liposonix-machineTHOSE LAST FEW INCHES

Struggling to lose those last few inches? You’re eating a well-balanced diet, spending hours in the gym and nothing seems to be working for your tummy bulge, muffin top, saddlebags or inner thighs.

The problem is that the distribution of your subcutaneous fat is hormonally determined. The most we can hope from such exercise and diet regimens is to lose weight overall, improve our cardiovascular fitness and general muscle tone; but no amount of sit-ups, squats or lunges are going to result in targeted localized fat loss.

For the overweight  middle-aged man or woman, such an approach, combined with hormonal balancing, is essential to reduce visceral fat, reverse metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance and diminish the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease; but for the person who has already attained or is close to his or her ideal body weight and percentage body fat, but still has  pesky localized fat deposits a different approach is needed.

Past traditional approaches would have been surgical liposuction, involving a general anaesthetic, weeks of downtime and compression garments; or the more recent, but still surgical technique of laser-assisted or radiofrequency- assisted liposuction. We now have the option of non-invasive, non-surgical, in -office procedures which avoid the risk of anaesthesia and are associated with little or no downtime.

Until recently, we used Unipolar Radiofrequency (Accent XL) and Mesotherapy to achieve shrinkage and remodelling of subcutaneous fat cells, this involved multiple protracted sessions, and was a temporary solution, as the fat cells were not destroyed. Now, with advancements in technology, we finally have a method of destroying subcutaneous fat cells in one session, without recourse to surgery.

LIPOSONICS

* Individual Results May Vary

INTRODUCING - CUSTOM CONTOURING WITH LIPOSONIX
  • High Intensity Focused Ultrasound beams meet 1.3cms below the skin’s surface ablating a band of fat 0.8cms in width.
  • This device is only available to medical clinics, providing minimal discomfort and little to no downtime.
  • A one-hour session typically results in a reduction ( for abdomen/flanks) equivalent to one dress size, 12 weeks post procedure*
    * based on a study of 200 cases;  individual results will vary; some persons may experience more, others less, reduction in waist circumference.
  • Liposonix is approved by Health Canada for treatment of the abdomen, waist (flanks), buttocks, inner, outer and posterior thighs. It is hoped that submental fat (chin) and upper arms will be added in the near future, however the treatment zone will be shallower and with a narrower band of ablation.
  • Ideal candidates would be at or near ideal body weight (BMI of 28 or less) with localized fat deposits. Liposonix should not be considered as a substitute for overall weight loss.
  • Candidates MUST HAVE AN INCH OF SUBCUTANEOUS FAT in the treatment area; this is to allow for safety margins below the zone of ablation.
  • Patients who are pregnant, have a hernia or large surgical area in the treatment zone, are on anticoagulants or have a bleeding disorder, are not candidates for this procedure.
  • Multiple areas can be treated at the same session, a second session can be done at 8-12 weeks in the same treatment zone IF MORE THAN ONE INCH OF FAT REMAINS.
  • A consultation with the physician is mandatory before treatment; this is a medical procedure, and patients will be screened for contraindications as well as general suitability beforehand.
  • Oral premedication is administered, and persons will be required to bring a driver to escort them home after the procedure. Some bruising and swelling can be expected in the days following the procedure, but normal activities can be resumed the following day. Depending on the treatment site, heavy lifting, sit-ups or other abdominal exercises may be deferred for 1-2 weeks following the procedure.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How does this differ from Accent XL? I understood Accent XL could be used for body contouring.

The first difference is the depth of the treatment zone.  Accent XL Bipolar Radiofrequency targets the middle layer of the skin (the dermis), not the fatty layer, triggering collagen synthesis which tightens the skin. Accent XL is complimentary to Liposonix, as with significant fat reduction some looseness of the overlying skin might occur in patients with poor skin elasticity, which can be greatly improved with Accent XL bipolar treatments. Accent XL Unipolar Radiofrequency targets the fat cells immediately below the dermis (at a depth of 0.3 cms), the diffuse heating of this layer results in shrinkage of the corresponding fat cells in this zone. Repeated sessions of Accent XL  are required to achieve a slimming effect.

The second difference is that radiofrequency does not result in a destruction of fat cells. In fact, Accent XL Unipolar treatments are best used for their remodelling effect on the collagen contained in the fat layer, which results in a smoothing of lumpy fat – see Cellulite

What happens to the fat cells after a Liposonix treatment? 

Following the destruction of targeted fat cells, macrophages (white blood cells) migrate into the treatment zone to “mop up” the damaged tissue, much like damaged tissue after a wound. That is why there is swelling in the treatment zone, it is a type of inflammatory reaction. The actual fat is carried to the liver, where it is broken down and excreted through bile. Studies have shown there is no dramatic elevation in blood lipids following treatment, the process of disposal is gradual, over several weeks. If you think of the ablated layer of fat as the filling in a sandwich, once the filling is removed, the slices of bread then contract together, resulting in a shrinking effect of the treatment zone.

Does a Liposonix treatment hurt?

Treatments can be done with different energy settings; a total of 180 joules is delivered to each treatment site; this can be accomplished as 3 passes of 60 joules, 4 passes of 45 joules, or 5 passes of 30 Joules; the higher the joules, the more intense the treatment; treating at a lower setting increases the overall treatment time and uses more pulses, resulting in a more costly treatment. A prescription for pain management can be given, which would be taken an hour beforehand, a mild sedative, hence the patient would not be permitted to drive home following the treatment. With proper medication, treatments are well tolerated.

Is there pain following a Liposonix treatment?

There is no significant pain afterwards. One can expect some bruising and/or swelling in the treatment area. We recommend wearing loose fitting comfortable clothing in the week following the procedure, some people prefer to go with compressive garments, either approach is acceptable. Unlike liposuction, where tissue is manually removed, leaving a gap between layers and the possibility of bleeding, Liposonix approach is a much gentler, a more gradual process, with adipose tissue destruction occurring at a microscopic level- so the use of compression garments is entirely the patient’s choice.

In the weeks following treatment, you may experience a tightening or tingling sensation, as the body heals itself and the cellular layers knit together.

Do ultrasound treatments in hospitals or physiotherapy clinics damage fatty tissue? What about ultrasound treatments being offered at various spas, how is that different from Liposonix treatments?

3 differences – frequency, intensity and focus (targeting). Therapeutic or diagnostic ultrasound are low intensity and therefore not damaging to tissue; an exception is lithotripsy, where high intensity focused acoustic waves are used to shatter kidney stones into smaller particles that can be passed through the ureters. The ultrasound beams in the Liposonix system pass through the skin without damaging it, while the convergence of the beams at a preset depth results in a very localised rise in temperature thereby destroying the fat cells. The computerised pattern traced out by the convergent beams avoids irregular cavitation in the fat layer, thus yielding predictable consistent results with an excellent safety profile.