Non-surgical fat removal, fact or fiction

Regular exercise and a healthy diet might be the best and most reliable way to remove unwanted body fat, but sometimes no amount of exercise or dieting can remove fat from specific areas of the body.
Over the past few years more and more devices appeared, claiming to remove fat without going under the knife or taking the risk of general anesthesia. More recently there was an increased number of clinics advertising openly their ability to reshape the human body with treatments that are suitable to all body types and have no complications.
Dr. Sami Sawan, cosmetic and surgical dermatology consultant at the International Medical Center explains how fat is traditionally removed and what the new devices do. He gives a quick review of the latest methods and if they deliver what they claim to do.
Body reshaping is possible under certain conditions and for certain people. The technologies used generally require a few treatments, anywhere from 4 to 6, depending on the body. Each treatment may take anywhere from 20 to 60 minutes, and how long the results lasts depends on the patient. So if you exercise, and eat a proper diet, you are more likely to retain results longer, up to 6-12 months. Maintenance treatments are generally required for most patients to retain their results.
Traditional liposuction is an invasive method. Cosmetic surgeons have modified and perfected this classical way of fat removal over the years. Its basic mechanism is filling the area of the body that needs to be treated with a large amount of fluid. Then a special device removes all the fluid and with it the fat from the body.
Introducing this device requires multiple 1 cm opening in the body. It is done under general anesthesia and it is currently the only technique that works every time.
Laser lipolysis, laser liposuction and injection lipolysis are minimally invasive methods. Laser lipolysis is done under a local anesthetic, so you are awake and talking to your doctor throughout the procedure. The doctor inserts a very thin laser wire under the skin that melts the fat and tightens the skin. The fat will leak out that small opening over the next couple of days.
Injection lipolysis is done by injecting a substance that will melt the fat over a couple of sessions. This procedure is ideal for someone who has a localized area of stubborn fat, such as a double chin or excessive arm fat.
Probably the most interesting methods are non-invasive, because these remove fat without pain or anesthesia or incisions.
Over the past couple of years there have been some remarkable breakthroughs for removing fat non-invasively. These treatments involve lasers, ultrasound, radiofrequency energy or a combination of those, leaving the skin intact.
The following gives an overview of what’s available and how these technologies work.
Thermage is a non-invasive treatment that uses radiofrequency energy to tighten and contract collagen fibers that lie deep in the skin, reducing the appearance of fat in the process. There can be some pain during this treatment so when we perform the procedure patients may be given sedatives.
Cryolipolysis (removing fat by freezing) is a developing, non-invasive fat removal technology. While all lipolysis treatments work by breaking down unwanted fat, Cryolipolysis is unique in its approach that uses cold to remove fat. The fat-freezing process not only destroys unwanted fat cells, but also leaves surrounding tissue and skin unharmed, causing virtually no pain.
LipoSonix is a technology that uses high-intensity ultrasound to warm, melt and remove pockets of unwanted fat. As with several other non-invasive techniques, dissolved or melted fat is naturally filtered out of the body via the lymphatic system and eventually excreted through urination. The ultrasound waves used in LipoSonix procedures may treat fat tissue at a depth of more than an inch without causing damage to the surface of the skin.
UltraShape is a non-surgical technique that uses ultrasound pulses to remove targeted fat cells, while keeping surrounding tissue safe and whole. It may reduce the circumference of treatment areas by 4 cm.
VelaShape is a procedure that uses radiofrequency and light energy to re-contour the body and shrink fatty tissue, while a vacuum-roller combination manipulates the skin and moves treated fat and byproducts toward the lymphatic system. It also sends oxygen to the fat tissue, causing fat cells to burn through stored energy and shrink.
Zerona laser treatment
Treatment with the Zerona laser is easy, painless, and fool proof. Each session takes less than an hour, during which the laser is applied to the targeted area. This is generally a combination of the waist, hips, and thighs.
Liposuction is still the most effective method of fat reduction. For the time being all non-surgical methods just cannot compare. But if you have areas of excess localized fat that need to be removed and general anesthesia is not an option for you, and you understand that not every body responds similarly to theses treatments, then you may discuss with your doctor which of the minimally or non-invasive techniques are suitable for you.