Our body stops producing fat cells after 5-year-old. Here’s how we can get rid of excess ones with various body contouring and fat reduction treatments like CoolSculpting, Vanquish, and HIFU.
Mention “fat” and most of us would cringe. We associate fat with everything unhealthy and everything that is negative. But what many may not know or what many of us forget is that fat or rather, dietary fat, is needed by our body. In fact, fat does not directly make us “fat”; it is the excess calories that us “fat”.
Dietary fat is present in our body to store metabolic energy and we need the energy to perform basic functions in our daily lives. They also help to protect our organs and keep our body warm. In addition, fats help our body absorb some nutrients and produce important hormones. Issues only arise when we have too much of stored fat that is not utilised.
For instance, visceral fat is located within the abdominal wall. It wraps around major organs like the liver, pancreas, and kidneys. Excess visceral fat is linked with an increased risk for diseases like coronary heart disease, cancer, stroke, and dementia. Whereas subcutaneous fat is stored directly beneath the skin. It is not necessarily harmful to your health, but it is unsightly.
It is somewhat “good news” that our body stops producing fat cells after the age of five. So if your diet had been sensible before the age of five, it means you have less fat cells to deal with in adulthood.
The lower the number of fat cells you have, the lower your chances of gaining fat. The downside is if you were a pudgy kid growing up, you will have more fat cells to grapple with. This means you have to be even more mindful of what you eat and adopt a healthy lifestyle into adulthood.
So how then do we get rid of the unwanted excess fat cells? Thanks to advances in medical science, there are now non-invasive and no downtime solutions that patients can turn to. Some of these treatments include:
CoolSculpting
CoolSculpting is a device approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) that uses this technology known as cryolipolysis to freeze our body’s fat cells without affecting other parts of our body. These dead fat cells are then disposed off by the body. Once the fat cells are removed, they are gone for good.
The CoolSculpting device comes with several applicators in different sizes to better target fats on the different parts of the body.
The CoolMini applicator, for instance, is small enough to address small pockets of fat tissues in the chin, armpit, and knee areas.
Bigger applicators such as the CoolCurve, CoolCore, CoolMax, and CoolFit are better suited for addressing love handles, back or bra fat, abdomen, and inner thighs issues. For the outer thighs, the CoolSmooth applicator is highly efficient.
QuadSculpting
With multiple CoolSculpting machines available in the clinic, we are able to treat four, non-overlapping areas at the same time to reduce treatment time. Treatment duration can be reduced by up to 85% with QuadSculpting*.
* Actual duration may vary depending on treatment areas and applicators prescribed.
Vanquish
Vanquish™ uses the thermal energy of radio frequency (RF) waves to destroy fat cells. It is a no downtime, non-invasive treatment that is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA). Vanquish uses contactless, deep-tissue heating to remove fat in areas like the arms, abdomen, flank, and thighs.
With regards to the effectiveness of Vanquish, studies have shown an average of 29% reduction of fat thickness and 4-5cm reduction of waist circumference after four Vanquish treatments.
While fat is not bad per se, the over-accumulation of it can be a problem, both health and appearance wise. The availability of modern day treatments can effectively remove unwanted including that of stubborn fat. With these treatments, you can truly say goodbye to bulging problems that have been weighing heftily on your mind and body.
The use of these treatments/products is dependent on the clinical assessment and judgement of a medical professional.
Please consult a medical doctor for an informed discussion on the use of this treatment/product.
