Licking Lipoatrophy

BioForm Medical has reported that a 12-month study of Radiesse, a facial-wasting treatment, has shown that all study subjects reported improvements in facial fat loss, with 84% reporting 'very much improved' or 'much improved' appearances. BioForm is seeking Food and Drug Administration approval to treat U.S. HIVers experiencing facial wasting. And three studies reported at the Seventh International Workshop on Adverse Drug Reactions and Lipodystrophy in HIV bring potential good news about treatment of lipoatrophy. In one study, researchers reported that switching from Retrovir or Zerit to either Ziagen or Viread can help reverse facial fat loss. Laser imaging showed either improvements in, or no further fat loss from, the cheeks of 68% of study participants who switched medications. In another study, researchers found that treating patients with the lipid-lowering drug pravastatin, sold under the brand name Pravachol, results in gains in limb fat among HIV-positive adults experiencing lipoatrophy. Study subjects taking pravastatin gained an average of 1.03 kilograms of body fat after 16 weeks of treatment. In the third study, NucleomaxX, a dietary supplement consisting of an extract from sugarcane, produced gains in subcutaneous limb fat in HIV patients experiencing Retrovir- or Zerit-related lipoatrophy. The supplement raises levels of uridine in the body, which may block some of the toxic side effects of anti-HIV drugs.