Aesthetic medicine, the branch of health care that focuses improving one's appearance, offers a wide range of procedures for those wishing to look their best. For example, one of the more recent innovations in this field of medicine is non-surgical liposuction. Here a closer look at this lesser-known technique for slimming down.

Who is a Candidate?

Not everyone who wants to lose some troublesome fat, such as love handles, is a good candidate for nonsurgical liposuction. This approach tends to work best on individuals who simply need to get rid of small patches of excess fat in specific areas that cannot be removed with exercise and healthy eating, according to the Mayo Clinic. Candidates for this treatment should also have no major health problems.

The Main Methods

Plastic surgeons and other aesthetic medicine professionals use several techniques to perform non-surgical liposuction, including the following:

1. Laser — This method, as the name implies, uses a laser to break up fat cells in your body. Once the cells have been broken up into smaller pieces, your body eliminates the fat by means of the lymphatic system.
2. Ultrasound —The ultrasound method relies on high-intensity sound waves to liquefy your fat cells in the targeted area. As with the laser technique, once the affected fat cells are broken down, your body is able to flush them out.
3. Cold — A third technique uses cold to bust up fat cells. Known as cryolipolysis, this method takes advantage of the fact that fat cells do not like cold. When exposed to cold panels, the fat cells start to shrink, your body metabolizes them and they disappear.

Pros and Cons

• Advantages—Nonsurgical liposuction has several advantages over surgical liposuction. One key benefit is that these methods do not involve the use of anesthesia, so you do not have worry about potential side effects from being sedated. Also, because no surgery is involved, the healing process is typically more rapid. You have much less risk of post-procedure complications, such as infection, bleeding and blood clots, as well.
• Disadvantage —The main disadvantage of nonsurgical liposuction is that it often requires more treatment sessions than surgical liposuction in order to have the desired effect.

If you are looking to trim off some excess fat in a selected area and are in good overall health, you may be a candidate for nonsurgical liposuction. Consult with your physician or health care provider like one from New Age Spa Institute, Inc. for more information about this topic.