Beauty chip can cause weight gain and acne; get to know – 04/18/2023 – Equilibrium

It promises to improve libido, burn calories, lose weight, increase disposition and promote greater muscle mass gain. Called the beauty chip, subcutaneous hormone therapy is in the crosshairs of medical entities, as it poses health risks.

Damage includes severe acne, hair loss and weight gain, as reported by singer and former Big Brother Brasil participant Flayslane. Use can also cause clitoral enlargement, the appearance of Adam’s apple and deepen the voice.

“My skin was my biggest sadness. My face started to completely fill up with pimples. My body swelled up a lot. It was with the chip that I gained ten kilos”, he said in an interview with Fantástico, on TV Globo.

On social networks, Flay called the effects “catastrophic” and recommended that followers be careful not to fall into this “trap” of the beauty chip. It is a hormonal testosterone or gestrinone implant (steroid hormones with anabolic action) that is absorbed or placed under the skin and promises muscle mass gain, weight loss and cellulite reduction, among other benefits.

The CFM (Conselho Federal de Medicina) and the Sbem (Sociedade Brasileira de Endocrinologia e Metabologia) state that hormonal treatments of this type carry risk.

Last week, the council prohibited the medical prescription of hormonal therapies with androgenic and anabolic steroids for aesthetic purposes, such as muscle mass gain.

The decision was taken due to the serious side effects of this type of treatment and the lack of quality scientific research “that justifies the adoption of hormone therapy” for these purposes.

Sbem is also against the use of gestrinone implants and other types for the same reason. According to the organization, users use it incorrectly and motivated by “improving physical and aesthetic performance”, it states in a letter.

The gynecologist and obstetrician Alexandre Pupo, a doctor at Hospital Sírio Libanês, says that the very term “beauty chip” should be avoided, as it focuses on marketing and not science. “When they advertise or want to sell something magical, which will cure any problem, we have a misconception from a medical point of view”, he says.

In addition, to achieve the desired anabolic effects, higher doses are needed than those normally used for those who are actually undergoing hormone replacement therapy, points out Pupo.

“You can put any type of substance in the implant with hormones. They talk about a personalized dose, but until you reach the right amount for that person, you run the risk of making a mistake with an exaggerated or insufficient dose. And none of them has a study validating which dose they dispense into the body. It may be delivering a little hormone or a lot per day”, indicates the gynecologist at Sírio Libanês.

Another concern is the way in which the treatment is carried out. Both versions of the implant, both the absorbable one and the one placed under the skin, pose risks. “The non-absorbable material, after a while, has to be removed. And to remove it, it is necessary to make a small incision in the skin and hunt with tweezers until it is located. Sometimes it needs to be guided by ultrasound, it is complex”, says Pupo.

The absorbable drug, however, breaks down in the body and the only solution for those who experience intense side effects is to wait for four to six months for the medication.

Gynecologist Gerson Lopes, specialized in sexology by Febrasgo (Brazilian Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Associations) and coordinator of the Sexual Medicine Sector of the Mater Dei Health Network, also considers “beauty chip” a name that needs to stop being used.

“First, it’s not a chip, much less should it have the appealing term beauty”, says Lopes.

The professional states that any preparation of testosterone, either via implants or injections, which results in concentrations above physiological needs should be avoided.

“The only evidence-based indication for testosterone in women is postmenopausal, transdermal, short-term, and for the treatment of Hypoactive Sexual Desire, after biopsychosocial evaluation [para excluir causa psicológica]”, points out Lopes. In men, testosterone preparations are recommended in case of andropause, as long as it is clinically and laboratory confirmed.

“I collected a lot of testimonials at the time from women who used this small stick implanted under the skin, which said it promised to reduce weight and disappear with cellulite, and many reported that they gained weight, had a change in voice that we know is irreversible, enlarged clitoris, hair loss”, reports the gynecologist.