As hard as it is to believe, the word fat has not always been a pejorative term. When folks living in the 19 th century boasted that they were “living off the fat of the land,” they were remarking about a positive state of affairs. “Chewing the fat” was something people did to converse with friends and neighbors. Referring to someone as “fat and happy” was a compliment, rather than critique. After all, most of the alluring women in art and on stage were hefty by today’s standards.
At some point, however, this term took on a negative connotation. Getting rid of fat has become an international obsession and billions of dollars are spent each year on this pursuit.
In the United States alone, in spite of recessions and economic downturns, between 2010 and 2011, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports that there was a 13% increase in the number of liposuction procedures over the previous year, with more than 300,000 procedures performed. This procedure entails a surgeon’s small incision and the removal of fat with a surgical vacuum.
“People want a quick fix, no matter what,” says Dr. Bill Johnson, chief medical officer at Innovations Medical in Plano, Texas. “And they are willing to pay.”
With an industry that is this lucrative, it is no surprise that the hucksters and charlatans are circling. Many claims made by medical and non-medical practitioners of body shaping, like the waistlines of their patients, are grossly inflated. The unsuspecting public is left to fend for itself -sorting through hundreds of non-surgical procedures – including chemical injectables, lasers, wraps, radio-frequency heating, cooling, rubbing, rubber suits, pills, just to name a few.
Johnson has strong opinions about the difference between medical facts and the flim-flam offered by quick-fix fat reduction procedures. In an interview, he noted that there are three categories of non-surgical means for fat reduction: Outright fakes, superficially effective skin treatments and effective procedures based on sound medical facts.
Junk Medicine to Avoid
If it seems too good to be true, the old adage goes, it probably is. Such is the case with body shaping procedures that are neither FDA-approved nor effective. Dr. Johnson groups chemical injectibles wraps and rubber suits in this ignominious category.
Johnson notes that millions of dollars are wasted each year on such procedures as Mesotherapy, which uses chemical mixes that are injected just below the skin that claim to reduce fat, but don’t and LipoDissolve, which is a similar concept with equally inferior results. Other, non-effective techniques that basically do nothing but deplete the bank accounts of the patients are sauna suits, exercise suits, herbal wraps and contour body wraps.
The term that Dr. Johnson uses to describe these modern-day snake-oil products is “junk medicine.” In addition to being ineffective and expensive they have the added disadvantage of delaying an overweight or obese person from pursuing exercise and diet regimens that might actually reduce weight. This delay can result in serious medical conditions.
Skin Deep
Skin treatments fall between the quackery and medically sound techniques for non-invasive body shaping. Some of these treatments have even been approved by FDA and represent a potential, albeit short-term solution to those who are overweight. Dr. Johnson notes that basically, these treatments smooth and tighten loose skin but do not reduce fat.
Some of the more popular and effective treatments including Thermage, Accent and Ulthera, treat wrinkles and other skin imperfections by using radio frequencies to heat the subcutaneous collagen. This process results in the growth of new collagen which has the effect of tightening the skin. While these three procedures have received FDA approval, Johnson notes that Tripollar, VellaSmooth and VellaShape, which all enjoy some degree of popularity, do not destroy fat cells (as they claim) and are ultimately ineffective.
The Best Procedures for Fat Reduction
The best of the breed in non-invasive body sculpting procedures kill the fat cells permanently without an incision. However, even these procedures are not perfect. Dr. Johnson notes that, “even these procedures don’t eliminate fat from your body. They eliminate fat cells, allowing the body to reabsorb and metabolize the fat normally.
In his practice, Johnson has been a pioneer in introducing the FDA-approved LipoSonix procedure. This uses advanced concentrations of ultrasound to agitate fat cells beneath the skin and thereby destroying them permanently. The fat debris is eliminated through the natural processes of the body.
Cool Sculpting, while it has not received FDA approval as yet, uses an innovative cooling technique to destroy the fat cells. With the procedure the fat cells are cooled to a temperature slightly above freezing and this triggers a natural metabolic process to eliminate the cells.
Another popular, non-invasive procedure for fat destruction is Zerona. This uses a low-level laser to liquefy the fat, but leaves the fat cells in place. It has not been approved by the FDA for fat reduction and the fat has shown to return in some places over time.
Ask the Right Questions
The best medicine is always knowledge. Often overweight people have had this condition for many years and have experienced intense frustration. As a result, they are eager to try any fad diet, whether it is healthy or not, and any quick-fix procedure.
Dr. Johnson suggests that patients avoid the non-approved quick fixes noted above and when in consultation with licensed medical practitioner ask three questions:
· Has the procedure being discussed been approved by the FDA for this specific purpose?
· Has the procedure been proven effective to reduce fat by peer-reviewed medical research?
· What specific results have your patients seen as a result of this procedure?
“Asking the right questions and understanding the science will help patients arm themselves with good information,” Johnson concluded
