Fat “Contoured” Away Without Surgery
An Israeli company, UltraShape, has developed a new body-contouring device that destroys unwanted fat from the body, creating the same effects as liposuction without any of the associated health risks. The treatment is aimed as an alternative for women and men who want effective removal of excess fat cells without surgery, and focuses on the abdomen, inner and outer thighs (saddle bags) and flanks (love handles). The device, called Contour 1 has already gone on sale in Europe. It is to be launched in the United States if approval is given by the FDA.
Patients who undergo the procedure see a noticeable difference in their body shapes, with many reporting centimeters of fat taken off the treated areas. Treatments, however, are expensive, and can cost between $1,400 to $1,700, or more, depending on the size of the area one wishes to treat.
The Ultrashape technology is based on focused ultrasound, which ruptures and destroys fat cells without damaging any other tissue. The fat cells are then cleared naturally from the body by the immune system over the next three weeks, in much the same way that the body clears out damaged tissue from a bruise. Because of this delay, only small amounts of fat can be broken down per treatment — some 500cc of fat at each treated site. Treatments can be carried out every month, however.
Dr. Spencer Brown, research director in the plastic surgery department at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, was hired by UltraShape to critique the testing of contouring in Israel and London. “One treatment in the abdomen in those countries reduced the circumference of the waist by about an inch,” said Brown.
UltraShape calls the treatment a “lunch hour” procedure because it takes a short amount of time and is painless, carries no side effects and can be done in a supervised setting such as a spa rather than in an operating room.
Yoram Eshel, UltraShape’s founder and CEO, said the procedure is no miracle cure. “We sculp the body, but we cannot make someone stop eating, go on a diet, or take exercise,” he said. “If a patient who undergoes the treatment continues to eat as before, there is a chance that either the remaining fat cells in the sculpted location begin to enlarge, or that the fat will be redistributed to other locations.”
Launched in the UK in the summer of 2005, the UltraShape device is marketed by its manufacturer as “the first proven non-invasive ultrasound solution for body contouring.” Unlike ultrasound-assisted liposuction techniques, it doesn’t require any incisions or surgery, and the body naturally rids itself of the unwanted fat content after treatment.
The UltraShape treatment begins with the physician marking the treatment area or target zone and uploading it into the computer tracking system using colored markers placed around the area. The physician then glides the transducer (the hand-held device that converts electrical energy into ultrasound energy) over the targeted zone, delivering short pulses of focused ultrasonic energy into the subcutaneous fat.
Each pulse breaks down the membranes of the fat cells, without impacting the blood vessels, nerves or other connective tissue, and the overlaying skin is also not damaged. By repeating the process, the device disrupts a layer of fatty tissue under the skin. A video camera monitors the positioning of the transducer and the person’s body, while the tracking system displays the areas already treated and indicates areas to be treated. People who undergo the treatment are able to return to their normal activities afterwards.
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