How Body Sculpting Reduces Body Fat
Medically reviewed by Kashif J. Piracha, MD
When people think about body sculpting, liposuction surgery is usually the first treatment that comes to mind. However, many nonsurgical body contouring treatments have emerged over the last decade. These procedures frequently promise to rid unwanted fat from areas like the stomach, thighs, or arms and vary in effectiveness.
This article will explain the benefits of body sculpting and detail the various nonsurgical treatments available.
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Goal of Body Sculpting
The primary goal of body sculpting treatments is to reduce pockets of body fat and enhance the contours of a targeted area. For noninvasive options, this is accomplished by reducing deposits of subcutaneous fat, which are beneath the skin.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several nonsurgical body contouring procedures to gradually achieve modest reductions in body fat.
Are the Results Worth It?
While minimally invasive body sculpting may seem tempting, it is important to understand the limitations of these treatments. While nonsurgical treatments may be able to achieve small fat reductions in an area, they will not cause you to lose weight or enhance your overall health.
In addition, some fat reductions associated with certain procedures tended to diminish months after the treatments were completed.
Body Sculpting Techniques
Many different body contouring techniques have emerged over the years, each with unique benefits and side effects. Below are the most popular sculpting treatment options.
Cryolipolysis
Also known as cool sculpting, cryolipolysis uses extremely cold temperatures to kill fat cells in an area. During the treatment, a bulge of skin is drawn up or compressed in a device and subjected to targeted cooling for 30 to 60 minutes. This process causes damage to fatty cells that are eventually cleared by the body’s lymphatic system.
Related: 11 Questions to Ask Your Plastic Surgeon
Reductions in fat are typically noticed within a month of starting cryolipolysis, though the full effects of the treatment can take two to three months.
Initial research suggests that cool sculpting leads to lasting fat cell reductions, though further studies are needed.
Radiofrequency
Radiofrequency treatments utilize electromagnetic waves to heat up and damage fat cells in an area. Because fat (adipose) tissue is more resistant to radiofrequency than other types of surrounding tissue, the treatment can isolate and damage unwanted fat in a region.
While research has shown that this procedure can reduce tissue thickness in a particular area, some studies have also shown that the treatment’s benefits diminish after six months.
Laser and Red Light Treatments
Laser treatments use concentrated waves of light to heat up and break down fat cells beneath the skin. This type of treatment typically takes about 25 minutes to complete and usually produces results in six to 12 weeks.
Weight Gain and Body Sculpting
Gaining weight after a treatment can minimize or reverse the effects of body sculpting treatments.
Red light treatments, on the other hand, use a lamp to administer a specific wavelength of light to fat cells. This light causes the cells to leak some of their content and diminish their size. Treatments last about 30 minutes, and several are usually necessary to achieve your goal.
Research on the effects of laser and red-light treatments is still mixed, and more is needed to establish whether these treatments permanently reduce fatty deposits.
Ultrasound
Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to destroy the walls of fat cells. This treatment causes the cells to be released and eventually absorbed by your body. Between one and three ultrasound treatments are usually required, and results can take up to 12 weeks to appear.
The fat reduction achieved from ultrasound may be permanent in people who avoid gaining additional weight.
Body Sculpting at Home
A wide variety of at-home body sculpting products are now available over the counter. These items range from massage rollers to creams to electrical stimulation devices that promise to eliminate unwanted fat on your body. Unfortunately, these claims are largely unfounded.
Any sculpting results that these at-home products deliver are usually temporary and largely due to the mild inflammation that they cause.
Cost of Professional Body Sculpting Services
Reputable and effective body sculpting services are typically administered by either a plastic surgeon or a licensed aesthetician working under a physician.
These treatments are commonly performed in an outpatient plastic surgery clinic or a medical spa. Unfortunately, these services can be relatively expensive and are usually not covered by insurance. The average cost of a treatment can range from between $1,000 and $6,000.
Qualifying for Body Sculpting Procedures
To qualify for a nonsurgical body sculpting procedure, you should meet the following criteria:
You have no notable comorbidities (co-occurring conditions) or medical concerns.
You are content with your current body weight and not significantly overweight.
You are realistic about the gradual and modest effects of these treatments.
Recovery and Side Effects
Most nonsurgical body sculpting treatments require minimal (if any) recovery time afterward. That said, each procedure has several potential side effects. Side effects based on procedure are:
Cryolipolysis: May cause redness, bruising, swelling, or pain and should not be performed on people with cold sensitivity disorders such as Raynaud’s syndrome (a condition in which fingers and toes turn blue or white when cold).
Radiofrequency: Can lead to pain, redness, blisters, and burns and is contraindicated in (not recommended to) people with metallic implants or pacemakers.
Laser and red light treatments: May cause pain or lead to the development of bruises, nodules, and blisters. Both treatments should be avoided by people with photosensitivity (skin reaction to ultraviolet light).
Ultrasound: Infrequently leads to pain, redness, blisters, or burns and is not to be performed on people with metallic implants, pacemakers, or with skin-integrity concerns.
Summary
Nonsurgical body sculpting treatments can lead to modest reductions in the size of fatty deposits. While these procedures will not cause you to lose weight, they may lead to gradual but noticeable changes in the problem areas being treated.
Research is still mixed on whether body sculpting leads to permanent changes, but maintaining a steady body weight may increase the likelihood.
Side effects like pain, redness, or burning are possible, so it is important to speak to your medical provider before undergoing one of these treatments.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
