Perfect Your Look with UltraShape, Other Minimally Invasive Procedures

“For some people, all the diet and exercise in the world still can’t remove stubborn pockets of fat,” says Utah plastic surgeon Dr. Kimball Crofts. “Love handles and saddle bags can leave us self-conscious and frustrated. But there are wonderful cosmetic procedures that can help.”

Minimally invasive procedures to get rid of stubborn fat are on the rise. Patients want a way to treat their problem areas, but in a way that fits into their busy lifestyles. These technologies involve lasers, ultrasound, radiofrequency energy, or a combination. The one thing they all have in common is the reduction of body circumference without breaking the skin.

Ultrashape is a relatively new body shaping procedure that works by destroying fat cells. It uses ultrasound to eliminate fat and reduce overall body circumference. It works by emitting acoustic waves of ultrasound energy that targets and eliminates targeted fat. The procedure is painless and involves no surgery, injections or incisions of any kind.

Ultrashape can be used on the abdomen, thighs and flanks. Clinical studies have shown that when paired with a healthy diet and exercise, it can be as long lasting as liposuction. After three treatments, patients see an average of a 4 centimeter reduction in circumference in the treated area. Once the procedure is completed, the body will naturally clear away the broken down fat cells, a process that will take two to four weeks. Within 14 to 28 days, patients will begin to see results. Maximum results are typically evident around 28 days after the final treatment is completed.

The Ultrashape procedure offers little to no discomfort, and no recovery time.

Many plastic surgeons are also using a technology called CoolSculpting that freezes the fat cells. This technique is quickly gaining in popularity. CoolSculpting uses controlled cooling to freeze and eliminate fat cells. Just as with Ultrashape, there are no incisions or surgery required.

Once the fat cells are frozen, they will die and be naturally eliminated by your body.

“While both procedures are now being used, I prefer Ultrashape for my patients, for several reasons” says Dr. Crofts. “First is that CoolSculpting may not be able to conform to the size of the area you are looking to remove fat from. The procedure has to utilize cartridges in pre-determined sizes, and those might be significantly smaller than the area you want to treat. Additionally, the cold can cause bruising, while we’ve seen that UltraShape results in significantly less bruising to treated areas.”

The cold treatment may also result in prolonged numbness of the area that was treated. In some cases, it can take several weeks to gain back complete feeling in the area that underwent treatment.

UltraShape also offers more immediate results. Within just two weeks, you can see results, whereas CoolSculpting may take several months for results to be evident.

If you’re interested in learning more about how UltraShape can help you, schedule a consultation with Dr. Crofts today.