The big buzz in the cosmetic field in Minnesota is non-surgical fat reduction. The latest innovation in the non-surgical body sculpting is Liposonix , which uses highly focused ultrasound to destroy fat cells. The fat cells are then gradually eliminated from the body over the course of 2-3months.
In the past, the people in the Minnesota had to either have liposuction to removed fat cells or have a series of treatments with machines using radio frequency or laser to temporarily shrink the fat cells. With Liposuction you do have the great result after permanent removal but all the common risks of surgical procedure, down time and the possibility of unevenness and lumpiness.
Radio frequency or laser has little risk and no downtime, but its effect is temporary and results are not very impressive and vary widely and require a series of treatments. These devices cause more skin tightening than true fat reduction.
Another device Cool Sculpting uses cryolipolysis in which fat is cooled to the point that the fat cells die through the programmed cell death mechanism. Each area of fat has to be placed in a cooling paddle and left on for an hour. If you have many areas to treat you could easily be in treatment for several hours. The areas that can be treated are very limited because you have to be able to put the skin into the paddles. If you have the tighten skin, it is hard to apply the paddles and more painful.
Liposonix uses focused ultrasound energy to heat up and destroy fat cells. A hand piece delivers the ultrasound energy to the area treated. Liposonix is more versatile in which areas you can treat than Coolsculpting, and treatment times are much shorter. You can treat an abdomen and “love handles” in about an hour. Most patients in the Minneapolis and St. Paul areas lose an inch or a full pants size in one treatment. Also, due to the fact that Liposonix uses heat there are skin tightening effects as well. Coolsculpting has more chance to cause lumpiness in the areas close to frozen zones, but Liposonix doesn’t cause the bumpiness or unevenness at all. Results are usually quicker to see with Liposonix than Coolsculpting.
Liposonix can be a little more painful during the treatment. We usually give the limited amount of local numbing medicine before the procedure to make our patient comfortable. Liposonix also tends to cause mild bruising in the lower part of treated area, so it’s a good idea to stop taking aspirin and other blood thinner a week before having it done.
