I often see patients that have tried numerous other promising techniques to reduce some stubborn areas of fat before they end up in my consulting rooms. These range from fat freezing, infra-red, ultrasound, external laser therapy etc. Don’t get me wrong – these can have a purpose in treating certain small pockets. However, in the majority of cases the areas are substantial and often require some form of contouring too. Remember that shrinking the respective areas is not always enough and that sometime one needs to create some shape too. In this instance the external devices and techniques are not really useful. The only method that really is suitable is some form of aspiration or suction. The fatty tissue needs to be removed by some means.
Most of the external devices rely on the immune system to remove the injured or damaged tissue and this subsequently can take 6-12 months before one sees any changes. This often results in demotivation and patients will often fall into their same routine lifestyle with no change in diet and exercise routine. Occasionally patients will deny having had any intervention such as external treatments. They may also have forgotten as it was long ago or they didn’t really see it as a treatment as it was not successful. I will notice this in the texture of the tissue when I commence my VASER treatment as the fat layer is very fibrous and scarred. This can make the VASER treatment more technical and also the results a little less predictable.
Essentially, if you are considering external treatments for larger areas, then understand that these will cause significant scar-tissue under the skin (not visible) and make any subsequent treatments a little less successful. The risk of irregularities and dimples is also more likely.
Best research all the treatments and go for consultations for all the treatments so you are well informed…. Make sure the treatment is Doctor led and not therapist led. Doctors will have more experience and confidence in using the machines to their fullest potential.