Even with routine exercise or a nutritious diet, one may gain stubborn pockets of fat that do not go away. Body contouring procedures help to reduce the excess fat in the body. They can also be performed on those who have experienced weight loss but are unhappy with sagging skin. An important thing to remember is that body contouring does not work for losing weight. They are typically meant for patients already at a stable, healthy weight.
When discussing the removal of excess fat and sagging skin, many options are available today: surgical and non-surgical. Read on to know more about some popular body contouring available methods to know which one suits your concerns and goals best.
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Non-Surgical Body Contouring Methods
If you want to return to your regular schedule and are patient with results immediately, non-surgical or non-invasive, body contouring may be the best for you. These treatments typically require multiple sessions.
Many ways are available to contour the body safely without requiring risky and painful surgery. There are four primary non-invasive body contouring methods that can help people tighten and enhance their bodies. These include:
· Laser Liposuction
· Cryolipolysis
· Radiofrequency Energy
· Ultrasound Energy
In the following, we will introduce these methods:
Laser Liposuction
Laser liposuction, sometimes called laser-assisted liposuction, laser lipoplasty, laser lipo, or laser lipolysis, is a non-surgical procedure that reduces fat in selected contouring sites, including the waist, back, abdomen, arms, chin, and thighs. Laser lipo is performed under local anesthetic. It works by passing a very thin fiber optic cable under the skin, which heats tissues to 900 degrees and, therefore, melts the fat.
Cryolipolysis
Cryolipolysis, also called fat freezing, uses cold temperatures to reduce fat deposits in certain areas of the body, including beneath the chin, upper arms, inner and outer thighs, abdomen, hip/flank, upper back, lower back, and underneath the buttocks.
Patients are awake during the cryolipolysis procedure. A device called an applicator is used to freeze the layer of fat cells. During the cooling down procedure, the area becomes numb after 5 to 10 minutes. The fat layer is gradually cooled to the target temperature of about 30 and 39 degrees Fahrenheit. After the area is treated, usually after one hour or so, the applicator is removed. The area is then massaged for 2 to 3 minutes to hasten the breakdown of the fat cells.
Radiofrequency Energy
This treatment method uses radiofrequency energy to heat and destroys fat cells without an instrument making physical contact with the patient. The applicator heats the skin from a distance of one centimeter. TruSculpt and Vanquish are the two most common types of Radiofrequency energy methods. This procedure is done without anesthesia and takes about thirty minutes. It may be repeated once a week for four weeks or as determined by the physician. Patients with sagging skin or poor tone may not be good candidates for the procedure.
Ultrasound Energy
This method that gentle ultrasound technology to destroy fat in a few pain-free treatment sessions. To transmit the energy to the skin tissues, it uses a medium like a handheld device that generates heat and converts fat to liquid. It doesn’t require anesthesia and the treatment is generally painless and comfortable. Some patients notice an immediate effect a few days after the treatment, but the significant results appear over two to three months.
Surgical Body Contouring Methods
Surgical or invasive body contouring is most beneficial for those who want to observe a significant shape-changing effect on the body immediately post-surgery. These treatments usually require only one session, in which the patient can contour many areas.
In the following, we will introduce the most common types of cosmetic surgery for body sculpting.
Liposuction
Liposuction is the most popular surgical body contouring method that involves suctioning fat from specific body areas, such as the abdomen, hips, thighs, buttocks, arms, or neck. It also shapes these areas. This method involves making small, 1-cm-long incisions and entering hollow metal cannulae with side holes near the tip. The candidates for liposuction are the ones who have too much body fat in specific spots but at a stable weight. Liposuction can be performed alone or with other plastic surgery procedures, such as a facelift, breast reduction, or a tummy tuck. Recovery can take a few weeks. However, the entire result will not show until after several months.
Abdominoplasty
An abdominoplasty, also called tummy tuck, removes excess skin and tissue from the middle or lower part of the abdomen while tightening the underlying muscles to get a flatter tummy. The best candidates are people who want a beautiful abdomen, women with sagging skin as the result of pregnancy, or patients who have got loose skin following significant weight loss. The surgery is in three types: Complete (incision is made from hip to hip), Partial or Mini (a smaller incision is made), and Circumferential (including the back area). Complete recovery from abdominoplasty may take up to six months; however, patients typically begin to resume activities after two to three weeks.
Arm Lift
An arm lift, also known as brachioplasty, is a cosmetic surgical procedure to remove excess fat and skin from between the armpit and elbow. General anesthesia is usually used for arm lift surgery. Surgery scarring will be permanent but will fade through time. These surgery candidates are those whose arms have drooped with age, had significant weight loss, and have been diagnosed with lymphedema.
Brazilian Butt Lift
A Brazilian butt lift (BBL) is a popular cosmetic procedure involving fat transfer to the backside. The fat, suctioned from any area of the body in liposuction surgery, is injected into the buttocks to turn a flat butt into a desired, rounder butt with a lifted appearance.
Thigh Lift
A thigh lift, also called thighplasty, is a surgery to get rid of excess, sagging skin from the inner and/or outer thighs. Its goal is to get patients firmer and more youthful-looking thighs.
Panniculectomy
Panniculectomy surgery aims to remove hanging skin and fat from the lower abdomen to create a smoother abdominal contour. The difference between panniculectomy and tummy tuck is that the abdominal muscles are not tightened during a panniculectomy.
Liposuction in Iran
Iran is amongst the top 10 body contouring hubs in the world. More than 40,000 Iranian and foreign patients perform surgical body countering in Iran. The main reasons for this popularity are:
- Affordable cost of liposuction
- Low cost of travel
- Low cost of accommodation
- Iranian well-qualified surgeons
- A high number of liposuction surgeries performed in Iran
- Iranian hospitals which are in accordance with world standards
- Low medical services along with high quality
The liposuction cost in Iran includes the costs of the surgery, hospital, anesthesia, tests, doctor visit, medications, and compression garments. The average cost of liposuction in Iran is $1,500 to $2,500 in 2022, much lower than in the UK and the United States.
For performing Liposuction in Iran, patients should arrive one day before the surgery and stay for a few days post-surgery. In some cases, they can do the tests in their own country and send the report files to their doctor online. Iran’s primary healthcare system has been rated as “excellent” by UNICEF, and there is no need to worry about the health condition after the surgery.
