What is Body Contouring?
Body contouring is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in the United States. It’s used for many reasons, but the main one is to look slimmer. From fat reduction to excess skin removal, body contouring procedures can help fine-tune your new body shape.
There are many types, including invasive and non-invasive treatments. Below are a few popular options.
Invasive Body Contouring Treatments
Liposuction
Liposuction is the most popular cosmetic procedure performed in the United States. It removes excess fat by suctioning out of the desired area, which can be your hips, buttocks, waist, abdomen, upper arms, and more. An ideal candidate for liposuction has a stable weight and localized fatty deposits that will not disappear with diet and exercise. While liposuction typically requires general anesthesia, it can be performed as an outpatient surgery.
The following liposuction procedures may be used alone or in combination:
Laser liposuction
Power-assisted liposuction
Tumescent liposuction
Ultrasonic-assisted liposuction
Surgery
Surgery is often necessary to achieve the desired body contour after massive weight loss. In some cases, lifts will also be necessary to remove excess skin. Your surgeon will perform an in-depth analysis of your body habitus and lifestyle before recommending a specific surgical technique.
Surgery can include:
Breast rejuvenation (including breast lift, reduction or augmentation)
Brachioplasty (arm lift)
Buttock lift
Circumferential body lift (belt procedure)
Inner thigh lift
Panniculectomy
Non-Invasive Body Contouring Treatments
Radio Frequency Skin Tightening
Radio frequency skin tightening is all about stimulating your skin’s collagen production.
Your skin is made of three main layers: the epidermis on top, the dermis in the middle, and subcutaneous fat on the bottom. Radio frequency skin tightening targets the dermis.
The dermis makes up for 90% of your skin’s thickness and contains blood and lymph vessels, nerve endings, collagen, and sweat and oil glands within its two layers. The papillary layer, which regulates your skin’s temperature, and the reticular layer, which strengthens the skin and provides it with elasticity through the use of collagen.
What is Collagen?
Collagen is a protein made by skin cells that holds the dermis together. It is responsible for keeping your skin firm. Collagen production naturally starts to slow down in your mid-20s, thus leading to those pesky wrinkles and fine lines developing.
Radio frequency skin tightening stimulates the production of collagen using energy waves to produce heat. The heat, which ranges from 106°F and 110°F (41-43°C), penetrates deep into the skin’s dermis. Numerous studies found that applying heat to the dermis for over 3 minutes releases heat-shock proteins, which stimulate your skin’s collagen production. This naturally leads to firmer skin!
The procedure normally takes about an hour to complete and results are typically noticeable immediately, with the best results showing after about three months. Results vary depending on genetics, lifestyle, and type of radio frequency administered. .
Kybella®
Kybella® addresses submental fullness, also known as the double chin, by using deoxycholic acid to dissolve fat permanently. It can result in some skin tightening around the jaw as well. On average, patients need to have three treatments. Treatments are done at a minimum of four weeks apart.
Kybella® is the only FDA-approved injectable treatment that destroys fat cells under your chin. Once destroyed, these cells can no longer store or accumulate fat, so the results can last for years with proper diet and exercise.
Treatment can only be administered by a Kybella-trained healthcare specialist, like our Cosmetic Injection Specialist Jamie Sampson. Treatment consists of small injections under your skin, which can take up to 20 minutes.
After treatment, you will likely have some swelling, bruising, or numbness under your chin.
Coolsculpting
A popular trend that often has mixed results is coolsculpting. Coolsculpting is a branded, FDA-approved form of fat reduction called cryolipolysis. It uses freezing temperatures to break down fat cells.
The noninvasive process can be unpleasant and mildly to moderately painful due to the cool temperature. There is little recovery time because there are no incisions, however there can be damage to the surrounding tissue/nerves, and the affected area may be sore for a while after.
Coolsculpting will break down fat, but it can do so with an irregular result, and it cannot tighten your skin, which is an important aspect of this sort of treatment. It’s an actual necessity when you’ve just lost volume from the loss of fat. Coolsculpting will not change the shape of your skin.
Coolsculpting also inexplicably does not work for everyone, and some people experience worse side effects than others, such as:
Less sensation in the treated area (rare)
swelling
bruising
sensitivity
skin redness
localized pain
Coolsculpting is also outdated technology.
If you want a procedure that across the board yields safe, even, and far superior results, call Meridiem Aesthetics to see what procedure will suit your body sculpting needs.