an average of 133 pounds (60 kg) after one year, 15 pounds (6.8 kg) more than the next-best surgical method.