There is no evidence to prove the effectiveness of weight loss patches (Transdermal) in burning fat or controlling diabetes - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 11, 2022
Update (08 December 2022):
Another video is being shared on social media claiming that diabetic patches made of a Chinese traditional medicine mixture when applied in the navel area help in reducing blood sugar instantly. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Diabetic Patches made of Chinese traditional medicine help in reducing blood sugar levels instantly, when applied to the navel
Fact: These kinds of herbal patches are not FDA-approved. Right now, there’s no standalone patch that you can stick on the skin to control diabetes. The patches that do help manage this disease are part of complex medical device systems. Moreover, the product description says, “This Product cannot replace drugs”.Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
According to FDA and WebMD,  these kinds of herbal patches are not FDA-approved. Moreover, there isn’t any reliable research even on the combination of herbs these patches claim to deliver. Right now, there is no standalone patch — prescription or non-prescription — that you can stick on the skin to control diabetes. The patches that do help manage this disease are part of complex medical device systems. Also, the product description of this diabetic patch says, “This Product cannot replace drugs”.
However, the smart insulin patch developed by UCLA researchers is applying for FDA approval for human clinical trials. This smart patch monitors blood sugar (or glucose). It has doses of insulin preloaded in very tiny microneedles, less than 1 millimeter in length, that delivers the medicine quickly when the blood sugar levels reach a certain threshold.
To sum it up, no evidence to suggest that herbal diabetic patches decrease blood sugar levels instantly.
Published (11 October 2022):
A post is being shared on social media which claims that slim patches help in weight loss. A WhatsApp number is also provided in the post to place an order. Let’s fact-check the claim made in this post through this article.
Claim: Slim patches/ weight loss patches are effective in weight loss.
Fact:  Patches are a Transdermal way of administering a drug to the body. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) states, ‘Nothing you wear or apply to the skin can cause substantial weight loss. So weight-loss claims for patches, creams, lotions, wraps, body belts, earrings, and the like are false.‘ Research on the effectiveness of Transdermal Drug Delivery Systems (TDDS) is also in its nascent stage to confirm the efficacy of TDDS in treating obesity. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Before knowing about the effectiveness of slim patches in aiding weight loss, understanding patches in general and the method they employ to deliver the drug to the human body is essential.
Transdermal Drugs
Transdermal Drug Delivery (TDD) is an alternative to oral and injection-based drug delivery. According to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ‘Transdermal drug products are administered to the skin, through which the drugs permeate into the systemic circulation and are delivered throughout the body to the site of action.‘ These transdermal drug patches are placed on the skin like an adhesive bandage. A nicotine patch is an example of a Transdermal drug used by persons trying to quit smoking.
Effectiveness of Slim/Weight-loss patches in aiding weight loss.
According to medical news today,’Weight loss patches contain different ingredients that manufacturers claim can assist people in losing weight. The patches supposedly work by releasing active ingredients from an embedded delivery system onto the skin’s surface. Then, the skin must absorb the particles of the active ingredient to allow them to enter the person’s bloodstream.’
U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) states, ‘Weight loss is an internal metabolic process. Nothing you wear or apply to the skin can cause substantial weight loss. So weight-loss claims for patches, creams, lotions, wraps, body belts, earrings, and the like are false.’ They also warned consumers not to fall prey to advertisements that claim one can lose weight with a patch.
According to R.O health guide ‘Weight loss patches often contain ingredients that have been studied as oral supplements for weight loss. But, that doesn’t mean the ingredient will have the same weight loss effects when used in patch form (Pastore, 2015). At least one clinical trial has evaluated the topical application of natural ingredients for their slimming effect and the results weren’t particularly promising (Berardesca, 2011). ‘
A study says, ‘ At present, drugs through transdermal administration to treat human obesity have not been reported. In general, TDDS for the treatment of human obesity still needs further study to investigate the effectiveness of drugs on the human body….’
Several other articles that state that there is no evidence to prove the effectiveness of the weight-loss patches in aiding weight loss can be read here, here and here. With all this evidence, we can conclude that slim or weight loss is not a proven way to lose weight.
To sum up, there is no evidence to prove the effectiveness of weight loss patches (Transdermal) in burning fat.