BODY CONTOURING
Introduction to Body Contouring and Fat Reduction
Non-surgical fat reduction treatments are a great alternative to improve body contour without invasive surgeries such as liposuction or gastric bypass. With minimal downtime and risk, non-surgical fat reduction typically targets unwanted fat cells with thermal energy to destroy or minimize the fat cells’ function. Non-surgical options are used to target areas of fat that are difficult to diminish with diet and exercise alone, such as the area under the chin, underneath the arms, and stubborn belly fat. By selectively targeting unwanted fat cells from particular areas on the body, non-surgical options are a great way to improve body contour in areas where fat pockets develop under the skin regardless of lifestyle choices. There are multiple types of non-surgical options that have been proven to diminish unwanted fat and improve body contour with non-invasive treatments, minimal recovery time, and little to no discomfort.
What is non-surgical fat reduction?
Shedding unwanted fat can become difficult with age. Non-surgical fat reduction treatments can target these stubborn areas of fat accumulation without the downtime of invasive liposuction. While many of these treatments do not offer the permanent, dramatic effects of surgical procedures, they do greatly diminish fat in a targeted area with minimal pain and recovery time. Generally, your physician will work with you to develop a fat reduction plan using one or multiple methods of non-invasive fat reduction. Many of these treatments use thermal energy to either freeze or heat fat cells, causing permanent damage to unwanted cells. Other treatments use radiofrequency or light energy to heat and destroy targeted cells. Kybella, the only FDA approved injectable fat-reduction treatment, uses acids to break down fat cells in unwanted areas.
While each of these treatments uses different technologies to target specific cells, they each work by destroying unwanted fat cells without surgical treatment. Many of these treatments are less expensive than surgeries such as liposuction, and they can be performed in a doctor’s office or medi-spa in under an hour with no downtime or extensive recovery.
Who is the ideal candidate for non-surgical fat reduction?
The ideal candidate for non-surgical fat reduction is someone with excess fat pockets that generally protrude more than one inch beyond the necessary section of body fat. While each person develops fat differently, these non-invasive treatments are meant for excess fat pockets, which means that patients with very minimal fat will not be good candidates, and patients with fat in excess of thirty pounds of their target weight might not be good candidates. However, injections such as Kybella can be used on patients who have experienced significant weight loss but continue to have pockets of fat around the submental region around the chin. The best method to find out if you might be a good candidate for non-invasive fat reduction treatments is to schedule a consultation with your service provider to discuss a treatment regimen.
