What are your non-invasive options for removing stubborn body fat?
This is a great question. First, we should clarify what “non-invasive” means, as there can be some confusion on that topic. Simply put, the term differentiates between surgical options and non-surgical options. A non-invasive option will not require us to create an incision or a wound to your skin surface. However, even though there is no surgery involved, non-invasive procedures can still involve some discomfort and require a local anesthetic.
The number of non-invasive options available to you depends on the area you want treated. Reducing body fat on the arms, bra line, abs, flanks, thighs, and buttocks can be achieved through the use of three very different devices. One involves freezing the fat, one heating the fat, and one uses ultrasound waves to destroy it. Here is a quick summary of the three choices you have:
Coolsculpting – This treatment freezes a specified area on your body for about 50 minutes. No anesthesia is needed, but the sensation can be pretty intense for many people, especially those who are sensitive to cold. The area being treated is under suction the entire time so at the end you will have a large swollen lump that can be painful. Additionally, some patients have reported neuropathy in the treated area for months after their procedure.
Ultrashape – This technology uses focused, pulsed ultrasound energy to reportedly break up and destroy fat. The advertisements say “virtually painless” but many have reported significant pain associated with this treatment.
SculpSure by Cynosure – This is the newest technology by the country’s largest aesthetic medical device company, recently featured on Good Morning America. SculpSure has also been featured on many more programs, including Dr. Oz, The Doctors, E!, The View, CBS News, and more.
One reason why SculpSure has attracted so much attention is that it is the only laser procedure available that is specifically attracted to adipose fat cells. During the procedure, fat cells are destroyed with no harm to the skin’s surface or the surrounding tissue, muscles, tendons, and nerves. It is FDA-approved for the abdominal and flank areas but is being used successfully on many more areas. This 25-minute treatment is done without need for anesthesia and has proved to reduce the fat an average of 24% in just one treatment.
Results can be seen as early as 6 weeks and improvements continue for twelve weeks. This is permanent fat reduction as the targeted cells cannot return. There is no downtime or recovery time and patients return immediately to whatever they want to do with the exception of indoor tanning.
As you can see, we have a lot of reason to be excited about SculpSure, and we are happy to be able to provide that option to our patients here at Southern Surgical Arts. To set up a complimentary personal consultation to discuss SculpSure, please call us at 423-266-3331.
