Aqualyx is an injectable treatment that dissolves small pockets of excess fat under the skin. Sometimes called Aqualysis, Aquaplasty, or intralipotherapy, it’s not yet approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) but has been popular in Europe since launching in Italy in 2009. There, it's also known as Motolese Solution, after the doctor who developed it.
This noninvasive procedure is primarily performed to treat a double chin. It can also be used to treat fatty deposits along the jawline and on the knees, elbows, upper arms, muffin top, and other small areas.
Using a synthetic form of deoxycholate, a digestive bile naturally made by the liver, the fat-dissolving injections of Aqualyx “liquefy fat cells, destroying them for good,” explains London plastic surgeon Dr. Yannis Alexandrides.
The solution breaks down the cell membrane, releasing its fatty acids. “The fat is then eliminated naturally, through the lymphatic system,” says Dr. Alexandrides. Results typically take six weeks to appear.
Its cholanic acid-based formula is very similar to the deoxycholic acid in Kybella, the only fat-dissolving injectable currently approved by the FDA to treat the submental fat that creates a double chin.
In fact, doctors on RealSelf say that the main difference between Aqualyx and Kybella is that the latter has been more extensively studied and is approved for use in the U.S.
RealSelf Tip: This isn't a preferred fat-reduction treatment for large areas, like saddle bags or the full abdomen. Using Aqualyx to treat a large area would require numerous vials and up to six treatment sessions, six weeks apart. Another noninvasive body contouring treatment like CoolSculpting typically delivers more significant fat reduction in fewer treatment sessions, while liposuction can create dramatic fat removal results in a single procedure.
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