Alternatives to LiposuctionThis may surprise you, but liposuction has gone down in numbers over the years. In 2011, there were just over 200,000 patients in America who underwent the procedure. That puts it at the third most common cosmetic surgery – nothing to scoff at, to be sure, but compare that to the year 2000, when 354,000 Americans underwent the same procedure. That’s a 154,000-patient discrepancy.
Why the dip in popularity? Probably the rise of non-surgical options for weight loss over the years.
The FDA has begun to approve of non-surgical fat reduction procedures for treatment in the U.S., starting with Zerona, a laser fat reduction treatment, in 2010. Next came CoolSculpting, only a month later. CoolSculpting by Zeltiq works by aggressively cooling fat, reducing its thickness. However, both of these treatments are somewhat limited in scope, since the locations on your body that they can treat is limited.
Enter Liposonix. In September of last year, the FDA approved the treatment, which uses ultrasound to reduce excess fat. Studies are promising, showing that patients lost about an inch from the circumference of their midsection. Furthermore, Liposonix can treat just about any part of the patient’s body.
While proper diet and exercise is the best option for your body, there are those that are unable to lose weight on their own, or are unable to lose weight in targeted areas no matter how much they diet or exercise. Undeniably, the most effective treatment in terms of results remains liposuction – it’s safe, tried and true, and can be as dramatic or subtle as you need.
However, if you’re not expecting a total makeover, and are instead looking for more subtle weight loss, perhaps in specific areas of your body, these non-surgical alternatives may be worth investing in.
