Does this sound familiar? You spend hours at the gym, eat clean and track your calorie intake but those unsightly jiggly bits seem to have taken up permanent residence.
Weight loss is frustrating since everyone’s body reacts differently to exercise. Even dieting is not straightforward—what works for one person might not work for you. It’s a lot of trial and error.
If only there was a way to target specific fat deposits and remove them directly…
In the past, the only body sculpting available was the surgical process of liposuction. Liposuction is a surgical procedure that uses a suction technique to remove fat from specific areas of the body. After surgery, the skin will mould itself to the new contours of the treated areas. However, this method is invasive, subject to lots of side effects and has a long recovery period.
Non-surgical body sculpting, on the other hand, does not require surgery to be performed in order to eliminate fat from the problem areas of your body.
Today, there are many FDA-approved non-surgical body sculpting treatment options available.
Who It’s For
Contrary to popular belief (and wishful thinking), body sculpting does not mean that you won’t need to diet or exercise anymore. Although it can get rid of that stubborn fat bulge that you find unsightly—for good—you will still need to keep up an active, healthy lifestyle to ensure it doesn’t come back!
Most body sculpting treatments are recommended for men and women who have a normal body mass index (BMI) but it is quite common for those who have reached a normal weight to do body sculpting treatments in order to achieve the figure of their dreams.
If you are obese or overweight, starting off with a regime of diet and exercise before body sculpting treatments is recommended.
However, you can also start body sculpting treatments to boost your self-confidence and encourage yourself to follow a healthy diet and exercise to maintain the result. With these additional lifestyle changes, you can achieve better results.
Book a consultation with Dr. Elias Tam at EHA Clinic for a customised body sculpting treatment plan.
Although the body sculpting treatments mentioned below have less risk and downtime than surgical procedures, it is good to review your health history with your doctor before discussing which body sculpting treatment is best for you.
How Does It Work?
Non-surgical body sculpting treatments work by freezing fat cells or by using ultrasound or electromagnetic energy to target and destroy stubborn fat cells.
You should check that the equipment used in your body sculpting treatments has been FDA approved for your safety and protection. FDA approved equipment used for these treatments have undergone robust clinical studies and trials to be FDA approved.
However, similar equipment without FDA approval claiming to do the same thing may not have undergone proper clinical studies and there are risks to using these non-approved equipment which copies the technology without having the proper studies done to ensure its safety.
Here are the details on each type of procedure (and an FDA approved example):
1. Coolsculpt
Cryolipolysis technology is used in body sculpting to kill fat cells of problem areas with extreme cold temperatures. ‘Cryo’ means ‘cold’, and ‘lipolysis’ means ‘to break apart fat’.
Because fat cells are more sensitive to the cold and crystallize at warmer temperatures than other forms of tissue, they can be frozen and killed off. Thus cryolipolysis technology like CoolSculpt freezes fat in site-specific areas and kills off these fat cells. Then, the dead cells are removed by the body’s immune system.
The treatment is not immediately effective; it works slowly, with results taking several weeks to three months in order to be realised.
Fun Fact: Allergan, the owners of CoolSculpt, hold an exclusive, worldwide patent for crypolysis technology until 2029, so save your money and avoid those cheap CoolSculpt look-alikes. They are definitely not FDA-approved!
2. Liposonix
Technology using high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) energy has been used in the management of tumors for over a decade now.
In body sculpting, it is utilised to eliminate stubborn fat through a device sending focused thermal energy to specific fatty tissues—subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT)—of the targeted area. The fat cells are destroyed completely without damaging the surrounding tissue and its contents are sent through the lymphatic system to be metabolised by the liver.
The thermal effects of HIFU also help to tighten the skin as well. Results take a few weeks to three months after treatment to be finalised.
3. Emsculpt
The only body sculpting treatment that builds muscle and burns fat at the same time, high-intensity focused electromagnetic (HIFEM) energy creates an electromagnetic field that stimulates the muscle fibers of the targeted area. Emsculpt technology stimulates 20,000 supramaximal muscle contractions in a 30-min session to the targeted area.
Supramaximal contractions cannot be achieved voluntarily with an intense physical workout, but with HIFEM energy generating these contractions, the muscle tissue of the targeted area is forced to adapt and thicken as a result. An extreme amount of energy is needed, so the fat and glycerol in the targeted area is broken down.
After the treatment, you might feel that your muscles are sore like you’ve just had a tough, high-intensity workout! After a series of treatments, you will be able to observe a significant change in muscle development and fat reduction.
Coolsculpt, Liposonix and Emsculpt are all FDA-approved body sculpting treatments that are available at EHA Clinic. Book a consultation with Dr. Elias Tam to discuss which works best for your body sculpting goals!