What did @leticiagardner actually say?
The creator promoted what she called "liquid lightbulb shots" that she claims can dissolve fat in targeted areas of the body. Her exact words: "there's no such thing as spot reducing fats unless you come in here and get these liquid lightbulb shots." She showed her own midsection as a before-and-after example and said the treatment "tightens up everything the full 360." She's booking clients through a medspa and a phone number, not a licensed clinical intake process with disclosed ingredients or provider credentials.
To be clear about what's being sold here: this is almost certainly a deoxycholic acid injection (brand name Kybella) or a compounded phosphatidylcholine/deoxycholic acid (PCDC) blend. These are real products with real clinical uses. But the marketing language she's using, particularly the spot-reduction framing, is where things get complicated fast.
Does the science back this up?
Partially, but not the way she's presenting it. Deoxycholic acid injections do have FDA approval for submental fat (under the chin), and there's legitimate evidence they destroy fat cell membranes in localized tissue. The claim that you can "spot reduce" fat through these injections in other body areas is a much harder sell scientifically.
The FDA approved Kybella strictly for submental fullness. Off-label use for abdominal or flank fat exists, but the evidence base is thin. A 2016 review by Rotunda in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology noted that while deoxycholic acid produces fat cell lysis, outcomes in body areas beyond the chin are inconsistent and not well-controlled in trials. The mechanism is real. The "dissolve fat wherever you want" marketing is not well-supported by that mechanism. Phosphatidylcholine blends have even less rigorous clinical data behind them.
What did they get wrong (or right)?
She actually got one thing right: spot reducing fat through traditional diet and exercise is not physiologically possible. That part is accurate. Your body decides where it pulls fat from during a caloric deficit, and you cannot target your stomach by doing crunches. Credit where it's due.
What she got wrong is the implication that these injections are a clean workaround to that biological rule. Deoxycholic acid injections cause localized adipocyte destruction, yes, but they also cause significant swelling, numbness, and potential nerve damage if administered incorrectly. A 2015 pivotal trial (Humphrey et al., JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery) documented numbness and alopecia at injection sites. More importantly, off-label use on the abdomen or flanks carries risks not studied in the same controlled settings. Presenting this as casually amazing with zero disclosure of those risks is irresponsible.
What should you actually know?
If you're considering injectable fat-dissolving treatments, you need specific answers before booking through a TikTok comment section. What exact compound is being injected? Is it FDA-approved Kybella or a compounded PCDC blend? Those are not the same product and do not carry the same regulatory oversight. Compounded formulations are not FDA-approved, and their safety profiles in off-label body contouring use have not been established in large randomized trials.
You also need to know who is administering the injections. Incorrect placement of deoxycholic acid near the marginal mandibular nerve can cause lasting facial muscle weakness, as documented in the FDA's own Kybella adverse event data. The same anatomical precision is required everywhere on the body. A medspa booking link and a TikTok caption are not a substitute for a proper clinical consultation with disclosed provider credentials, documented informed consent, and a treatment plan that acknowledges risks.
- Ask exactly what compound is being injected and whether it is FDA-approved for the area being treated.
- Request provider credentials and confirm the supervising physician's license.
- Get written informed consent that lists adverse events including swelling, numbness, necrosis risk, and asymmetry.
- Understand that results vary significantly and "before and after" content on social media is not clinical evidence.
The bottom line
This video is selling a real medical procedure using marketing language that overstates the evidence and discloses none of the risks. The "dissolve fat" mechanism has scientific grounding in very specific, controlled contexts. The casual, book-now framing strips that context entirely. That gap between what the science says and what the caption implies is exactly where patients get hurt.