Glow in Seoul

Name decoder · Injectable

Contour and fat-dissolving injections: what is actually in the syringe

윤곽주사 · 지방분해주사

Checked 2026-10-22. Prepared with AI assistance from the sources listed below; not reviewed by a doctor. Not medical advice.

윤곽주사 (contour injection) and 지방분해주사 (fat-dissolving injection) are menu names, not products. Behind them can be an approved drug, a clinic’s own mix (one doctor-reviewed article lists ingredients such as triamcinolone, a steroid, and hyaluronidase), or a herbal version at a Korean-medicine clinic.[1][2]

The approved fat-dissolving drugs, Korea’s 브이올렛 (V-olet, deoxycholic acid) and the US Kybella, are approved only for moderate to severe fat under the chin in adults.[3][4] Separately, a 2021 review by Korea’s national evidence agency covered hyaluronidase, the main ingredient it lists for “contour injections”, and found insufficient clinical evidence for every cosmetic injection it reviewed except botulinum toxin.[5]

At a glance

Korean names
윤곽주사 (contour or V-line injection), 지방분해주사 (fat-dissolving injection). The same name can cover very different contents.[1]
Approved in Korea
브이올렛주 (deoxycholic acid, Daewoong), approved 2021 for moderate to severe submental fat in adults, prescription only.[3] 뉴비쥬주 (cholic acid, Medytox) was reported approved for the same use.[6]
Ingredients differ
뉴비쥬 contains cholic acid; V-olet and Kybella contain deoxycholic acid.[6][3]
Approved in the US
Kybella (deoxycholic acid): fat under the chin only; “not approved for the treatment of subcutaneous fat outside the submental region”.[4]
PPC
Phosphatidylcholine (PPC) was approved in Korea as a liver medicine, not for fat.[7] A June 2026 report said a soybean PPC product for local fat was under regulatory review; we could not confirm approval.[8]
Known side effects
On the Kybella label: numbness, swelling, nerve injury showing as an uneven smile (resolved in trials), trouble swallowing.[4] V-olet’s Korean label warns that injecting too shallowly can cause ulcers, tissue death and infection, and lists infection among overseas postmarketing reports for other deoxycholic acid products.[3]

In Korean searches

Among the 33 treatments we track on Naver, Contour / fat-dissolving injections ranks #13 by Korean search interest (index 13; the most-searched = 100). The question people add most often: “Does it work?” (7% of its searches). Google searches in Korea for its main Korean name: -13% in Jul 2026–Sep 2026 compared with Oct 2025–Dec 2025.

From the Korea Treatment Radar, October 2026. Search interest, not treatments performed.

Approved drug or clinic mix

In September 2026 the US FDA said it had identified 129 adverse-event cases with deoxycholic acid injected outside the approved under-chin area, some serious, such as blurred or reduced vision and muscle or nerve injury. It separately identified 117 cases of lumps (nodules or masses) that had not resolved, which can also follow approved under-chin use. FDA urges people not to use unapproved fat-dissolving injection products.[9] In 2010 the FDA warned sellers of “lipodissolve” mixes (phosphatidylcholine with deoxycholate) that they were not approved for fat removal.[10]

A July 2026 report described a planned investigator-led study at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, with Daewoong, of V-olet for fat at the front of the armpit;[11] its Korean approval still covers only fat under the chin.[3] Some 한의원 (Korean-medicine clinics) sell a “natural herbal” contour injection; we could not confirm its ingredients or status.[2]

Not the same as

  • Jaw botox (사각턱 보톡스): a toxin that relaxes the chewing muscle, not a fat-dissolving drug.
  • Filler or 실리프팅 (thread lift): they add volume or lift; they do not dissolve fat.

Questions to ask the clinic

  1. What exactly is in this injection: an approved product such as V-olet, or the clinic’s own mix?
  2. What is this exact product approved to treat in Korea, and does that include the area you plan to inject?
  3. Does the mix contain a steroid?
  4. Is this a medical clinic (의원) or a Korean-medicine clinic (한의원)?
  5. What should I do about numbness, an uneven smile, lumps or infection after I fly home?

Sources

  1. Doctornow (doctor-reviewed article), July 19, 2024: what goes into 윤곽주사↩1↩2
  2. Korean-medicine clinic listing for a herbal contour injection (usage)↩1↩2
  3. MFDS 의약품안전나라: 브이올렛주 (deoxycholic acid), Daewoong, approved August 6, 2021↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5
  4. US FDA label (DailyMed): Kybella (deoxycholic acid) injection, revised September 2026↩1↩2↩3
  5. NECA (National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency), 2021: safety and effectiveness of injection ingredients used for cosmetic and wellness purposes (report summary)↩
  6. Dailypharm, September 19, 2025: 뉴비쥬주 (cholic acid, Medytox)↩1↩2
  7. Dailypharm, October 9, 2009: PPC approved in Korea as a liver medicine↩
  8. Dailypharm, June 10, 2026: soybean phosphatidylcholine product for local fat under review↩
  9. US FDA Drug Safety Communication, September 15, 2026: Kybella labeling and adverse events outside the submental area↩
  10. NPR, April 2010: FDA warning letters on lipodissolve↩
  11. Money Today, July 16, 2026: Daewoong, SNU Bundang Hospital and 365mc agreement on a V-olet study for anterior armpit fat↩

Manufacturer pages establish what a product is, not that it works. Regulatory filings describe what a regulator cleared or approved in that country. Glow in Seoul editorial; no clinic paid for or reviewed this page. See our transparency page.