9 Benefits of Non-Invasive Fat Melting

Since we opened in 2013, we’ve had countless clients come to us asking to ‘melt’ belly fat or wanting to discuss fat-melting treatment for other areas of their body; thighs, arms, ’double’ chin, and knees are frequently discussed, as are the back of bra area and flanks.

Most of these clients have written off surgical liposuction treatments for various reasons, and there is a place for surgical options, however with strong treatment options in the non-surgical world, you can understand why many are choosing to steer clear of the surgeon’s table.

Here are 9 points for you to consider if you’re thinking about having non-surgical fat reduction treatments:

1. What Is It and How Does It Work?

There are several options available when it comes to non-invasive fat removal treatments. At our CQC registered clinic in Hertfordshire, we offer Liposonix, Emsculpt Neo, Cristal, DesoFace, and DesoBody. Each works differently but as an overview all, besides the two Deso treatments, involve a treatment device being placed on the area you wish to be treated, such as your belly, thighs, or arms, and the device energy treats the unwanted, stubborn pockets of fat.

DesoFace and DesoBody involve tiny injections into the treatment area to dissolve the targeted fat pocket.

Fat Melting

For your research, Liposonix is the brand name and HIFU is the name of the technology it uses. HIFU energy creates molecular vibrations which cause the targeted fat to heat up and die without damaging the other tissues, such as your skin, surrounding the excess body fat.

Liposonix is designed to be a single treatment rather than a course, although more than one session can be had if appropriate and desired. Liposonix HIFU ‘fat melting’ offers permanent removal of the treated fat cells.

Liposonix is an FDA-approved treatment which allows us to truly customise the treatment for you and your concerns by letting your practitioner control precisely how and where the HIFU energy is delivered. The ultrasound energy targets subcutaneous fat without harming the surrounding tissues or skin; this energy destroys the fat in a uniform and predictable manner because of its focused and high-intensity characteristics.

This is designed to be a single treatment however some patients may decide to have additional treatments if they wish to boost their results even further. The results of Liposonix are permanent; the fat cells that have been treated are permanently removed from your body.

Many Areas Can Be Treated With the Liposonix Treatment, Including:

• Abdomen
• Love handles
• Thighs

Liposonix

Body Contouring

Emsculpt Neo uses a combination of therapies and is used for both stubborn fat reduction and muscle toning. Let’s first start with the HIFEM+ technology Emsculpt Neo uses; high-intensity focused electromagnetic energy, or HIFEM, induces involuntary muscle contractions causing the treated muscles to build and thicken-a course, on average, results in a 25% increase in muscle, resulting in a stronger, more toned, sculpted figure.

The intense movement in the muscles alone during the Emsculpt Neo causes the cells to deteriorate. However, with the Emsculpt Neo, there is a specific technology, radio frequency, which induces ‘fat melting’. The radio frequency aspect of this treatment is an upgrade from the original Emsculpt treatment and can be turned off should you wish to only tone an area (often ladies ask us this when having their bottoms treated as they wish to maintain the fat in this area). However, when the radio frequency is activated, it works similarly to HIFU in that it gradually warms the fat cells to a temperature that causes them to die, allowing your body to safely remove them in the same way it would a fatty meal.

Much like Liposonix HIFU fat-melting treatment, Emsculpt Neo offers permanent fat reduction, with an average of a 30% reduction of fat in the treated area. Emsculpt Neo, unlike Liposonix, requires a course of treatment.

Fat Freezing

Next up is Cristal. Cristal isn’t technically fat ‘melting’, it’s ‘fat freezing’ but it’s good to know about all of our non-surgical procedure methods. This fat-freezing treatment is extremely popular, particularly as we can treat larger pockets of fat with it.

Cristal fat freezing works by… you probably guessed… freezing the fat with a technology called ‘medical standard cryo lipolysis, and much like the aforementioned fat melting treatments it brings about the death of the treated fat cells, permanently removing them from your body in the same way that Liposonix and Emsculpt Neo do-through your waste.

Cristal fat freezing, much like Liposonix fat melting, is designed to be a single treatment, but again you can have more than one treatment session if required and appropriate.

Fat-Dissolving Injections

Finally, let’s move on to our Deso fat-dissolving injections. There are two types of Deso injections, one designed to treat your face (DesoFace) and the other (DesoBody) designed to treat your body.

The constitution of the two is slightly different for each, as each is designed to safely treat either the face OR the body, however, both have the same ingredients. The key ingredient in these fat-melting injections is Sodium Deoxycholate which is a synthetic form of bile acid.

This bile acid is called Deoxycholate Acid and it emulsifies any fat that we eat so that it can be absorbed by the gut. When applied to pockets of fat during fat-dissolving treatments in this synthetic form, it dissolves the targeted body cells which are then permanently removed from your body in the same way all the other treatments do.

Again, these fat-dissolving injections offer permanent removal of the treated fat and usually require a course of treatment, depending on the size of the area you’d like to be treated.

2. How Effective Is It in Removing Stubborn Fat Cells?

All the fat-melting treatments above, as well as the fat freezing and fat-dissolving injections, have clinical studies showing that they’re effective in treating belly fat and other suborn pockets of fat on the body and the ‘double chin’ area.

3. What Are the Different Types?

There are several different types of fat-reducing treatments which I’ve covered in detail above in point one, but just to recap, the non-invasive excess fat-reducing treatments we offer at our St. Albans clinic are Emsculpt Neo, DesoFace, DesoBody, Liposonix, and Cristal.

4. What Are the Potential Risks and Side Effects?

Most treatments will have contraindications and if you’re contraindication, you should not have treatment for your safety; these contraindications should be discussed with you during a consultation to rule out any treatments that you should not have; this is super important for your safety so please make sure that you fully disclose your medical history during your consultation.

There are potential risks and side effects to all treatments, including the fat reduction treatments discussed today however in going to a well-reputed, preferably medically-led clinic you should further improve your safety.

Each treatment carries possible side effects and risks specific to them, so make sure that your consultant discusses those with you before you make any choices about fat-melting treatments.  Most commonly, side effects include mild, temporary swelling, tenderness, and bruising in the treated area.

5. What Should Patients Consider?

What your expectations are; if you are hoping to get the same immediately dramatic results from non-invasive reduction as you are from surgical fat reduction, you’re likely to be disappointed.

Who is treating you-are they insured? Are they qualified? Will they review and support you after the treatment?

How many treatment options does the clinic/practitioner have? You don’t want to be in a situation where you have been pushed down a single treatment route because they have no other options for you.

6. How Many Treatments Are Typically Needed?

Each treatment is different, but the Deso fat dissolving injections usually require at least one treatment, depending on the size of the area to be treated. Emsculpt Neo requires a course of 6 treatments. Cristal fat freezing and Liposonix fat melting are both designed to be single treatments but can be repeated if appropriate and desired.

7. How Do Non-invasive Treatments Compare to Invasive Options Like Liposuction?

When you have a non-invasive treatment, you don’t run the same risks as a surgical procedure, for example, there’s no risk of infection. You also don’t require the same level, or length of, recovery time with non-surgical treatments.

Non-invasive treatments are a walk-in, and walk-out and allow you to continue with most of your usual activities immediately, so fit into your life with as little disruption as possible.

Additionally, with non-invasive reduction treatments, you are likely to experience less swelling and discomfort post-treatment than you would follow a surgical treatment.

However, you do have to wait a little while to see your full results from a non-invasive fat ‘melting’ or ‘freezing’ treatment; these can take up to approximately 12 weeks. When you have a surgical fat reduction, the results tend to be immediately dramatic.

Some people with very large pockets of fat may be better suited to surgical fat removal than non-surgical options. Both fat melting and skin tightening can be used in tandem to help improve your skin appearance and achieve your desired results.

8. What Are Some Tips for Maintaining Results?

Maintaining a balanced diet after treatment is key; our view is to eat everything in moderation, try to eat the rainbow-so as many different coloured veggies as possible, stay hydrated, and more importantly don’t eat more calories than you burn off. Exercise, whatever form that takes for you, is important.

Fat reduction treatments aren’t magic treatments that will stop you from putting on weight, and if you do, any fat cells remaining (of which there will always be as treatments aren’t designed to leave you with the skin directly on top of the muscle) can swell and become bigger as they would do before your treatment.

9. FAQs

Disclaimer: This blog is not to be used for diagnostic purposes. We are all unique which means that our results, recovery and suitability for any type of treatment will vary. Always seek the advice of a professional should you have any health or cosmetic concerns or to discuss treatments specifically for you.