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Obesity, which is now classified as a disease, negatively affects people's health. Not only can obesity lead to chronic health conditions and deadly diseases, it can also affect mental health. Due to the fact that obesity can harm people's wellbeing, doctors have attempted to find ways of reducing fat particularly in the face for people who suffer mental health issues due to obesity. Now, a new procedure that is noninvasive has proven to be effective in reducing chin fat so far in small trials.

The procedure involves using a synthetically derived form of bile acid known as deoxycholic acid that the researchers called ATX-101. The research team from the United Kingdom, France, Great Britain, Belgium and Spain studied ATX-101 before starting human trials. ATX-101 works to reduce submental fat by damaging fat cell membranes. By injecting the chemical into humans, an inflammatory response takes place. The response triggers specialized cells known as macrophages to come to the spot and eat up the fat. The fat gets distributed and reabsorbed into other parts of the body.

For the trial, the researchers recruited 363 men and women between the ages of 18 and 65. Some of the participants received four injections administered four weeks apart. The participants in this group received either a high or a low dosage of ATX-101. The remaining group of people received a placebo injection and acted as the control group. The researchers had doctors rate the participants on a five-point fat rating scale. The participants had to rate themselves on a seven-point satisfaction scale.

The researchers found that 65 percent of the participants who received the high dosage injection had at least a one-point reduction on the fat rating scale. A lower point indicated less fat. Only 23 percent of the people in the placebo group had the same point reduction on the fat rating scale. The researchers also reported that around 66 percent of the people receiving the injection was satisfied in comparison to 29 percent of the people in the placebo group.

"This research is a very exciting step towards a safe and non-surgical solution to removing unwanted chin fat," Matt Gass, of the British Association of Dermatologists, said. "For people experiencing negative psychological effects of this unwanted fat on their appearance, this procedure, if approved, may open up the option of minimally invasive treatment with proven efficacy."

Lead author Professor Berthold Rzany added, "This study demonstrates that subcutaneous injections with ATX-101 yield a clinically meaningful and statistically significant reduction in unwanted submental fat, decrease the psychological impact on patients, and are well tolerated. This study and three additional phase III clinical trials of ATX-101 will provide the first true evidence base for non-surgical submental fat reduction."

The study was published in the British Journal of Dermatology.