The accumulation of fat in the abdomen and buttocks is a common issue that many women face. They resort to dieting, which seldom gives good results.

Arab News interviewed nutritionist and weight loss specialist Dr. Salma Abdullah to learn about the latest procedures that can be used to lose weight and melt fat.

What are the methods used to remove fat without surgery?

Modern technologies aim to help women get rid of fat without having to resort to surgery. These techniques involve injecting needles to dissolve grease and tighten the skin, freezing fat, Thermage laser treatments and sound waves.

Are these techniques suitable for all women?

Unfortunately, the body's response rate to devices differ from one woman to another. Sometimes, we see amazing results for some women but for other women, we might see no results at all. It often depends on the woman's weight and the fat type. These treatments are not suitable for women who suffer from excessive obesity, however, we often see many clinics performing these treatments for this category of women. As for the type of fat, the hard fat is considered one of the toughest fat that can be dealt with, unlike the other fat known as 'jello fat.'

Does the fat type affect the choice of technique used?

Of course. It is known that the hard fat cannot be injected. We must prepare the fat before we inject it, which is through weekly sessions of ultrasound and laser until the fat softens gradually. Women often get terrified thinking that softening the fat leads to sagging. In these cases, preparing the patient is the most important step of the treatment.

How does the patient prepare herself to get satisfying results?

A big part of the treatment depends on the patient herself, starting from the patient’s expectations. She often puts unrealistic hopes on the treatment, and some specialists may contribute to lift the patient’s expectations above the normal. We should do the following:

a. We should clarify to the patient that the results are simple and cumulative, not a magical solution that will rid her of all problems.

b. The patient should attend all the sessions as interrupting them may affect or delay the results.

c. Maintain the weight. Usually, when the patient is asked to do that, she begins to object, pointing that the results may appear because of the diet, not the session, so we must clarify that it is required to maintain the same weight.

Sculpting and melting sessions aim to minimize the fat cell size, and in case the patient does not care about the weight, she increases the size of the cell and, therefore, the result is zero. And finally, drinking large quantities of water contributes to draining fat.

Can non-surgical methods of excess fat removal replace surgeries?

We cannot compare the results of non-surgical methods with surgeries, in which the surgeon removes large amounts of fat and tightens the skin at the same time during the operation. As for non-surgical methods, we make sure to get the results within several sessions that may take months, and in each session we remove very simple layers of fat.

How do these sessions help?

These sessions help in breaking the layers of fat, treating minor skin sagging, treating cellulite, in addition to the treatment of stretch marks resulting from pregnancy or weight change.

Is there a single device that can do all of the above?

Of course not. Each device or needle has a particular function, and we must use more than one technique to obtain satisfying results.

You mentioned the usage of more than one technique. What if the patient suffers from one problem, do you also use more than one technique?

In some cases, I do not. For example, in the case of skin tightening, I make sure not to use any device that affects the fat, but I have to use more than one technique to flatten the skin to get the best results. However, in contrast to the situation, when the patient wishes to melt fat, I have to give her a session to flatten the skin after several sessions, to avoid the occurrence of any sagging in the future.

What is the best technique to beautify/fix the body without cosmetic surgery? Do you recommend a specific device?

As I mentioned earlier, the case determines the type of treatment, and the use of a single device may cause problems that did not exist previously.

As for the best device, there is a device that is better than the other, but we must go back to the same point: Is the technique right for me or not? The most annoying thing is that the patient insists on a particular device that may not suit them.

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