Phoshatidylcholine/lipostabil experiment

Day 1: Dec. 1st, 2010 2 mL, 500 mg injected...

As dated as the concept may seem to many diehard bodybuilders out there (those who've been around for 10 years or more), I've decided to perform another experiment with phosphatidylcholine- aka lipostabil. Lipostabil is a product used in Brazil containing phosphatidylcholine (PC) and used in place of liposuction for certain people. It is very popular in certain parts of the world and has been shown to work in various scientific studies.

In over simplified terms, the way lipostabil works is to cause the fat cell itself to become less able to contain liquid (water and nutrients) and therefore it shrinks and becomes innactive when it comes into contact with and affected by PC. I have had some results using my own transdermal application of PC before- years ago when I applied it to one side of my torso: love handles, abs, and intercostals. When I did this I was probably 17% bf or more. I only applied my home-made mixture to one side every evening just to see if I could compare it to the other to gauge results. Yes, I did get results. They were subtle, but you could tell a difference in pictures and in person. I was using DMSO as my chemical carrier and since PC has a molecular weight of around 110, it is easily carried through the skin by DMSO. I was, at the time using a lecithin concentrate that contained aprox. 40% PC.

Now I have access to a 90% pure version of PC and a 75% pure oil/alcohol preparation. Typically PC is administered in a water based form. But, I see no reason (doesn't mean there isn't one) an oil based injection would not have the same benefit- though I may play with the formula and come up with my own water based injectable. I will be following standard injection procedures for lipostabil: 250 mg/mL, 0.2 mL per injection, injections 1.5 cm apart spread over the area treated and no more than 5 mL per session. I did my first session this evening on my ab area and used only 2 mL. The first-draft oil based preparation I concocted tonight would only pass through a 23 gauge needle- so that was fun doing sub Q injects with!

Like I say, I may try to come up with a water based injectable next time around and gauge my results with that vs. the oil. And, later on I'll be using a DMSO/90% PC powder version for transdermal (applied on the skin) application. This is day 1. Let's see if I get the telltale welts from my homemade version as is reported with the pharm grade lipostabil. Presently my bf % is around 11% and my waist measures 36"- I am 6'2" and 225 lbs. I will post pictures as soon as time permits.

Application 2- Dec 7, 2010

I tried my second round of the oil-based injectable last night. After the first round of shots I got a few small knots (as is usual) and one surface bruise. I didn't get a lot of lasting swelling, but every other side described with lipostabil was there. When I started shooting the second batch of shots last night I got about 5 shots in (1mL) and thought, "To hell with this, too painful!" I don't know why, but it didn't seem near as painful the first go around, but what a tedious pain in the ass (or ab fat as the case may be). So, I figured that was as good a time as any to try a transdermal application.

I used a mortal and pestal technique with the solid, 90% PC material I was sent and ground it down to somewhat of a powder. But, by the time I applied the DMSO (rose scented cream with aloe- trust me the only tolerable way!) it had somewhat "gelled" again and was near impossible to spread over the areas I wanted to cover. Though DMSO can carry any substance through the skin and into the body as long as it has a molecular weight of 500 or less, a thick, gunky mess was just not going to cut it. At best, only small portions would soak through.

At first I resisted the idea of using the oil-based 75% PC solution. My thinking was that the DMSO would have a difficult time "pulling" the PC and oil through the skin. But, thinking about it I remembered that it broke down to 75% PC by weight, not by powder purity. When you think about it, that's pretty incredible. An oil-based injectable steroid is somewhere around 25% product by weight- or less. Plus, nearly 9% of the remainder of the compound was ethanol- which, itself is somewhat of a surfactant (i.e. it's likely only going to help the process). All told, the product is only about 15% mct oil- maybe even a bit less. Between the DMSO, aloe, and ethanol (all transdermal carriers to some degree) I am pretty sure a large amount of the 75% PC got through the skin and into my body. After applying more DMSO to the desired areas covered, the PC/oil/ethanol mix went on easily. I simply spooned out about a half teaspoon (2.5 grams) and spread it out over the DMSO covered areas.

Now, whether or not the PC will be doing its full job applied this way remains to be seen. Though it will pass through the skin and into the fat to some extent, it's a little bit of an unknown just how much that amount of absorbed PC will affect the fat cells themselves. I'm going to make a few guesses here. One, I believe, that I'm seeing 40% absorption. Given all the variables and after listening to reports with other people's experiences with DMSO and other substances, this is a generally accepted best guess at how much DMSO carries a substance through the skin- providing the molecular weight is low enough. Two, I suspect it will take between two and three weeks to see some kind of noticeable results. While my diet is decent at the moment- it isn't perfect and I'm certainly not starving myself. I'm keeping an eye on the areas I applied this stuff to. I will be re-applying 5 nights per week to give it ample opportunity to work. If I see results (yes, entirely subjective, but will post pics before and after when finished) I will continue to use this product as needed.

Update- Did a second application of the transdermal tonight. It goes on easy. I'm using rose-scented DMSO cream. It's the only way to go. It is 30% aloe- which is great for slightly less irritation. I'm using a sample batch of PC that I got from a manufacturer. But, I suspect it may be nearly the very same thing as this LINK. I'll let you know if I find out for certain- I'll check the analysis sheets that came with my sample batch.

I also spotted this LINK on ebay tonight. That won't last long. Someone selling Lipodissolve openly on ebay, lol.

I know I'm going to sound loony, but I believe I can already see some tightening of the areas I've applied the cream dmso/pc to. More than likely this is just a bit of dehydration at the site because of the various chemicals involved: alcohol, dmso etc. But, as time goes by we'll get a clear picture. And, like I say, I'll post before and afters. I'm not a great photographer, but I hope we can at least get and idea of what is going on- whether positive or bunk- from my photos.