Body Contouring: An Attempt at Body Sculpting.

Body contouring provides patients with an alternative to liposuction. The introduction of body contouring has allowed the cosmetic surgeon to receive training in more than one method for the dissolution of fat and the tightening of skin cells.

The introduction of tumescent liposuction paved the way for development of the techniques used in body contouring. Patients liked the fact that tumescent liposuction could be performed in a doctor's office. Refinements in the liposuction procedure led to the unveiling of mesotherapy, one of three different body contouring techniques.

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Mesotherapy has been referred to as "lipodissolve." The therapist who performs the mesotherapy injects chemicals under the patient's skin. Those chemicals then dissolve the fat that has been stored under the skin.

Three different variables contribute to the success (or lack of success) achieved by using mesotherapy. The nature and quantity of the injected chemical is the first variable. Not all therapists use chemicals with the same formulation. Not all therapists have the same method for determining how much of the chosen formulation should go under the patient's skin.

The skill of the technician administering the mesotherapy helps to determine the degree to which the patient's body can be properly re-shaped. The care of the equipment determines the extent to which complications might result from election of mesotherapy procedures. Patients have reported skin indentations, changes in skin color and infection as a result of mesotherapy.

Thermage, also called "Thermacool" and "Thermalift" represents another type of body contouring. During the Thermage, radio frequency is used to tighten the skin. The radio frequency waves produce heat. That heat reaches down to the dermis, the layer of skin under the epidermis.

Use of Thermage can give rise to unpleasant complications. Patients who have tried to re-mold their bodies by using Thermage have reported instances of scarring, dimpling and unsightly skin indentations. At the present time, such problems are treated with skin fillers. Unfortunately, those fillers do not offer a permanent solution.

LipoSonix is a body contouring procedure that has received a nod from at least one respected plastic surgeon. Dr. Peter Fudor, a surgeon at UCLA, has been impressed by the changes in certain patients who underwent the LipoSonix procedure. Dr. Fudor has reported the 7 centimeter decrease in a patient's waist size, following use of LipoSonix.

LipoSonix uses ultrasound to destroy fat cells. The sound waves target fat that has been stored one inch under the skin. One of the benefits of LipoSonix derives from the fate of the destroyed fat. A minimum of fat actually enters the blood stream, once the fat cells have been destroyed.

Patients who have undergone the LipoSonix procedure enjoy a quick recovery. That quick recovery does come with a price. Surgeons can not yet guarantee that fat lost due to LipoSonix ensures the surgeon's ability to achieve true body sculpting.

LipoSonix is one of the newer forms of reconstructive surgery. The patient should not expect to locate with a single phone call a surgeon who has been trained to do the LipoSonix procedures.