CG Injection

Which fat-dissolving ingredient holds a national drug approval, and what body area does that approval cover?

Deoxycholic acid. The approved United States label for the deoxycholic acid injection states that the drug is indicated for improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe convexity or fullness associated with submental fat in adults, and that "safe and effective use ... outside the submental region has not been established and is not recommended". Korea and China each hold separate national approvals for the same ingredient, and in every country reviewed here the approved area is the same: submental fat, in adults, and nowhere else on the approved record.

Sources: FDA drug safety communication (2026-09-15) — Kybella labeling update and adverse events reported outside the submental area

What do the efficacy statement and method of use say for the Korean-approved deoxycholic acid product?

The MFDS drug product record for V-OLET injection lists deoxycholic acid as the active ingredient, with an approved efficacy statement covering improvement of moderate to severe submental fat in adults. The method of use recorded for this product directs injection within the submental area. One approved indication and one approved area is the shape every deoxycholic acid approval reviewed here takes.

Sources: MFDS drug product record — V-OLET injection (deoxycholic acid), approved indication and injection area

How do the United States, Korea and China approval dates for deoxycholic acid compare, and what body area do they share?

A peer-reviewed review of injection lipolysis records deoxycholic acid approvals in the United States in 2015, in Korea in 2021 and in China in 2025. Three regulators, three separate approval years, and one approved body area running through all three: submental fat. That consistency across three independent national approval processes is part of the record itself, not a one-country coincidence.

Sources: Front Med 2026;13:1865071 — review of injection lipolysis, approval status by country and the evidence base for body areas

Which fat-dissolving injection products has the FDA named directly, and what ingredients do they contain?

Aqualyx, Lipodissolve, Lipo Lab and Kabelline. An FDA consumer notice on fat-dissolving injections that are not FDA approved names these four products and identifies phosphatidylcholine (PPC) and sodium deoxycholate (DC) as the ingredients involved. The same notice states that Kybella is the only fat-dissolving injectable drug that is FDA approved.

Sources: FDA — using fat-dissolving injections that are not FDA approved can be harmful

How long does the effect of a fat-dissolving injection actually last?

None of the regulatory or review sources behind this page states how long a fat-reduction result lasts, and that gap runs through the approved use as well as the unapproved one. The one duration-shaped figure that does appear in these sources is different from what it might look like at first: the FDA’s September 2026 communication reports 117 cases of nodules or masses that had not resolved, persisting for an average of approximately 143 days — but that is a count of an adverse event still present at follow-up, not a measurement of how long the intended fat-reduction effect holds after a successful session, and it should not be read as either. For body areas outside the approved submental indication, the peer-reviewed review cited on this page states plainly that high-quality clinical trials are lacking and that efficacy and safety data come mainly from case reports and small case series — a literature base built this way does not typically report a pooled duration figure, and none is quoted here because none was found. Even within the approved submental indication, the sources used for this page do not state a duration for the cosmetic result, only the approved area and the fact that safety and effectiveness outside it have not been established. What is known to influence how a fat-reduction result looks over time — dose, number of sessions and their spacing, and individual fat-cell response — is not quantified in any source cited here for either the approved or the unapproved use. The consultation question that follows is to ask the clinic directly what document or study it is citing for any duration or session-count claim, and to check separately whether that source concerns the approved submental area or a body area where the review cited here says the evidence is limited to case reports.

Sources: FDA drug safety communication (2026-09-15) — Kybella labeling update and adverse events reported outside the submental areaFront Med 2026;13:1865071 — review of injection lipolysis, approval status by country and the evidence base for body areas

What adverse events has the FDA reported in connection with those named unapproved products?

The FDA notice lists reported adverse events among users of unapproved fat-dissolving injections, stating "permanent scars, serious infections, skin deformities, cysts, and deep, painful knots". That list is attached to the four named products and the PPC and DC ingredient combination described above, separately from the deoxycholic acid approval record covered elsewhere on this page.

Sources: FDA — using fat-dissolving injections that are not FDA approved can be harmful

Why did the FDA update the Kybella (deoxycholic acid) label in September 2026?

The FDA issued a drug safety communication dated 2026-09-15 updating the approved Kybella label after reviewing adverse events reported in connection with use of the drug outside its approved submental area. This communication concerns an approved drug used outside its approved indication, a separate matter from the unapproved PPC and DC products named in the earlier consumer notice.

Sources: FDA drug safety communication (2026-09-15) — Kybella labeling update and adverse events reported outside the submental area

How many adverse events did the FDA report for use outside the approved area in its September 2026 communication?

It reports 129 cases of adverse events associated with use outside the submental area, including blurred or reduced vision around the eyes and facial paralysis or altered sensation. These figures describe reported outside-area use of the approved deoxycholic acid product specifically, as documented in this labelling update.

Sources: FDA drug safety communication (2026-09-15) — Kybella labeling update and adverse events reported outside the submental area

What did that same communication report about nodules or masses that had not resolved?

It also reports 117 cases of nodules or masses that had not resolved, persisting for an average of approximately 143 days. Read together with the 129 cases above, this labelling update documents two categories of reported outcomes tied specifically to use of the approved drug outside its approved submental area.

Sources: FDA drug safety communication (2026-09-15) — Kybella labeling update and adverse events reported outside the submental area

What does a peer-reviewed review say about the clinical evidence for fat-dissolving injections used on body areas rather than the chin?

A peer-reviewed review of injection lipolysis states that "high-quality clinical trials supporting body contouring use are lacking; efficacy and safety data come mainly from case reports and small case series". That statement describes the evidence base for body-area use of this injection category, and it lines up with the single-area approvals recorded in the United States, Korea and China.

Sources: Front Med 2026;13:1865071 — review of injection lipolysis, approval status by country and the evidence base for body areas

What does the peer-reviewed literature describe about the HPL technique?

A case report on abdominal flap perfusion traces a mixture first proposed in 1999 and since described in case reports under names including HPL, combining substances such as phosphatidylcholine, deoxycholate, L-carnitine, aminophylline and collagenase in varying combinations for abdominal fat reduction.

Sources: Case report — effect of a hypotonic pharmacologic lipodissolution mixture on abdominal flap perfusion, noting undisclosed formulations

Does that literature say whether the formulation used for this technique is the same from clinic to clinic?

The same case report states that "numerous clinics employ different products with undisclosed substances for abdominal fat reduction". That sentence comes from the clinical literature describing this technique, and it applies to the technique as a category rather than to any single clinic.

Sources: Case report — effect of a hypotonic pharmacologic lipodissolution mixture on abdominal flap perfusion, noting undisclosed formulations

Why does it matter whether a treatment area falls inside or outside an approved indication?

Because the safety monitoring tied to an approval follows the approved use. The September 2026 FDA communication reporting 129 adverse events and 117 unresolved nodule or mass cases concerns deoxycholic acid used outside its approved submental area specifically; the same drug used inside the approved area belongs to the original approval record rather than to this later safety communication. Matching the treatment area to the approved indication is the step that connects an approval record to what can be expected from use of that product.

Sources: FDA drug safety communication (2026-09-15) — Kybella labeling update and adverse events reported outside the submental areaMFDS drug product record — V-OLET injection (deoxycholic acid), approved indication and injection area

What should you ask to confirm about product identity before agreeing to treatment?

Ask for the full registered product name and manufacturer, and ask to see the labelling that states the ingredient name and its concentration. A registered name and a labelled ingredient are the two pieces of information that connect a specific syringe to a specific approval record.

What should you ask to confirm about approval and treatment area before agreeing to treatment?

Ask which country approved the product and for what indication, and ask directly whether the treatment area proposed for you falls inside that approved indication. The approvals documented on this page all specify submental fat in adults; any other area is a separate question to raise with the clinician.

What should you confirm about what happens if an adverse event occurs?

Ask who is responsible for follow-up care and who bears the cost if an adverse event occurs after treatment. The reported outcomes described above, including nodules or masses lasting an average of approximately 143 days, show that some effects are followed for weeks or months, which makes this a question worth settling before treatment rather than after.

How does this checklist apply when comparing menu items such as CG, GPL or HPL across clinics?

A session count or a price alone does not carry the information above. Matching the registered product name, the manufacturer, the ingredient and concentration on the label, and the approval record and area between two clinics gives a basis for comparison; a quote stating only a menu name, a number of sessions and a price does not.

How does the approved deoxycholic acid record compare with the FDA-named unapproved products?

This table lines up the national approval record for one ingredient with the products the FDA has named directly as unapproved. It compares regulatory records, not clinic menu items, and it does not rank safety or effectiveness.

This table compares national approval records for one ingredient with products the FDA has named directly as unapproved. It does not state what any specific clinic menu item contains, and it does not extend an approval recorded for one country or one body area to another.

Sources: FDA — using fat-dissolving injections that are not FDA approved can be harmfulFDA drug safety communication (2026-09-15) — Kybella labeling update and adverse events reported outside the submental areaMFDS drug product record — V-OLET injection (deoxycholic acid), approved indication and injection areaFront Med 2026;13:1865071 — review of injection lipolysis, approval status by country and the evidence base for body areas

Frequently asked questions

How Abijou works

We started in Gangnam in 2006 and the network now runs 17 branches across Korea. The line we work to is skin transformation woven into everyday life — care you can keep up with, rather than one dramatic change.

• Across the 17 branches in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon and Busan: over 1,000 medical professionals and more than 350 certified medical devices
• Authentic products only, in appropriate amounts — the treatment is fitted to the condition, not to a package
• Prices are quoted from each branch’s published price list as it stands

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• Abijou Gangnam
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• Submental Fat Injection
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