Why is non-surgical fat loss treatment popular?

Patients prefer less invasive treatments and body contouring procedures over cosmetic surgery for several reasons. Like less pain, the anesthesia given for the operation is not needed and the most important is shorter recovery with less downtime. In short, we all want simple methods for fat loss.

Why do we gain fat?

According to WHO, there is a fat gain due to the imbalance of the calories we consume and the calories we spend. In simple language, if we eat too much food or have a sedentary lifestyle, or if it is both, then excess calories, whether they come from carbohydrates, protein, or fat, eventually get converted into fat and stored. We are talking about fat loss treatment, so you need to know this because your result is dependent on this knowledge. So eat less, exercise more, and maintain a healthy lifestyle to maintain your results.

What is non-surgical fat loss treatment?

We can divide it into traditional, surgical, and non-surgical. In the traditional method, you can do fat loss through diet and exercise. The surgical method has liposuction and tummy tuck performed by experienced plastic surgeons as options. Non-surgical or non-invasive fat reduction methods include ultrasound, cryolipolysis, laser lipolysis, injection lipolysis, and radiofrequency lipolysis as the options available. Liposuction is still the gold standard treatment. You can read our other blogs for liposuction treatment.

Cryolipolysis:

Cryolipolysis, which is popularly known as coolsculpting among patients, is a non-invasive fat reduction treatment that uses cold temperature to break down fat cells.

An interesting observation was made to develop this technology. In children, it is called popsicle panniculitis. After consuming ice cream, ice cubes, or popsicles, the cheek fat of young children was reduced due to inflammation.

It is the controlled application of cold to reduce fat cells. Lipid-rich cells are more susceptible to cold injury as compared to water-rich cells. Because of this, cold selectively damages fat and spares the skin, vessels, nerves, and muscles.

It consists of a cup-shaped applicator that has two cooling pads. With the help of a suction device, the skin and fat fold are sucked between two cooling pads, and the cooling cycle is started. Intense cooling of -2 to 7°C takes place due to which the fat cells die and the inflammatory process starts. The body removes the fat cells. This fat removal process continues in the body for 4 months.

Its treatment time ranges from about 35 minutes to 1 hour. Usually, 20 to 25% fat reduction or 2 to 3 cm circumference reduction is what you should expect from this procedure. You should wait four to six months for the results and may take multiple treatment sessions.

External Ultrasound:

HIFU high intensity focused ultrasound works by generating high-intensity ultrasonic waves which converge at a focal point. Due to this, the temperature rises significantly and the fat cells melt. Ultrashape, Liposonix are some of the commercial devices that have gotten FDA approval.

The body's lymphatic system removes the lipids that are prepared after the fat cells are destroyed. You have to keep in mind that there should be a fat thickness of at least 2.5 cm, otherwise it can lead to complications. 1 to 3 sessions are required, depending on which machine is being used. In this too, you will have to wait for the treatment result for 2 to 4 months like cryolipolysis.

Low-powered ultrasound works by increasing blood supply. Low focused ultrasound operates at low frequency and mechanical stress ruptures the fat and induces cavitation in it. You can expect a circumference reduction of about 1.5 to 2 cm. The circumference reduction in HIFU averages 4 cm and the fat reduction is 20% to 25%.

Radiofrequency Lipolysis:

In this cosmetic procedure, deep tissue heating is done by radiofrequency which leads to the melting of fat. The skin is spared in this procedure. Popular machines in this are Vaniquesh, thermage, Bodyfx, venus legacy, trusculpt. Usually, the temperature is raised from 41 to 43 degrees. It takes 45 minutes for this treatment. It usually takes 6 to 10 treatment sessions. On average, abdominal circumference is reduced by 5 cm.

Injection lipolysis:

This method of non-invasive fat reduction chemically reduces fat from the injection site. Deoxycholic acid or Phosphatidylcholine, these medicines are injected, due to which fat cells melt. Kybella, this brand has been approved by the FDA for double chin correction. In this, the circumference of the stomach is reduced by about 2 to 3 centimeters. The treatment is repeated in 4 to 6 weeks. The injection dose cannot be given too much at once, because of this, a large area cannot be treated in this procedure.

Low-level laser therapy(LLLT):

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) uses a 635 nm wavelength. Zerona laser has got FDA approval. In this, laser light pierces a hole within a few mm of fat cells. From there, lipids are released and the body's lymphatic system removes them. In one study, this treatment has shown promising results. Around 3.5 inches of waist circumference reduction was seen in a span of two weeks. However, very little literature is available about this treatment’s results.

Carboxytherapy:

In Co2 therapy or carboxytherapy, CO2 gas is infused into the subcutaneous fat with the help of a needle, which leads to fat reduction.

Non-invasive Laser Lipolysis:

A treatment called Sculptsure is famous as a method of non-invasive fat reduction. It uses 1064 nm wavelength laser light. In this, the temperature of the top of the skin is increased from 43 to 47 degrees with laser light and there is fat reduction. It takes 20 to 25 minutes for the treatment. 14-18% fat loss should be expected.

Muscle bulking with electromagnetic pulse energy:

A recent treatment has been introduced in body sculpting which we know as Emsculpt. The muscle is stimulated electromagnetically 20000 times in 30 minutes. Because of this, muscle mass becomes more prominent and fat loss occurs. It's too early to comment about results but this technology is becoming one of the mainstay treatments for fat loss.

After learning about all these non-surgical fat loss treatment options, we come to our main topic of whether we should use traditional liposuction or nonsurgical fat loss treatment modality. So let's compare them point by point:

• Fat loss - There is 70-80% fat reduction in traditional liposuction. A maximum of 20 to 25% fat loss occurs in non-surgical treatment.
• No. of treatment sessions needed- Liposuction usually gives results in a single treatment but non-surgical takes many. Depending upon the type of technology being used and the amount of fat you may require 3 to 8 treatment sessions.
• Time -The results of liposuction are immediately visible to you on the table. In non-surgical treatment, you have to wait for 2 to 4 months for the result.
• Cost -On average the cost of liposuction ranges from 60 thousand to 90000 whereas the cost of non-surgical fat reduction treatment ranges from 20 to 25000 per session. If you add the cost of the no. of sessions then usually non-surgical treatment is more expensive than liposuction.
• Treatment duration - Liposuction is completed in one to one and a half hours, whereas each session of non-surgical treatment takes 25 minutes to 1 hour.
• Admission - Liposuction is a daycare procedure where you are discharged from the hospital in the evening after the operation. Non-surgical treatment is OPD-based treatment where you do not need admission.
• Safety of anesthesia - If you need to administer anesthesia in liposuction, then there is a slight risk that happens in every surgery. If no anesthesia is given in non-surgical treatment, then it is safe from anesthesia-related risks.
• Downtime i.e. return to work time - There is a recovery time of 7 to 10 days in liposuction whereas there is no downtime in non-surgical fat reduction treatment. You can return to your work immediately.

Liposuction is a gold-standard treatment for fat loss. If you want great results within a short time in a single treatment, then you should think about liposuction. An ideal candidate for liposuction is someone who has localized pockets of fat that are stubborn and diet-resistant. There are many different liposuction techniques like tumescent liposuction, power-assisted liposuction, ultrasound-assisted liposuction, laser-assisted liposuction, and suction-assisted liposuction. The liposuction procedure most suitable will be determined by expert plastic surgeons during your personalized consultation.

If you can do multiple treatments, are ready to accept limited fat loss, need less downtime and you are ready to spend more money then you can consider non-surgical liposuction or non-invasive fat removal.

As I go, I will say that non-surgical fat loss treatment is of great benefit to medically compromised patients in whom we cannot perform surgery and patients who do not want to undergo a surgical procedure. I hope this blog cleared a lot of your doubts. If you want some more information then you can contact me or my office.

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This blog was originally written on June 22, 2022, and updated on February 16, 2023.