If that New Year's resolution to lose weight is proving to be a losing battle against the bulge and your weakening willpower is weighing you down, then it could be time to take some more decisive action in your fight against the flab. It's true that diet and exercise fall at the cornerstone of staying slim, but sometimes they are not sufficient to help you achieve your desired shape.
Stubborn fat can now be reduced by treatments that tighten and firm up your body.
Recent breakthroughs in body re-contouring procedures mean that stubborn fat can now be reduced by treatments that simultaneously tighten and firm up your body. They provide a great option for both men and women with unwanted fat or skin laxity that do not want to undergo invasive fat removal procedures.
One such treatment is BodyTite. It works on the same principal as liposuction in as much as it removes fat; it melts the fat before it is removed to help give a smoother result. After the fat has been melted, it is removed by aspiration and this also removes unwanted pockets of fat. Then radio-frequency heat is introduced under the skin to boost collagen production that leads to skin tightening. The procedure is ideal for many treatment areas with excess fat including abdomen, hips, buttocks, thighs, arms, knees and neck. Usually one treatment is sufficient but occasionally some people need two. Any stitches will be removed 10 days after the treatment and you will then be reviewed after six weeks, three months, six months and a year.
These new less-invasive procedures are proving more popular than older treatments such as liposuction because as well as requiring local anaesthesia instead of general anaesthesia and only causing minimal scars that usually disappear with time, they also incorporate RF (radio frequency) technology to tighten the skin. Of course for some people even the less invasive suction treatments may seem excessive so they opt for procedures that use controlled cooling, ultrasound or deep tissue heating to eliminate unwanted fat cells. Controlled cooling treatments, such as CoolSculpting, work by freezing the fat cells and causing the cells to die. A suction cup like applicator is used to freeze the fat over a one-hour treatment time. The device is ideal for isolated pockets of fat, such as the "love handles" and "bra rolls". The process, also known as cryolipolysis, was discovered when Harvard scientists saw children who ate ice lollies had dimpling in their cheeks from loss of fat.
Deep tissue heating procedures to remove fat cells, such as Vanquish, using RF -- specially tuned electricity, to target fat cells without injuring other tissues. During the treatment, the system is suspended above the body so that it does not touch the patient's skin, so it feels like sitting under a warm blanket for 30 minutes.
Ultrasound treatments like Liposonix use high-intensity focused low frequency sound waves to permanently destroy fat tissue without harming the surface of the skin. During treatment, a high-intensity ultrasound energy is focused on the targeted fat, similar to the way a magnifying glass works. The energy passes through the skin and the targeted fat beneath is permanently destroyed. The dead fat cells are then naturally eliminated through the lymphatic system, liver and kidneys over the next two to four months.
While these non-surgical ways to sculpt and contour your body can help you achieve your desired body shape, it must be pointed out that they are not a replacement to a healthy diet and regular exercise. So if you do decide to get some help with your fight against the flab, do remember that regular exercise and eating healthy food are pivotal to determining a person's overall health, energy levels, happiness and even a longer life.
Dr Nantapat Supannachart, a founder of Apex Profound Beauty, is an American Board-certified dermatologist and laser surgeon.
