Experts have issued warnings about a fat-burning jab which is taking TikTok by storm after some users reported getting abscesses and even body tissue death after having it.
The Lemon Bottle injection, which claims to painlessly dissolve fat and have visible results in as little as one £50 session, has been the subject of dozens of complaints from customers in the last three months.
The jab, which is produced by a South Korean firm, has been accused of leaving some customers with bruising, infections, abscesses and even necrosis – where body tissue dies.
It comes as adverts claiming to show its effectiveness, including one appearing to show it dissolving fat on slices of bacon in a matter of minutes, go viral online with 81.5million views on TikTok so far.
Some clinics say their customers are very happy with the results shown by the product – which is being offered on Facebook and Instagram – but others have labelled evidence that it works as ‘flimsy’ while one professional body has warned people are ignoring the risks involved, the Guardian reports.
Videos on social media show people injecting rashers of bacon with Lemon Bottle to show it breaking down the fat
Social media is awash with people claiming the Lemon Bottle injection has dissolved fat in their face. Pictured: A before-and-after view of someone who claims to have had the jab which was posted on TikTok
Lemon Bottle is the latest in a number of injections which claim to dissolve fat, with the company behind it – Sid Medicos – claiming it is not based on Phosphatidylcholine (PPC) or deoxycholate (DCA) like other products.
While a full list of ingredients is not available, the Sid Medicos website claims the key components are Bromelain (a group of enzymes found in Pineapples), Riboflavin (also known as Vitamin B2) and Lecithin (a mixture of fats found in foods such as soybeans and eggs).
Sid Medicos says while these on their own do not work, the combination of ingredients – including those not mentioned on the website – makes the treatment ‘safe and effective’.
Adverts for the treatment have gone viral on social media, with clinicians and patients raving about its effectiveness in before-and-after videos.
Perhaps the most dramatic of adverts though are multiple videos showing people injecting it into slices of bacon and watching the fat lose its shape in a matter of minutes.
However, some experts have raised doubts about the safety of the treatment, amid rising numbers of reported issues from people who have used it.
Save Face, which is a register of accredited clinics that provide medical aesthetic treatments, revealed in 2023 there have been 90 complaints, with more than half of these taking place in just the last three months. In the whole of 2022, there was just one.
These customers claimed to have had side-effects from the jab ranging from unevenness, bruising and swelling, to abscesses and even tissue necrosis.
Asthon Collins, director of Save Face, told the Guardian it isn’t clear whether these issues were caused by poor technique, counterfeits – there are multiple websites claiming to sell the same product – or the official Lemon Bottle.
‘People are seeing it as a magic wand treatment, and they do not appreciate the risks involved,’ she said.
Advertising from Lemon Bottle claims it can be used safely on all parts of your body including the chin, under arms, abdomen and thighs
It also boasts that it’s ‘magic in the bottle’ and away to ‘achieve your body goals in a safe and quick way’
Dr Sophie Shotter, an aesthetic doctor and trustee of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine told the publication she was ‘worried’ about the product as ‘it doesn’t appear to have clinical evidence’.
Dr Yannis Alexandrides, a plastic surgeon who founded beauty firm 111 Skin, said he was not convinced by the claims made by Lemon Bottle.
He told Glamour: ‘Lemon Bottle fat dissolving injections may be trending on social media but my personal assessment and initial research finds no scientific papers to support the efficacy and safety of this product.
‘At present, the current research is too flimsy for me to feel safe and confident to offer this treatment. New non-surgical treatments like this one need to be properly assessed and scrutinised by scientific publications.’
However, those doubts haven’t stopped others from selling it their customers, with one London-based clinician saying 200 of his patients who had being injected with it were very happy with the results.
Dr Vahe Karimyan told the Guardian it was a ‘virtually painless’ treatment and worked well on ‘double chins, the abdominal area, love handles, inner thighs and underarms.’
He added: ‘My patients are far more than happy after the procedure. It is very well tolerated in contrast to other products.’
has contacted Lemon Bottle for comment.