You could always cheat, suggests Dr Tapan Patel…

Regardless of how glorious your bridal assemble is, how glamorous your make-up style, and how rigorious your pampering routine, there’s no point denying it – there’s  something about their appearance you’d really love to change. The idea of having a cosmetic procedure is tempting, but you’ve read enough about the risk of invasive surgery, not too mention the cost, to not give it a second thought. Well, you might want to think again…

The Holy Grail in aesthetic medicine is the ability to simply ‘zap’ away unwanted flabby parts from the body. This fantasy is becoming a reality as new technologies are now available which do exactly that.

The Flab Busters!

• Accent™

• UltraShape®

• Endermologie®

• Acoustic Wave Therapy (AWT)

Basic principles

Fat is stored in the body in cells called adipocytes.

These treatments aim to break up these cells and release the stored fat, which can then be broken down by the liver. Although this sounds dangerous, it is exactly what happens when someone loses fat through exercise.

The big difference however is that during exercise, fat is used from all over the body and you can end up losing volume from areas that you want to preserve such as the breast or face.

With these treatments, fat is being broken down from specific areas such as tummy, hips, chin… and therefore it is possible to achieve a sculpting effect.

Ultrashape®

The Contour device from UltraShape® uses high energy ultrasound waves to break the adipocytes by vibration. There is no damage to other tissues such as blood vessels or nerves.

Results vary but on average you can expect to lose 2cm circumference per session.

It is virtually painless and a typical treatment takes about one hour.

It is best suited for large parts of the body such as abdomen, buttocks and thighs. Most people will require 3 treatments, with 4 weeks in between sessions.

Prices start from £300 per session.

Accent™

The Accent™ machine from Alma Lasers employs Radiofrequency (RF) energy which has been used in medicine for more than 70 years.

RF causes heating of the tissues under the skin.

The Accent™ system has two hand pieces – a bipolar hand piece aimed primarily at skin tightening treatments; and a Unipolar hand piece for fat reduction and cellulite treatment.

The Unipolar hand piece allows deeper controlled penetration of RF energy and treats fat deposition and cellulite by three main mechanisms:

• Tightening of the underlying tissues, which in turn causes production of new collagen.

• Increased blood flow to the area being treated and drainage of the fatty deposits to the lymphatic system.

• Destruction of the fat cells.

The bipolar hand piece penetrates less deeply into the tissue for use in facial tightening procedures. Most people find that the treatment produces a ‘comfortably warm’ sensation.

Generally a treatment course will consist of 6-8 sessions for the body and 3-4 sessions for the face with 2 weeks in between sessions.

Prices start from £150 per session.

Endermologie®

Developed over 15 years ago, Endermologie® has become the leading cellulite treatment worldwide and is the first treatment cleared by the USA’s FDA for cellulite reduction.

It involves the use of a motorized device with two adjustable rollers and controlled suction. The skin gently folds and unfolds under the continuous action of the rollers and is literally ‘smoothed out’.

As a result of this action, the circulation of the blood is increased and this nourishes the blood cells under the skin. At the same time, toxins and unwanted fluid are also removed. It is also claimed that new collagen is stimulated to grow in the treated area.

During each session, the patient wears a specially designed body stocking. The skin is literally “hoovered” with the head of the Endermologie® machine. Your problem areas are focused on, but time is given to other areas to stimulate general circulation and the removal of toxins and fluid.

Patients are treated twice per week for three weeks, with sessions generally requiring less than a half hour. Additional treatments are necessary for about 20 percent of patients. Patients may wish to have a maintenance session once every three months after completing the program.

Treatment sessions are usually recommended twice weekly and last for approximately 35 minutes.

You should usually see changes within 5 or 6 sessions, but 14 is the average number of suggested treatments. Monthly maintenance sessions are then suggested afterwards to maintain the results.

Treatment prices start from £50 per session

Acoustic Wave Therapy (AWT)

Already hugely popular in N America and Europe, AWT is making an appearance in the UK.

AWT represents a new approach to cellulite treatment.

In this procedure, pressure waves target the fibrous bands of connective tissue that are now known to be responsible for the unsightly dimpling and rippling of the skin which is commonly known as cellulite. Cellulite is much more common in women. Studies show 85-98% of women have some cellulite.

This connective tissue pulls down on the surface of the skin, creating the dimples responsible for the irregular ‘orange peel’ look seen on the back of many a thigh.

The acoustic wave process works by increasing circulation, collagen production, and tissue elasticity, and the end result is considerably smoother skin. The AWT produces a pressure wave that passes through skin and fat to impact the connective tissue bands. The pressure breaks up the collagen of the bands and releases the skin, allowing a smoother surface.

Initial clinical study results show that AWT™ patients typically experience:

• Improvement in skin texture.

• Improvement in skin elasticity.

• Improvement in skin firming.

Patients are treated twice per week for three weeks, with sessions generally requiring less than a half hour. Additional treatments are necessary for about 20 percent of patients. Patients may wish to have a maintenance session once every three months after completing the program.

Treatment costs start from £100 per session

The treatments have been designed to be used on their own, but the results can be even better when they are combined. In our clinic we often combine the UltraShape® and Accent™ or AWT and Accent™.

With all the above treatments there is no anaesthetic, needle or scalpel.

There is no recovery time required with any of the treatments and you can return to work or normal activities immediately following a treatment.

Although the actual fat loss achieved with these treatments will not be as dramatic as with invasive surgery such as liposuction, they provide a real alternative for many people who simply wish to improve their shape without the risks. In addition, the results can be more pleasing as there is often a skin tightening effect.

It is important to note that with all these procedures, the best results will be obtained when combined with good diet, exercise and a healthy lifestyle.

For further details on any of the treatments please call 08456 528 999