It seems like every other week, there’s a new procedure promising miraculous fat loss, but is body contouring the real deal? Click here to find out.
We all want to look slim and toned, especially during beach season.
While the most natural way to get rid of fat is still diet and exercise, there are areas in the body that are hard to target. Even after almost killing yourself with exercise, those muffintops, saddlebags, and bingo wings just won’t go away.
Exercise is also not without danger. And while liposuction can be very effective, it is also very risky. Are there procedures that can target stubborn areas but aren’t as invasive as surgery?
Fortunately, body contouring may be the answer. These programs promise to seek and destroy fat cells without surgery. But do they work?
Read on to find out.
How Does Body Contouring Work?
Liposuction works exactly as how you imagine it. A tube connected to a vacuum sucks the fat out from your body.
But what about body contouring procedures such as cryolipolysis, ultrasound fat cavitation, and radio frequency energy?
The mechanism behind these methods is essentially the same. They destroy fat cells in a targeted area. How they destroy fat cells will depend on the specific procedure.
Once the fat cells are destroyed, the body’s lymphatic system will take care of the dissolved fat. They will transport the fat into the liver, which will process and dispose of the fat naturally. Fat released through these methods isn’t different from fat in the diet once they reach the liver.
Let’s take a closer look at how these procedures target and kill fat cells.
Cryolipolysis
In cryolipolysis or 3D-cryofreeze, a handpiece pulls portions of the skin by vacuum. Once the localized area is drawn into the device, it is then frozen to -6 degrees. After a set amount of time, 20-40% of the fat cells in the area will crystallize and eventually die.
Heat/Laser Treatment
This is the opposite of cryofreezing. Instead of low temperatures, heat generated by lasers is used to disrupt the structure of the adipose tissue. Because the applicator is flat, it doesn’t work very well on areas with curves such as the neck and double chin area.
Ultrasound Energy
Low-frequency ultrasound puts pressure on the membranes of fat cells. This pressure is enough to disintegrate the fat into a liquid state. A treatment session usually lasts for one hour.
Radiofrequency Fat Melting
This is also a heat-based method. But instead of lasers, radio waves are used to generate heat. As the ideal temperature is reached, the heat will disrupt and damage the adipose cells.
An additional benefit of using RF energy is that it will stimulate the production of new collagen and elastin fibers. This helps create a skin-tightening effect.
What Can You Expect from These Treatments?
It is important to note that these techniques take out fat from your body bit by bit every session. So while one treatment may not compare to one liposuction operation, several sessions can get close to the desired result. It usually takes two to eight sessions, depending on the procedure.
Their non-surgical nature offers several advantages. No anesthesia is required, and you will have no downtime. You can have the treatment immediately after consultation and only lasts up to one hour.
Pain is very minimal; generally, just some redness, swelling and bruising.
Body Contouring: Should You Try It?
The only one who can decide if body contouring is worth trying is you. As long as you keep your expectations realistic, then these non-invasive sculpting treatments are worth considering.
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