There are a large number of methods for correcting local fat deposits, which can be divided into invasive and non-invasive. Only invasive (surgical) methods can quickly remove fat from the abdomen and sides, for example, it can be one of the liposuction techniques – tumescent, laser or ultrasound. Despite some differences, all liposuction techniques are united by the fact that adipose tissue is aspirated using a cannula and vacuum suction. This is done through a couple of small cuts of 0.5 cm.
The next group of methods is invasive laser or ultrasonic lipolysis. These techniques also involve making small incisions through which a cannula is inserted into the adipose tissue, which is a source of laser or ultrasound radiation (which damages the adipose cells). This is very similar to the methods of laser and ultrasonic liposuction, however, vacuum aspiration is not performed in this case. The first effect will be noticeable only after 1 month. damaged fat cells and their contents will be slowly excreted by macrophages through the lymphatic system.
Classification of devices for the correction of body fat –
Well, the largest group of methods is all kinds of non-invasive (non-surgical) methods of correction, the implementation of which does not require any incisions or punctures of the skin, i.e. the action of these methods is carried out percutaneously. For this, all kinds of energy are used – radio frequency energy, laser and ultrasonic radiation. This can also include the removal of fat deposits by cold – cryolipolysis, as well as such a method as LPG massage. These methods are no longer as effective as liposuction or invasive laser / ultrasound lipolysis, but some of them do their job quite well (and below we will tell you which of these methods is better).
How to get rid of belly fat: methods
In this section, we will discuss non-invasive lipolysis methods. All these methods use different physical factors that provide a decrease in the volume of subcutaneous fat due to apoptosis (destruction) of fat cells. The destruction process is accompanied by the release of lipids contained in fat cells into the intercellular space. Further, lipids are excreted mainly through the lymphatic system to the liver, where they are utilized. All non-invasive hardware methods for correcting body fat work only on this principle.
The process of removing lipids from destroyed fat cells occurs slowly (within 6-8 weeks), and therefore you will not notice the first visible result until after 4 weeks. An important point: no matter how effective a non-invasive hardware technique you use, you may not get a result at all if you have reduced functional activity of the lymphatic system or liver enzymes do not work. Therefore, before such treatment, it is important to activate lymphatic drainage, microcirculation and venous outflow, which can be done, for example, with a preliminary course of capillary mesotherapy or LPG massage (4-6 procedures).
1. Application of RF devices –
The term RF-lifting comes from the word Radiofrequency, which means “radio frequency”. This type of device can be used to improve body contouring, and cellulite therapy. The principle of operation is to generate electromagnetic waves, which (passing through the dermis and subcutaneous fat) are transformed into heat and thereby increase the temperature of the tissues. As a result of this effect, lipolysis is activated, and collagen synthesis is activated. There are a large number of RF devices, and they all have slightly different capabilities.
The Vela Smooth and VelaShape RF machines were the first RF devices to be widely used for body contouring. Such devices can still be found in clinics, but they can no longer be called the most effective. Today the best devices are probably Venus Legacy (Israel / Canada) and VelaShape-3 (USA). The simpler, but nevertheless good devices include Thermage (USA) and Accent (Israel). These are all quite expensive devices, and therefore, in most salons, less efficient RF devices of Chinese and Korean production are usually installed.
Removal of belly fat with the Venus Legacy apparatus –
The peculiarity of the Venus Legacy apparatus is multipolar RF radiation (a combination of mono and bipolar radiation), which allows for increasing the penetration depth up to 4.5 cm. The second feature is that the multipolar radiation is supplemented by the effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields. The Venus Legacy device has a good effect of reducing fat deposits on the abdomen and thighs, while it has an even more pronounced effect on cellulite (has FDA recommendations).
“VelaShape-3” apparatus (before and after photos) –
The peculiarity of the VelaShape-3 apparatus is the combined effect on the dermis and adipose tissue. Bipolar RF radiation acts – 1) on the dermis, triggering neocollagenesis in it, 2) on the subcutaneous fatty tissue to a depth of 1.5 cm, activating lipolysis in it. In addition, the working attachment is also a source of infrared light, which heats the dermis to a depth of 3 mm, which also leads to the activation of fibroblast function and collagen synthesis. The vacuum action of the nozzle provides massage and lymphatic drainage. An important point – the VelaShape-3 device has FDA recommendations (in order to reduce the volume of the abdomen and hips).
Conclusions: RF devices simultaneously tighten the body contours (by reducing the volume of fat), and especially – reduce skin laxity and cellulite. You should not count on reducing too much adipose tissue, it is better to focus on the correction of moderately pronounced local fatty deposits and improving the body contour. But on the other hand, these devices are perfect for reducing fat deposits in areas where there is cellulite and skin laxity – in this case, you will get a good result.
2. Application of ultrasound –
There are 2 types of ultrasound devices that will allow you to burn fat on your belly, sides, and other parts of your body. The first option is devices based on low-frequency ultrasound. These devices work on the principle of ultrasonic cavitation, and ultrasonic radiation in them can be focused or unfocused (but usually the latter). The second large group of devices are devices based on high-frequency focused ultrasound (HIFU).
We write all this because all these devices have different efficiency, and in most clinics and salons you will find cheap and ineffective devices. Therefore, it is very important to have basic knowledge and understand the devices, otherwise, your time and money will be wasted almost in vain. So, let’s move on to how to remove fat in the lower abdomen and thighs using ultrasound …
a) Low-frequency ultrasound (ultrasonic cavitation) –
Exposure to low-frequency ultrasound (approximately 200 kHz) – causes the phenomenon of ultrasonic cavitation in the tissues. The fact is that microscopic gas particles are dissolved in the intercellular fluid, and the effect of ultrasound turns them into microbubbles filled with gas and steam. Expanding, these bubbles burst, which leads to damage to the membranes of fat cells and the release of lipids contained in them – into the intercellular space. Further, lipids are excreted through the lymphatic system to the liver, and there they are destroyed.
Most low-frequency ultrasound machines emit scattered waves, which results in very low cavitation in the extracellular fluid. This results in a very low percentage of damaged fat cells. These devices are ineffective, but they have an important advantage – their cost is only about 15,000 rubles, i.e. they pay off easily and keep the price of the service low. To date, there is only 1 device based on low-frequency ultrasound, which is recommended by the FDA for the correction of body fat (24stoma.ru).
This is an UltraShape machine (manufactured by Syneron Candela). The FDA is the federal drug and treatment agency in the United States and is the most authoritative of its kind in the world. If the FDA recommends something, then it really works. This device has the main difference from all the others – it implements the technology of focused low-frequency ultrasound. Those. this device does not emit diverging ultrasonic waves but converges (focused) at one or more points of the wave. This significantly increases the level of cavitation, and as a result, up to 70% of the fat cells are damaged at the points of impact.
And yes, this device has a drawback. It costs about 3,000,000 rubles, which means the high cost of the procedures. But the result after 3 procedures on this device is simply not achievable for devices based on focused low-frequency ultrasound (even if you undergo 7-10 procedures on them). Clinical study Moreno-Moraga J., Valero-Altes T. “Body contouring by non-invasive transdermal focused ultrasound” shows the following results. For 3 treatment sessions on the UltraShape apparatus, the thickness of the adipose tissue decreased by an average of 2.28 cm.
Photos before and after treatment on the UltraShape apparatus –
b) High-frequency focused ultrasound (HIFU) –
HIFU devices work by focused high-frequency ultrasound, which causes a focal increase in tissue temperature at the point of exposure to 56 ° Celsius. Destruction of fat cells in this case occurs not due to ultrasonic cavitation, but mainly due to their thermal damage. Those. coagulation necrosis and cell death occur (while the surrounding tissues, blood vessels, and nerves are not damaged). Apparatus of this type may also have a small cavitation effect, but it is only secondary and does not represent any particular significance.
This class of ultrasound devices is quite effective for the correction of body fat, but such procedures are quite painful and therefore require effective pain relief. After treatment with HIFU devices, patients complain of the following side effects – pain during treatment, pain after the treatment, redness and swelling of tissues, and hemorrhages on the skin surface. An example of an effective HIFU device for correcting body fat is the Liposonix device (by Solta Medical). One-hour procedure on such a device removes 1 size. There are many similar Chinese and Korean HIFU devices that have taken the same name but do not have nearly the same performance.
Conclusions: if you want to achieve a pronounced result, then this is either an UltraShape device or, again, one of the few HIFU devices. Moreover, if you have loose skin or cellulite on your stomach or other local areas (which you want to tighten), then in our opinion it is worth choosing the RF devices described above, and not ultrasound therapy. In addition, it should be noted that ultrasonic cavitation is not particularly effective in patients of the Asian type – due to the structural features of the fatty tissue.
3. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) –
Low-intensity laser therapy (LLLT) – involves the use of lasers with radiation in the range of 635-680 nm. This method is non-invasive, i.e. the sources of laser radiation are either in the immediate vicinity of the body, or are applied to its surface, but this does not damage the integrity of the skin. The procedures are usually carried out 2 or 3 times a week (30-40 minutes each) – for a total of 4 weeks.
As you can see in Fig. X – there are devices that can be made in the form of a hinged structure that does not contact the body, or in the form of contact devices. It should be noted that the principle of operation of such devices has not yet been clearly described, although their manufacturers write about the so-called effect of “temporary pores” in the membranes of fat cells, which allow fat cells to lose lipids. However, there are a lot of studies that refute this theory, and talk about a change in the process of lipid metabolism.
LLLT lasers were approved by the FDA for the correction of body fat in 2010, and the Zerona laser (from Erchonia) was named the recommended device. At the moment there is a new generation of this device called “Zerona Z6”. An example of a contact device with laser diode panels that are applied to the body during the procedure is the LAPEX 2000 LipoLaser device. But it should be noted that contact devices are not as safe as non-contact ones. For example, if there are areas of fibrosis in the skin, scars, then there is a high probability of thermal burn of necrosis of such areas.
Important : Of course, LLLT lasers are not as effective as the above methods, but they still work. We have already said above that most studies of LLLT devices have shown that they work by altering lipid metabolism in fat cells (affecting the transport of lipids across the cell membrane). An interesting point here is that this process can work in both directions, i.e. can lead not only to fat loss, but also to a set of fat mass. Those. everything will depend on the characteristics of your diet and the ratio of lipogenesis and lipolysis activators in the body.
If you are dominated by lipogenesis activators (excess estrogen, lack of progesterone, high peak insulin concentrations during meals due to a large number of foods with a high hyperglycemic index or large amounts of food), then the effect may be the opposite. Clinical studies show that in about 50% of patients, the use of LLLT led to the opposite – to an increase in the thickness of adipose tissue. The conclusion here is very simple.
Fat metabolism in the body is regulated by many factors – hormones, nutrition, sports. If patients do not play sports and do not follow dietary recommendations, the simultaneous use of LLLT will lead to weight gain, because in the body of these patients, the processes of lipogenesis prevail over the processes of lipolysis. Those. if you continue to eat foods with a high glycemic index and do not eat little and often, but a lot (even if rarely) – in this case, the peak insulin concentrations in the blood will be very high. And insulin is the main activator of lipogenesis.
4. Cryolipolysis (cold fat removal) –
Cryolipolysis uses controlled cooling of subcutaneous fat to break down fat cells. This technology was developed by the American company “ZELTIQ Aesthetics”, which is a subsidiary of the famous cosmetology corporation “Allergan” (produces Botox and Juvederm drugs). Cryolipolysis was approved by the FDA in 2010 to reduce fat in the sides of the torso, and in 2012, in the abdomen. Of course, this suggests that this method actually works, but it has its limitations.
