To avoid paying $100,000 for liposuction, women inject themselves with a $95 Korean drug that kills fat cells.

Hoping to lose weight, women are buying injection kits of a Korean drug that induces fat cell necrosis. This "home liposuction" can be very dangerous: proper injection requires medical skills, writes New York Post.

Ruth didn't want to pay a plastic surgeon to achieve her dream figure. She decided to do it herself.

Instead of spending nearly $100,000 on traditional doctor-supervised liposuction, the 55-year-old woman purchased a $95 Korean fat-dissolving kit online, filled a syringe with the solution, and injected it into her lower abdomen, thighs, and double chin.

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By that point, she had already lost about 20 kilograms (45 pounds) using GLP-1 drugs administered at home. So, despite the risks, she says, she decided to get rid of the remaining "fat pockets" that she couldn't get rid of.

Ruth, a married mother of two, asked that her last name not be used. She is one of those women who are forgoing the safety of the operating room and opting for a questionable, homemade version of liposuction at home, becoming part of the DIY lipo trend.

This controversial cosmetic trend promotes self-injection as a non-surgical solution for those struggling with excess weight.

However, unlike Kybella, an FDA-approved drug used by U.S. doctors to destroy fat cells in specific areas (the procedure costs approximately $500 to $1,500 in New York), over-the-counter versions are unregulated and carry serious risks, from permanent scarring and infection to skin deformities, cysts, and painful lumps.

The rise in popularity of self-administering GLP-1 supplements has opened the door to even riskier at-home cosmetic procedures. Despite the obvious dangers, hundreds of women, including Ruth, are willing to go to any lengths to achieve a toned figure without spending a fortune, and they actively encourage others to follow their example.

"I'll never stop using this product. I love it. I want to sign up for a subscription," Ruth said of Dr. Lipo + V, a course-based treatment for reducing fat deposits in the face and neck area.

This is a set of 10 5-milliliter vials containing a lipolytic compound. This is a combination of phosphatidylcholine (PPC), which reduces localized fat deposits under the skin, and sodium deoxycholate (SD), which disrupts fat cell membranes.

When properly injected into adipose tissue, these components have been shown to reduce the volume and thickness of adipose tissue through adipocyte necrosis—the death of fat cells.

Ruth first learned about the product online, where videos of similar fat-dissolving products—Aqualyx, Lipodissolve, Lipo Lab, Kabelline, and others—had garnered nearly 500,000 views.

After starting Wegovy, a self-injectable semaglutide drug, and losing about 23 kilograms (50 pounds) gained during perimenopause, Ruth spent much of 2025 researching "at-home liposuction" options until she found the right one.

After receiving a package from Asia last fall, she followed the instructions and marked a grid of 1-centimeter squares under her chin with a marker, just like surgeons do before surgery.

She then drew the solution into a separately purchased syringe and administered one injection into each square, repeating the procedure every two to three weeks for two months.

After 60 days, she says, the stubborn fat deposits were completely gone.

"I couldn't believe it," she said.

"I was so impressed with the results on my chin that I repeated the procedure on my stomach, my C-section scar area, my thighs, and the annoying creases under my arms in the bra area," said Ruth, a former medical assistant in the emergency department of a Level I trauma center.

"I've gained confidence. I can take selfies and feel good about myself. This summer, I'll be able to wear sundresses and, perhaps for the first time in 15 years, a bikini," she added.

Thanks to her medical experience, she says she feels confident administering the injections herself. The only side effects were temporary swelling and sensitivity.

"I'm proud that I was able to do this myself for a fraction of the cost I would have paid for liposuction," Ruth noted.

However, according to experts, she was simply lucky.

"I don't recommend anyone try this at home," warned plastic surgeon Carter Boyd of NYU Langone Health. "It's a medical procedure: you're introducing chemicals into the body, and there are risks associated with that."

He noted that purchasing untested drugs for self-use through Facebook, TikTok, or the dark web could lead to life-threatening consequences.

According to him, injections without a doctor's prescription can cause nerve damage, bleeding, inflammation, ulcers, necrosis, and other serious complications.

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"Patients can damage internal organs if the drug is injected too deeply—into a muscle, a blood vessel, or if it blocks the airway in the neck," Boyd emphasized.

Brunilda Nazario, chief medical editor for Medical Affairs at WebMD, a major medical media platform, agrees.

She said injections of GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic are less dangerous than unapproved fat-dissolving agents and perform completely different functions.

"GLP-1 supplements help control hunger by regulating hormones that influence appetite and satiety. They affect the gut, brain, and other body systems, promoting healthier outcomes in overweight individuals," Nazario explained.

"Fat cells are reduced throughout the body and around organs, not just under the skin as with fat-dissolving injections," she explained.

"On the other hand, the purpose of such injections is to give the body a more attractive shape. They are not intended for weight loss or health improvement," the expert emphasized.

Some users shared negative experiences on the r/DIYaesthetics forum on Reddit.

One of them, after 15 injections into the abdominal area, reported losing consciousness and experiencing a “severe ringing” in the ears: “I don’t understand what it was: fainting, a seizure, or a toxic reaction to lidocaine—the symptoms are the same.”

Another user reported the appearance of scar tissue after three Dr. Lipo injections in the jaw and cheek area.

"I'm concerned that there was more swelling this time and that I felt hard lumps at the injection sites when I touched them," he wrote.

Despite the risks and similar stories, bloggers promoting "home liposuction" continue to gain popularity. One of them, Ana, went viral thanks to her stories of how injections helped her lose excess fat.

"I used to weigh about 118 kilograms (260 pounds) and wear a size 16," she said, showing off her new figure to her more than 462,000 followers.

"I'm a size 4 now," she boasted, showing off her toned stomach. "I owe it to DIY liposuction."

The blogger said she recently lost over 45 kilograms (100 pounds) with the help of peptides and GLP-1 supplements, and used unregulated brands like Dr. Lipo, Power Delete, Pine Bottle, and Lipo Lab to sculpt her body.

Another user, Becky, a mother and nurse who documents her transformation online, also praises Lipo Lab and Pine Bottle for their abdominal benefits.

"It works. Just go for it. You won't regret it," she wrote under the before and after photos. "The magic starts after six treatments. I'm halfway there and I'm not stopping."

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Ruth also has no plans to stop. She says the medications not only helped her remove fat from her face, legs, and waist, but also tightened her skin and improved blood and lymph circulation.

"I used to hate the way I looked. I even stopped taking photos with my family because I wasn't happy with myself," she admitted. "Now I feel great."

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