Does Non-Surgical Body Sculpting Work?

With well over 150,000 persons selecting some form of non-surgical fat reduction each year – about 20% of them men – there’s little doubt that these ways of losing fat can be effective. Yet, just because they are non-surgical does not mean they are casual. Understanding the approaches to fat reduction that are available to you and getting expert advice on selecting the best one for you are just as important here as in any other medical procedure. Education, experience, and an unbiased view are qualities to look for when you decide where to go.

Cold, heat, and ultrasound offer different ways of eliminating fat cells from the body without incisions, and with little to no recovery time. The principle behind each of the approaches is that fat cells break down at temperatures that do not threaten other tissues. Whether through cold, heat, light, ultrasound, or the radiofrequency energy that is used in some procedures to generate that heat, the effect is to break down the cell walls of fat so that it can be eliminated naturally through the body’s own cleansing lymphatic system.

Where it Gets Complex

Though the process that takes place within the body sounds simple, the information available to people who consider non-surgical body sculpting can be complex. One reason is that there are several brand names for each approach. Some are similar, and some are different, so let’s group them according to their fundamentals.

• CoolSculpting is a good place to start, because the brand name is intuitive. It is one of the cryolipolysis, or fat-freezing, techniques. In use with FDA approval since 2010, CoolSculpting has accumulated a lot of experience and patient satisfaction to recommend it. Cooling panels are applied to the targeted areas for a treatment that can last up to two hours. Discomfort is minimal, and many patients watch a movie, or even work on their laptop.
• Vanquish ME is a revolutionary, FDA-approved, radiofrequency device that selectively targets fat with fine-tuned heat energy for safe and measurable cosmetic body treatments without the cost and recovery of surgery. Further, patients have universally reported high treatment satisfaction. Vanquish is a first-of-its-kind, non-surgical body treatment to “conquer the core” using a new clinical approach of subcutaneous or deep tissue heating with selective radiofrequency energy to target fat.
• Exilis Ultra 360 is a safe and effective way to tighten the skin and contour the body. This versatile machine can work on most areas of the body, leaving the skin more youthful and toned. Exilis uses a safe and sophisticated thermal energy to induce positive changes in your skin and body. This FDA-cleared technology is the first and only device to simultaneously combine radio frequency and ultrasound to tighten skin and address body concerns. Controlled heating and cooling ensure that energy is delivered to various depths in the tissue.
• Emsculpt is the only procedure to help both women and men build muscle and sculpt their abdomens and buttocks. Emsculpt’s non-invasive high-intensity, focused electromagnetic technology induces powerful muscle contractions not achievable through voluntary contractions. It’s like doing 20,000 sit ups or 20,000 squats in 30 minutes. When exposed to strong contractions, the muscle tissue is forced to adapt to such extreme conditions and responds with a deep remodeling of its inner structure that results in muscle building and sculpting your body.

What’s Right for You

For putting the finishing touches on a weight-loss program of exercise and diet – or for giving such a program a visible head-start – these non-surgical methods are gaining popularity everywhere. Their advantages include the fact that they don’t require taking an intermission from your life.

Which one may be right for you? Let’s discuss your goals and assess your situation. It begins with an easy conversation. At Dermatology Consultants, we’re here to be your trusted resource for questions like this. Just contact us to get started.