The skinny on fat busting

Do this one thing to make your body sculpting treatment last longer

Plastic surgeons should tell patients that, if they stick to a healthy diet and fitness regime, it will maintain fat removal and prolong their life post treatment.

That’s according to an aesthetic surgeon who makes the suggestion in light of a new study that reveals carrying extra weight can shorten our lives.

Liposuction and fat reduction are popular treatments; 5,551 procedures took place in the UK in 2015 – up by 20% on the year before.

And this included men whose numbers attending plastic surgery clinics doubled in over a decade, according to the statistics by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.

The study, published in The Lancet, concludes that just being overweight as well as being obese brings risk to the longevity of our lives – which contradicts previous studies that suggested otherwise.

Now, US cosmetic surgeon Richard Buckley says that those of us who undergo body sculpting and fat removal should be educated on – and aided to achieve –weight loss and this should work in tandem with procedures such as CoolSculpting, for example.

More extreme procedures such as SmartLipo, that can eliminate pockets of fat and love handles, also works well with lifestyle changes to support it.

Dr Buckley says he emphasises the need for this dual approach with his patients – achieving and maintaining normal weight for health as well as long-lasting aesthetic results.

SmartLipo is a laser treatment that has been proven to deliver effective results with minimal discomfort for the patient.

It removes excess stubborn fatty tissue, which is ordinarily resistant to traditional lifestyle changes, such as dieting and exercise.

Dr Buckley suggests that, although patients often seek this more extreme fat removal treatment because they dislike the appearance and are already working hard to lose the fat, the healthy approach post procedure will ensure it lasts.

For those who have undergone cosmetic body sculpting procedures, he believes they do keep off the weight because they are so pleased with the results.
Body sculpting options, including skin lifting and tightening procedures with Thermi radiofrequency devices, Ultherapy and Thermage and so on, are more accessible because there’s no downtime associated with those options.

With the Christmas and New Year over-indulgence upon us, the study is perhaps timely.

And for those of us already working hard to lose weight but are struggling to reduce those stubborn bulges, New Year may be the time to consider these treatments.
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