Find A Better You 856 Waterbury Falls Dr. #100B O Fallon, MO 63368 (636) 234-9195 www.stllipo.com How Does Body Contouring Work?
Body contouring is a term that's often thrown around when people talk about cosmetic enhancements but have you ever wondered what it is and how it works? If so, you're not alone! Body contouring, which can also be called body sculpting, is the process of changing the shape of the body in order to achieve desired results. For instance, maybe you have excess fat around your tummy and wish you could have a slimmer midsection. Body contouring can accomplish that. Some of the common goals of body sculpting include getting tighter skin, fat removal, and having an overall firmer and younger appearance. There are several different procedures and treatments used in body contouring, and today we ll talk about what they are and how they work to give you the body you want. What Is Body Contouring and When Do People Do It? Body contouring is a surgical procedure or minimally to non-invasive treatment designed to sculpt the body into a new form. To illustrate how it works, it can help to think of the way a sculptor works to create a body. The sculptor begins with a shapeless piece of clay and uses their hands and tools to move the clay around and form it into a recognizable shape, such as a woman s body, for example. But now let's say the sculptor thinks the body is too large in one area, so he or she can remold the sculpture to remove excess clay and make the area smaller. Another option is that the sculptor wants to make one area smaller and another larger, so he or she can take the clay from the larger area and redistribute it to the smaller area. Surgical and non-invasive body sculpting techniques work in a similar fashion. The idea of body contouring is to give you the perfect body shape you've always wanted. There are several kinds of body contouring treatments and procedures that we'll talk about today, and they include: Lifts
Liposuction Fat transfer BodyFX FaceTite BodyTite Common Times When People Consider Body Contouring Just about anybody can decide they want to undergo a body sculpting procedure, but there are popular times in people s lives when it s more common to look into body contouring. One of the most common that surgeons see is following dramatic weight loss. After losing a lot of weight, many people have excess skin that sags and makes them uncomfortable, and body sculpting can make your post-weight loss body shapelier and tighter. Another common time people seek body contouring is after having children, because being pregnant, giving birth, and breastfeeding can all change a woman s shape, and contouring can give you back your pre-baby body. Finally, age can also lead to sagging, excess fat, and other cosmetic issues, so as many women age, they start to look for treatment options that can make their skin and body tighter, firmer, and younger looking. Common Procedures to Lift Skin and Give a More Youthful and Slender Appearance The primary goals of body contouring include tightening the skin, obtaining a more youthful appearance, and reducing fat in certain areas to reshape the body. As such, some of the most commonly targeted areas for body contouring include: Breasts, with enhancements and reductions Abdomen (tummy tucks and love handle removal)
Thighs through lifts and contouring Face and neck to lift and sculpt Upper arms (getting rid of excess skin and fat under the arm) Liposuction Is an Option When Your Goal Is Removing Excess Fat Liposuction has been a popular cosmetic procedure for many years, but it gets safer and more effective all the time as new technologies and equipment are designed. One of the things people like about liposuction is that it can remove excess fat from the body without a surgeon having to cut fat and skin off, making it a less invasive procedure with shorter recovery times (about three days of downtime). Here's a basic explanation of how liposuction works: Anesthesia: The anesthesiologist will administer a local or general anesthesia, depending on the type and location of the procedure. Incision: Once the anesthesia takes effect, the surgeon will make small incisions in the skin around the treatment area. Suction: After that, the surgeon will insert a special tube into the incision sites to loosen and suck out excess fat. The whole process typically takes from one to three hours. A Fat Transfer: Liposuction Plus Body Contouring and Augmentation in One For some people, it's not just excess fat in one area that's a problem, but also a lack of fat, shapeliness, or firmness in another area. For example, as you age, you might have noticed that your buttocks lost shape or became saggy. After a liposuction treatment, you can opt for a fat transfer that will take the fat removed from one area and redeposit it in your buttocks to increase the size, reduce sagginess, and change the shape. This procedure is known as a Brazilian buttock lift. Another common type of fat transfer procedure is a breast enhancement, where fat is removed from one area and moved to the breasts to enhance the size and shape of your chest naturally.
Best Places for Liposuction and Fat Removal for a Fat Transfer When you get liposuction or a fat transfer, there are certain areas of the body where the fat commonly gets removed from. Typically, these are known as the hard to treat areas where fat tends to accumulate because of hormones and genetics. For most people, the fat in these areas is impossible to eliminate with diet and exercise alone, and liposuction and other fat reduction methods are the only way to get rid of excess and unwanted fat in these areas, which included: Abdomen Hips or love handles Thighs Breasts Back Chin Arms BodyFX: A Non-Invasive Approach to Body Sculpting Liposuction and fat transfer are both older (though effective) techniques that can remove fat from the body, but there are also more modern approaches to body contouring that you might want to investigate as well. One such treatment is BodyFX, which combines the power of deep massage and radiofrequency to kill and reduce fat cells in targeted spots on the body. A single treatment takes an average of 20 minutes, and within 6 to 12 months, you can expect noticeable changes in your skin and body, including that fat deposits will be drastically reduced, cellulite will be less visible, and your skin will be tighter and more youthful looking. FaceTite and BodyTite Two more breakthrough treatments for body contouring that have recently made their appearance are FaceTite and BodyTite. The two procedures are very similar in how they work, but the difference is the location that's targeted. BodyTite is
for larger areas on the body, while FaceTite is reserved for the chin, face, neck, and other small areas. The easiest way to understand these procedures is to think of them as a combination of liposuction and BodyFX. Like BodyFX, FaceTite and BodyTite use radiofrequency to heat fat in a targeted area. These two procedures, however, heat the fat to a temperature where it liquefies, and suction is then used simultaneously to remove the liquefied fat cells from the body. The benefits of FaceTite and BodyTite are similar to BodyFX (tighter skin, reduced cellulite, and reduced fat). However, these two procedures do require a minimal incision, and they are performed under light, local anesthetic and recovery times are minimal. Candidates for Body Sculpting Many people can benefit from the results achieved through body sculpting and contouring, but that doesn t mean every person is a good candidate for these procedures and treatments. For instance, if you want body contouring because you've lost a lot of weight but haven't yet stabilized, then it's best you wait until you've reached and maintained your ideal weight for a while before considering treatment. Otherwise, the shape of your body will continue to change as you lose more weight, and the effects of the body contouring procedure will be lost. Here are some other important factors that can help determine candidacy: You don t smoke You're in relatively good health You want to lead a healthy life that prioritizes good diet and exercise You don t have any medical conditions that could prevent you from healing after a procedure You understand the process and have realistic goals about the results
Body contouring and sculpting may seem like something that's reserved for art class, but there are several procedures and treatments available that can, in fact, sculpt the size and shape of your body. Some of the common goals of these procedures are fat removal, fat redistribution, and younger looking or tighter skin. There are surgical, minimally invasive, and even non-invasive treatment options you can explore if you want to get rid of fat, enhance certain areas, reduce cellulite, and look and feel younger. To find out how body contouring can change what you see in the mirror, contact Find A Better You today and schedule a consultation.