Received 50 Lipolysis Injections... "Blisters All Over My Body, It Was Painful"

Inappropriate Deoxycholic Acid Injection, Still Recovering

An American fitness influencer with 30,000 followers reportedly developed a severe skin disease after receiving a fat-dissolving injection. The cause was an infection due to contaminated medical equipment.

On the 23rd (local time), according to the New York Post and the UK Daily Mail, Beatrice Emma (26) revealed that she received fat-dissolving injections on her arms, back, and abdomen at a high-end clinic in Los Angeles three years ago.

Beatrice Emma, who received injections containing various vitamins and fat-dissolving ingredients, underwent multiple surgeries and antibiotic treatments due to side effects. Before the accident (left), after (right) [Photo by New York Post]

The injection she received contained a mixture of vitamin C, vitamin B1, and 'Deoxycolic acid,' a component that rapidly breaks down fat, and the price reached $800 (approximately 1.07 million KRW).

The day after the injection, abnormal symptoms appeared immediately upon waking. She began experiencing fever, chills, and cold sweats throughout the day. Two days later, widespread red swelling developed around the injection sites.

She stated, “Blisters resembling warts started to appear on the injected areas. It felt like my entire body was being eaten away, and it was agonizing.”

After enduring unbearable pain for two weeks, Beatrice was diagnosed in the emergency room with abscesses caused by a bacterium called ‘Mycobacterium.’ Medical staff suspected this was the result of improper injection of deoxycolic acid. This bacterium is commonly found in water, soil, and dust and belongs to the same genus as bacteria that cause tuberculosis and leprosy. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this bacterium can contaminate medical devices. It is important to avoid injections without proper skin disinfection.

The deoxycolic acid component irreversibly destroys fat cells rather than temporarily reducing fat size, so if injected improperly without considering an individual’s physical condition, it can cause nerve damage, pain, and swelling.

Beatrice before the accident (left) and after (right). [Photo by Daily Mail]

Beatrice said, “The entire clinic appeared very legitimate, clean, and professional, so I wasn’t worried about infection,” adding, “The staff even showed me the vial, saying it was a product made by a very famous company.” She received more than 50 injections in total: 10 times on her arms, 20 times on her waist, and 20 times on her abdomen.

Afterward, she received intravenous antibiotics containing antibiotics for six hours daily until September 2022. She then switched to oral antibiotics and stopped taking them last February. This woman, who received injections mixed with various vitamins and fat-dissolving components, underwent multiple surgeries and antibiotic treatments due to side effects.

However, in July, the infection recurred, and treatment resumed. Beatrice stated, “I underwent many surgeries to remove as much infected tissue as possible,” adding, “It took about a year for the skin wounds to heal, and even though it has been three years since I started treatment, I am still receiving ongoing treatment to suppress complications.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.