What Is Fat?
The Process of Losing Weight
Individual fat cells comprise fat tissue. As you lose weight, you do not lose cells; you simply burn the fat stored within each cell, and this causes them to grow smaller. Given the straightforward nature of this process – you burn energy to burn fat – you’re probably wondering why certain trouble spots remain even with all the exercising and eating right that you constantly do.
This is where people commonly get tripped up. They believe that an exercise like sit-ups will help them specifically lose abdominal fat. But the reality is the body does not burn fat in areas closest to the muscle being used. Instead, it burns fat throughout. Yes, exercises like sit-ups and push-ups build muscle in that area, but they do not spot-treat fat.
Why Trouble Spots Develop
The body is designed to retain fat once it begins to accumulate. You might think this is a biological flaw, but it is actually a means of survival. Should you get into a situation where food is scarce, but you must continue to either move or fight, the body ensures you’re able to do so by storing energy supplies.
While this may sound like a tale from medieval times, you must remember the body is designed to always increase its chances of survival. And, as we explained above, men and women retain fat in different ways. Some of this is relative to more than just survival; it’s also a reflection of fertility, especially in women.
Non-Invasive Fat Reduction Solutions
Just as science helps us understand why some fat pockets persist on even the thinnest of men and women, it also helps us eviscerate these areas. Non-invasive fat reduction treatments can permanently eliminate fat cells. Backed by scientifically-proven techniques, these therapies provide targeted treatment in the exact way that exercise and diet cannot.
We use a methodology known as SculpSure, which can be applied to a variety of areas, including the abdomen, back, flanks, and inner/outer thighs. It can also be used under the chin to remove extra padding there. Men and women can both benefit from treatment, which lasts just 25 minutes to be completed on a lunch hour or while running errands.
SculpSure
This therapy uses laser energy to penetrate deep below the skin’s surface and heat fat cells. In this process, it does not harm the skin or other tissues. In fact, the laser is so precise that it reaches only designated fat cells.
Some patients confuse this treatment with CoolSculpting, which is slightly similar. But CoolSculpting works to freeze rather than heat fat cells. The latter can also be applied only to pinchable areas of fat; SculpSure, on the other hand, works on pinchable and non-pinchable fat. This makes it a more universal treatment for those with only slight wobbles.
How It Works
After they are heated, fat cells slowly shrink and begin to die. The body, recognizing the cells’ pending death, starts to process them through the lymphatic system. They at that time become waste, and once eliminated from the body cannot regenerate. Because the cycle of dying and expelling takes time, you will need to wait at least several weeks before the results start to show.
But once they do show, those results are indeed permanent. As already stated, fat cells cannot regrow. Those that remain, however, are susceptible to enlarging should you begin to gain weight. This is why it’s imperative that you continue managing your weight long after treatment. In addition, you’ll likely need more than one session to achieve your goals, although results will begin to show after just one treatment.
What to Expect
During treatment, applicators – up to four at a time – get placed over the designated area. Laser heat is then delivered through those applicators to destroy fat cells. Full results commonly show after three months, and you can expect to lose a total of 25 percent of fat cells in a specific area.
While SculpSure is completely safe and provides real, lasting results, it is especially suitable for patients with BMIs under 30. It is also important to remember this is not a means of weight loss, but rather a way to shed stubborn fat in hard-to-reach places. After treatment, you’ll have a trimmer, slimmer, and more sculpted appearance.
Commonly Asked Questions
At the forefront of many patients’ minds is the question of what SculpSure feels like. Before treatment starts, a cooling sensation helps prepare the skin for the laser. This cooling effect continues throughout treatment to help keep you comfortable. So in response to asking what the treatment feels like, we can safely say it is mostly cool with some mild and intermittent heat.
Patients also ask about the exact steps involved with killing and eliminating fat cells. They are:
- Direct laser energy toward the treatment area
- Deliver that energy to break down cells
- The body recognizes those cells that are damaged and begins to expel them
- Once fat cells are removed, the treatment area is tighter and smaller
Number of Treatments Required
The last question we often hear is, “How many treatments will I need?”
Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question. It depends on the area you want to be treated and your individual response to SculpSure. What we can say is that you’ll see the best results by following the treatment plan we recommend for you.
Benefits of SculpSure
At the top of this list is efficacy. Because we understand how fat cells die, we can apply that knowledge to the purposes of body contouring. Additionally, results are permanent as long as you take the steps necessary to manage your weight.
Safe
This non-invasive fat reduction technique is also safe. In fact, it’s one of the safest treatments on the market because it poses no surgical side effects and eliminates the need for incisions and healing. It is FDA approved, so you can be assured of your own protection throughout treatment.
No Recovery Time
Cosmetic treatments typically require at least some recovery period, but there is none with SculpSure. Once your session is complete, you can resume all your normal activities – including going to the gym or even returning to work. If we feel any restrictions are necessary because of your personal health needs, we’ll let you know of these during your consultation.
Saves Time
If you’ve been exercising relentlessly, spending hours every week trying to subdue those final spots of fat, you’ll appreciate the rapidity of this treatment. It is 25 minutes, in and out, with easy results. No more trying to guess what will work, no more struggling against your own body.
No Tissue Damage
Thanks to the precise application, only targeted fat cells are destroyed during treatment. This means no scarring, no bruising, and no wounds that require healing.
Efficient
Any number of treatments are designed for just one body part. But with SculpSure and its different applicators, you can treat up to four areas at one time. This is a very attractive option for patients who want to trim fat in a few different spots, such as the abdomen and thighs. In addition, you’ll also get more comprehensive results without having to wait for one area to first improve.
Natural-Looking Results
From a visible perspective, SculpSure works to tighten areas of bulge. This provides results that are completely natural-looking. Unless you choose to tell them, others will not be able to tell that you’ve undergone any therapeutic work. You’ll still look like yourself – simply younger and firmer.
The Difference Between Weight Loss and Fat Loss
We already stated that SculpSure is not a tool for weight loss. Instead, it is intended to help slim. So, what is the difference in how this works versus weight loss? Once gone, fat cells are removed permanently. Weight, on the other hand, can rise and fall throughout a person’s life. It simply reflects the expansion and shrinkage of fat cells.
Each body part is designed to hold a different number of fat cells to maximize mobility. In other words, cells are not evenly distributed throughout the body. This explains why weight loss also is not balanced.
Ways to Sustain Your SculpSure Results
If you’re looking for health advice, you’re likely to hear the same tried and true recommendation: eat healthily and exercise regularly. But to maintain your SculpSure results, we would like to recommend a slightly different approach. Instead of thinking about diets, depriving your body, and slaving away in the gym, we suggest you find ways to nourish your body.
Food Suggestions
This means, quite simply, to eat foods that give you the fuel you need. Fruits and vegetables are great starting points, but you can and should also incorporate protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs. For healthy fats, look to:
- Cheese
- Dark chocolate
- Avocadoes
- Eggs
- Limited amounts of nuts
- Olive oil
- Fat from grass-fed or pastured animals
Complex carbs include sweet potatoes and lentils. By incorporating a wide range of foods into your diet, you can see that deprivation is not necessary. You simply need to make choices that honor good health.
Nourishing Yourself
While a variety of factors can fall under this label, you might start with drinking plenty of water – at least eight glasses per day. Also, think about the activities you enjoy doing and turn them into habits. Gardening, yoga, swimming, meditating, and walking all provide excellent health benefits.
Committing to lifestyle changes that are sustainable will keep you from crash diets and unhealthy supplements. When you do have a craving, don’t feel guilty for indulging. A treat every now and then can be just that: a treat.
No Surgery Required
To eliminate fat cells, you don’t need extreme measures or invasive surgeries. A non-invasive fat reduction technique is in fact safe, effective, and easy. Call Le Reve Skincare & Laser Center in Fort Worth, TX today to schedule your appointment.