Body contouring is a group of surgical and nonsurgical medical treatments aiming to shape areas in your body and tighten skin, revealing a firm toned body.
What is body contouring?
Body contouring, also known as body sculpting, is not only a way of weight loss but also body shaping through procedures that:
- eliminate excess layers of fat deposits under the skin.
- get rid of loose skin.
- reshape or sculpt the area in the body.
Why is body contouring necessary?
after significant weight loss following an aggressive diet, bariatric surgery, or pregnancy, skin, and tissues don’t possess the elasticity to reshape according to the reduced body size.
many times exercises alone are not enough to achieve your great goals, making these treatment options seldom way to body shaping.
body sculpting is significant also in removing skin wrinkles due to natural aging by removing extra skin to make the skin looks younger and smoother.
Common sites in the body that contour target
body sculpting can target most body areas, but the most common sites are;
- Arms.
- Thighs.
- Neck and chin.
- Back.
- Abdomen.
Surgical versus nonsurgical body contouring
Non-surgical procedures are safer and carry less risk and rapid recovery than surgical ones, but, surgical procedures in body shaping provide more noticeable results.
Nonsurgical body contouring
A non-invasive form of contouring the body is known as lipolysis This procedure is mainly designed to reduce localized fat deposits or bulges that do not respond to lifestyle modification, diet, and exercise, but this way isn’t suitable for weight reduction.
lipolysis is carried out by several methods, through applying very cold temperatures, certain medicines, laser beams, or ultrasound waves to the target fat cells.
according to the method used, lipolysis is classified to:
Cryolipolysis
also known as fat freezing as it uses very cold temperatures to reduce fat deposits in certain areas of the body.
this method is approved to be performed in the following body areas beneath the chin, upper arms, inner and outer thighs, abdomen, hip/flank, upper and lower back, and underneath the buttocks.
This technique is based on the susceptibility of the fat cells to be damaged from cold temperatures more than other cells, such as skin cells.
Cryolipolysis is carried out in the outpatient clinic and doesn’t require admission, and applied by using a device called an applicator that gradually cools the fat cells laying underneath the skin until reaching the target temperature, and this is applied after protecting the skin firstly using gel pads.
Injection lipolysis
Injection lipolysis is a chemical reduction in the number of fat cells around the injection site, through applying the currently FDA-approved treatment deoxycholic acid to the area underneath the skin, resulting in the chemical destruction of fat cells.
Injection lipolysis is commonly applied to the area underneath the chin to get rid of what is known as a double chin.
unlike Cryolipolysis, This procedure is done under local anesthesia, which is injected into the target area first, then, a calculated amount of medication is injected as a single treatment.
the results of this procedure are typically noticed within eight weeks, after at least two sessions six weeks apart, this method of lipolysis may not be suitable for those with loose or poor-tone skin.
Laser lipolysis
Laser lipolysis is another method of noninvasive fat reduction using the heat emitted from a laser beam that penetrates the skin and heats up the fat cells underneath.
The heat damages the fat cells’ membranes, so they start to die off and then the body absorbs the dead cells.
In addition, laser lipolysis results in skin-tightening after the procedure as Lasers found to stimulate collagen production as Experts noticed.
This procedure can be carried out in the doctor’s office or outpatient clinic, and it takes about half an hour, and neither admission nor anesthesia is needed.
It takes about six weeks to notice the final results of the treatment. Before that, you could not decide whether more than one treatment is needed for optimal results or not.
Plastic surgeons usually recommend Laser lipolysis for specific areas, including Belly, Back, Flanks, and Inner and outer thighs.
Radiofrequency lipolysis
Like laser lipolysis, this procedure depends on heat for the destruction of fat cells underneath the skin, but it differs in that heat is applied from a distance of 1cm from the skin without physical contact with the skin.
This procedure is carried out without anesthesia, and takes approximately half an hour, and is repeated once a week for four weeks or as the plastic surgeon decides.
Surgical body contouring
Unlike non-surgical procedures, surgical body contouring is considered a major surgery that requires general anesthesia, hospital admission, and time to recover and return to normal activities. It also carries more risk than Nonsurgical body contouring, but it is usually associated with more noticeable results.
According to the technique used surgical body contouring options are ;
- Liposuction; depends on fat deposits suction
- Lifts and tucks; in this type of surgical procedure excess fat and extra skin are removed, examples of skin surgery lifts include;
- tummy tuck (abdominoplasty).
- breast lift ( through breast reduction or augmentation contour breast shape).
- Brachioplasty (arm lift).
- Inner thigh lift.
- Buttock lift.
- facelift (rhytidectomy).
- double chin surgery.
What is Liposuction?
Liposuction is a procedure that sucks excess fats. it is not a substitute for weight reduction but it can contour the body and change its shape.
There are different techniques for liposuction, including;
Tumescent technique; It involves the injection of a calculated quantity of a medical solution that contains a combination of medicines into the fatty area. Afterward, The fat is then suctioned out by inserting a tube connected to a vacuum.
- Ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty; in this produces ultrasound energy is used invasively to break down the walls of the fat cells turning them into liquid, and then fats are suctioned out.
- Laser-assisted lipoplasty; in this liposuction is assessed by the heating effect of laser, making removal more efficient, less bruising, and faster healing.
- Power-assisted liposuction; is liposuction using a tool at the end of the suction device that helps to cut through the fat, making it easier to remove.
How much does body contouring cost in Egypt?
It’s difficult to put neither a range nor a benchmark for body contouring price since the cost of the procedures depends on several factors as;
- The type of technique used for body contouring.
- Amount of fat needed to be destructed.
- The body shapes the client needs to achieve
- The size of the area to be contoured and the number of areas targeted.
- The experience and skills of the doctor performing the operation and the quality of the place.
- The types of anesthesia needed in the operation.
Lifestyle changes, diet, and exercise are the only trusted way for weight reduction, but all are not enough for body shaping and achieving our target firm and toned body that is hidden underneath layers of fat or loose skin.
