How to Remove Unwanted Fat
Posted January 07, 2019 in Body Contouring, CoolSculpting, Liposuction, Smartlipo
Having pockets of unwanted fat is one of the most frustrating aesthetic concerns for many patients. You work hard at the gym and watch what you eat, but that is are not always enough. Busy schedules, stressful lives, and genetics always seem to interfere with achieving the body contours we want, and many patients desire additional help. Fortunately, while some fat may be resistant to diet and exercise, it is not immune to cosmetic procedures.
The Science of Fat Cells
When you try to lose weight naturally (via a healthy lifestyle), you are attempting to reduce the size of your fat cells, not eliminate them. You cannot naturally reduce the number of fat cells present in your body: you are born with a specific quantity, and unless you choose a cosmetic body contouring procedure, that is the same number of fat cells that you will throughout your life. Unfortunately, this is why some patients are more predisposed to weight gain than others—they were simply born with a higher number of fat cells than others. It’s nothing more than a bad roll of the dice and certainly not something that you can hold against yourself.
When you choose a body contouring procedure such as liposuction, CoolSculpting®, or Smartlipo, you are doing precisely what traditional weight loss cannot achieve—you are decreasing the number of fat cells in your body. While these three procedures address fat differently, they all result in the permanent removal of a percentage of the fat cells in a targeted area.
What’s the Difference?
If You Want the Greatest Amount of Fat Removal
Liposuction is the original method of cosmetic fat removal and body contouring. In this surgical procedure, Dr. Thompson makes small incisions in the treatment area (which can be nearly anywhere on your body) and inserts a hollow tube that is attached to a vacuum device. This tube suctions out the unwanted fat cells to leave you with a slimmer and more defined body contour. This procedure offers fat removal anywhere on the body including the abdomen, hips, thighs, knees, ankles, buttocks, back, upper arms, and neck.
If You Are Looking for Non-invasive Treatment
Several non-invasive fat removal procedures have been developed in recent years. One of these is CoolSculpting®. CoolSculpting® is a revolutionary procedure that takes advantage of the way that fat cells respond to cold temperatures. During your treatment, the CoolSculpting® attachment delivers bursts of controlled cooling beneath the skin of the target area. These bursts destroy fat cells without harming the healthy cells surrounding them, and the body absorbs the damaged cells. Like liposuction, the number of fat cells is reduced. However, unlike liposuction, incisions and anesthesia are not required. CoolSculpting® is FDA-cleared to treat unwanted fat on the abdomen, flanks, thighs, buttocks, upper arms, and under the chin.
If You Also Want to Tighten Skin
Smartlipo is a derivative of liposuction that targets unwanted fat on the body. While Smartlipo uses a hollow tube to remove unwanted fat, it also involves the use of laser technology. This laser does two things: first, the heat of it liquifies fat cells so that their removal causes less trauma to the surrounding areas, and second, the laser stimulates collagen production. This increase in collagen causes the skin to tighten. The tightening of the skin is something that neither traditional liposuction nor CoolSculpting® can achieve.
To learn more about these body contouring procedures, contact Dr. Thompson by calling (732) 410-4789 to set up a consultation.