Find a Liposuction Alternative

Many people would love to have a sculpted body without a belly pooch, love handles or chubby thighs, but do not want to undergo liposuction. Common reasons for not wanting liposuction include: not wanting to have surgery that includes anesthesia, as well as fear of the possibility of pain and risks associated with liposuction.

Risks of liposuction include adverse reaction to anesthesia, blood clots, swelling, nerve damage, seroma (a collection of excess fluid in one place on the body) and infection. Also many people are worried that, if they get liposuction, the fat will come back somewhere else on the body -- though that might not be true.There also is a significant recovery time of several weeks associated with getting liposuction.

In all, it's not surprising that some people might be hesitant about or not want to get liposuction, because it can be a fairly invasive procedure.

One alternative to liposuction -- though it is fairly new, few doctors are doing it and it has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for this purpose -- is the Zeltiq CoolSculpting procedure.

This is basically a non-invasive procedure that supposedly is relatively safe (though, remember, it still hasn't been approved by the FDA for fat reduction) and is a way of freezing fat cells on your body, which in turn makes the unwanted fat disappear over the course of a few weeks to a month.

This procedure is being done in Europe and Canada now as well as on a limited basis by doctors who are willing to use Zeltiq "off label," meaning that they use it on patients for fat removal even though so far, the FDA only has approved it for skin cooling during other cosmetic procedures that heat the skin. Doctors are allowed to do this, but the numbers of doctors performing the treatment for fat removal are relatively low in the United States today.

To find a doctor performing Zeltiq in the U.S., check out the company's list of providers. The company is not marketing its procedure for fat removal yet in the United States because it has not yet received FDA approval for that use, but on its "international" Web site, the procedure is touted as a way to get rid of "love handles, post-pregnancy pooch and 'muffin tops'" and is described as comfortable, convenient and natural.

Here are some doctor comments about Zeltiq from RealSelf.com. Since the FDA hasn't approved this procedure yet for fat removal in the U.S., do your research and proceed with caution.

Compared to liposuction, the advantages of Zeltiq are:

• No anesthesia or incisions. Zeltiq is non-surgical, so it does not require general or twilight anesthesia.
• Less pain. Zeltiq is ostensibly less painful than liposuction. Some providers call it "painless," but some patients report mild discomfort and tenderness following the procedure.
• Quicker recovery. Liposuction usually requires several weeks of recovery and time off work, but Zeltiq does not.

The disadvantages of Zeltiq are:

• It is newer, so doctors who provide it will have limited experience with it, at least for a while.
• It is newer, so there's not as much long-term information available on effects on patients.
• Right now, it still is not FDA approved in the U.S. for fat reduction.

Another alternative to liposuction -- though sometimes it is used in conjunction with liposuction -- is Thermage. Thermage is a radiofrequency treatment in which radiofrequency is used to heat and tighten the skin on problem areas (which can be anywhere from the eyes to the hips.) One of the effects of this is that it can reduce some fat while tightening up the area overall.

On RealSelf.com, though, only 40 percent of patients said Thermage was "worth it." On the same site, doctors said Thermage can be a good treatment, but results can vary and a lot depends on the skill level of the treatment provider. One doctor said an inexperienced provider can accidentally burn the patient.

The advantages of Thermage over liposuction are:

• Thermage is non-surgical, so no anesthesia or incisions are used.
• Thermage has less discomfort and a much shorter downtime than liposuction.

Disadvantages are:

• Results of Thermage can be unpredictable and much less dramatic than liposuction.
• Thermage cannot reduce fat in as exact and targeted a manner as liposuction can.

LipoDissolve treatments are advertised by some spas as "fat melting injections" and women who want a non-surgical alternative to liposuction are flocking to get these treatments. But the FDA has received reports of dark skin spots, hard lumps and scars caused by LipoDissolve, and recently issued a warning to some of the spas providing these treatments, calling their claims about the treatments "false and misleading."

On RealSelf.com, a cosmetic surgery Web site, only 32 percent of patients said LipoDissolve was "worth it," and one complained about "risks they don't tell you about." Patients complained of LipoDissolve causing hard lumps on the thighs, and causing a web of "purplish veins" to appear out of nowhere at the treatment site. One patient wrote: "Please do NOT get this done." A small percentage wrote that they were happy with their results, and that LipoDissolve got rid of belly fat and other issues.

Doctors on the same site warned that LipoDissolve can be dangerous and has not been approved by the FDA.

There's no contest here. While liposuction does have its risks, and is a surgical procedure, it can remove fat in problem spots relatively safely if done by a skilled and experienced surgeon. (Of course, as with any cosmetic procedures, there are no guarantees.)

On the other hand, the FDA has cracked down on LipoDissolve providers and publicized reports of dangerous side effects. Doctors warn that it can be unsafe.

If none of the liposuction alternatives sounds appealing to you, there is always the option of following a strict eating plan and exercise program to help you burn fat in your problem areas. You could join a gym or a weight loss club for help and encouragement. To get you started, FitDay.com offers advice on targeted fat loss.

Photo credits --

Midriff photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/m00by/ / CC BY-ND 2.0