What is lemon bottle and why is it so popular?
Why I don’t offer lemon bottle fat dissolving injections from my lichfield based clinic.
Lemon Bottle is a Korean-made ‘fat dissolving’ injection that promises amazing, instant fat dissolving results on any area of the body. It is cheap to buy, there are no restrictions on who can buy it or treat with it, and so it has gained massive popularity – not least thanks to its very ‘TikTok friendly’ name…
Description of Lemon Bottle – what exactly is Lemon Bottle injection?
It is described by the company as:
‘Lemon Bottle is a new advanced lipolysis* solution for the face and body. Lemon Bottle is a high-concentration fat dissolve solution that combines Riboflavin (vitamin B2) and other premium ingredients that create fat decomposition by accelerating metabolism of fat cells’
- (lipolysis – described by the Oxford languages dictionary as ‘the breakdown of fats and other lipids by hydrolysis to release fatty acids.’)
Is there any science behind the Lemon Bottle Jab?
To my knowledge, at the time of writing, there is no solid scientific published research available in the UK to support the claims made by Lemon Bottle injections. Scientific clinical trials should be carried out on ALL injectable (and non-injectable!) treatments to prove safety, clinical effectiveness and long term results – but there is none.
The Lemon Bottle Jab is categorised as a cosmetic – yep, something that anyone can inject into you hasn’t even got the medical label that you might expect and has no US FDA approval, or European CE mark, because it is marketed and classified as a cosmetic product, so it isn’t even required as it doesn’t fall under drug licensing laws. (To be honest this on it’s own is enough to make me steer well clear).
How does Lemon Bottle fat dissolving work? And what ingredients are in lemon bottle?
So according to the website,
The fat dissolving injection is designed to work via a 3-step process that starts with bromelain.
Bromelain is an enzyme compound that’s naturally occurring in pineapples (you know, the thing that makes your tongue burn if you eat too much – it is actually trying to digest you!!). It has several medicinal uses including reducing inflammation due to tendinitis and removing the dead tissue from third-degree burns.
After bromelain breaks down the fat, lecithin (apparently) removes it from the cell, while riboflavin (Vit B2) (again, Allegedly) aids fat metabolism and skin regeneration.
While there are claims that there is ‘some’ research, I’ve yet to see it – the only research that appears to be available that suggests the capabilities of bromelain was carried out on rodents or rodent cells in petri dishes but whether this extends to human cells at the moment remains to be seen. (You may have seen the TikTok ‘experiment’ where an ‘influencer’ injects bacon fat – but at least one other doctor has tried to replicate this and failed. There is also the ‘In Vitro/In Vivo’ thing to take into account – just because something works in a lab or in a petri dish does not mean you will get the same results when you test in a real live subject. Again, back to the lack of obtainable clinical research data.
There is no full ingredients list online that I have been able to find (if anyone has one, I would be grateful if you could send it to me!), so safety is hugely compromised in the case of known allergens etc…. Plus, wouldn’t you want to know what is actually being injected into you?
But DOES lemon Bottle work?!
There are many, many n=1 anecdotal claims that it does great things (i.e. lots of people individually saying that it is great) – and this may be the case, but until this is collated in proper, robust scientific evidence, I cannot put my name to it in the clinic. People claim that the results are painless, instant and amazing. They may be – but I’m not about to use my clients as guinea pigs.
Another important thing to remember is that the body has a finite amount of fat cells. They just keep filling up….. If we destroy those fat cells by any method of fat dissolving, removal, freezing, heating etc etc, the fat still has to go somewhere… fat that needs to be stored later will just go to other fat cells, which could lead to abnormal fat distribution around the body. This might not matter so much if you are just treating small areas such as under the chin, but if someone is having virtually full body fat dissolving or multiple areas, I foresee fairly major problems. This is why experienced, qualified and knowledgeable practitioners are crucial in keeping patients safe.
Is lemon bottle fat dissolving safe?
This is the point – we don’t actually know, as there are no studies. I am waiting for the company to get back to me, as I have asked for evidence of their ‘excellent safety and efficacy data’ that they mention on their website. Save Face, a register of accredited cosmetic practitioners in the UK, had just one report of adverse reactions or clinical concerns in 2022, but in 2023 had over 90 – and I have absolutely no doubt that this is going to go up exponentially in 2024. Why is that? I think a huge part of this is the fact that it can be bought and administered by literally anyone, so I suspect that the damage is more likely to be done by unqualified and under qualified ‘practitioners’ as much as the fact that the product is not safe in its own right.
What are the alternatives to Lemon Bottle?
I think we must be careful not to see Lemon Bottle as a quick fix – particularly when using over large or multiple areas. There are other options for fat dissolving – for example Aqualyx, Kybella and Deso, which are prescription only medications so can only be performed when prescribed by a medical prescriber. This is not a magic wand either and may take several treatments – but it has all of the things I was concerned that lemon bottle does not, including data, trials, etc. However I do not offer this either for a variety of reasons – firstly that I think there are still concerns around safety and efficacy – but I do have a trusted aesthetic colleague who I refer all my fat-dissolving clients to, as I would only recommend a fully qualified medically trained practitioner for these injections. (please ask if you want a referral!)
So would I ever use Lemon Bottle in my lichfield clinic?
As it stands at the moment, absolutely not. This is not the magic wand it is made out to be and there is not enough (any?!) safety data, research, safety nets such as FDA/CE approval etc, and too little is known about this product. I know a huge amount of practitioners are doing this – even those in the medical arena, and seem happy enough to provide it, despite the concerns I have mentioned above. It is not for me to decide for them, nor is it for me to tell you what to do. Would I have it? No absolutely not.
Would I have or provide lemon bottle injections in the future if the above concerns were addressed to my satisfaction? Possibly, yes – I would need to see the data, see that it is categorised as a drug or medical device, and know that it is safe to provide.
I hope this helps – please feel free to discuss with me any concerns you may have!
