What Are Body Sculpting and Body Contouring?
What Is Nonsurgical Body Sculpting?
Body sculpting, also known as body contouring, is a minimally invasive medical treatment that helps patients remove fat and create a more desirable figure. With a body sculpting procedure, you can take fat out of parts of the body that are predisposed to hold onto it, such as the arms, back, chest, chin, hips, stomach, and thighs, and sculpt the treatment areas to add definition. Unlike liposuction, modern body sculpting techniques can achieve fat removal without surgery, making these procedures safer and faster. Still, body sculpting methods vary by provider, and patients who choose different clinics may have drastically different experiences. For example, some body sculpting procedures involve cooling and heating, which could result in scarring and longer recovery times. Some body sculpting methods get better and more immediate results than others, as well. Belle Medical’s HD Body Sculpting procedure can be performed without cutting, ripping, cooling, or tearing, and results tend to be visible immediately.What Is Involved in a Body Sculpting Procedure?
Again, different clinics have different approaches to body sculpting, but here’s how Belle Medical’s HD Body Sculpting procedures work: First, our patients schedule a free consultation with a member of our team to discuss their desired outcome. A provider will create a personalized treatment plan for each patient and schedule their sessions. During an HD Body Sculpting session at a Belle Medical clinic, our technicians will numb the patient’s treatment sites with local anesthetic and give them medicine that helps them relax. We use a local anesthetic (and/or oral medications, according to your preference), so there’s no need for general anesthesia, eliminating the risks associated with other body sculpting services (such as burning, tissue damage, and anesthetic toxicity).
Next, our technicians will use FDA-approved and patented equipment to liquefy the fat cells in your problem areas using gentle vibrations. Once the fat cells are liquefied, they are permanently removed using a suction cannula. This technique keeps the fat cells alive and healthy, meaning they can be used for a Fat Transfer if there’s another part of your body where you’d like additional volume and plumpness.
The recovery time for an HD Body Sculpting treatment is minimal. Most of our patients are able to resume their regular activities within 24-48 hours.
What Is Body Contouring?
Body contouring and body sculpting are interchangeable terms. It’s worth noting that body sculpting and body contouring can refer to a range of different but similar medical procedures, including the following:
- Cryolipolysis (CoolSculpting): A minimally invasive procedure that involves using extreme cold to break down fat cells.
- Laser treatment (SculpSure, Sono Bello): With this technique, controlled heat is applied to dismantle subcutaneous fat. Small incisions on the skin are sometimes required
- Injection lipolysis (Kybella) : This kind of procedure involves injecting a synthetic form of deoxycholic acid (a substance that helps absorb fat) into target areas.
- Red light therapy : A relatively new fat removal technique that uses a specialized lamp to send light of specific wavelengths through the skin, targeting fat cells and triggering them to release some of their contents.
- Ultrasound-assisted fat removal : In this procedure, soft sound wave vibrations are used to liquefy fat cells, allowing them to be easily and gently suctioned out of the body.
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Belle Medical is a leader in the Body Sculpting techniques that have helped hundreds of people across the country. We know you want to look good and we want to help!
What Does Body Sculpting Do?
Body sculpting helps patients achieve fat loss in problem areas faster and more effectively than traditional methods like dieting and exercise. Most people choose to undergo a body sculpting procedure because they are unhappy with their physical appearance due to aging, pregnancy and childbirth, or genetic factors. Many body sculpting patients report feeling happier and more confident following their treatment.
Body sculpting can also help patients jumpstart a healthier lifestyle. Permanent fat removal changes a person’s body chemistry, changing their natural fat distribution and spurring a more active metabolism. Many patients feel more motivated to exercise and adopt healthier diets to maintain the results of their body sculpting procedure.
Who Is Body Sculpting Right For?
HD Body Sculpting works best for men and women who are already in fairly good health, with under 25% body fat, but who can’t lose stubborn spots of fat regardless of great diet and exercise habits. Body sculpting is not right for those who need to lose a substantial amount of weight. For instance, it is not recommended for those with a BMI in the obesity range (30 or higher). Instead, body sculpting is most effective for those who fall within a healthy BMI (between 18.5 and 25). The reason for this is that body sculpting isn’t a weight loss technique—it’s a technique used to break down stubborn fat cells. That said, Belle Medical does work with heavier patients who can undergo a version of our HD Body Sculpting treatment called a “debulking procedure,” in which we help them get rid of as much fat as possible in a given area.
HD Body Sculpting also isn’t right for those who have preexisting medical conditions, are pregnant, or have other health issues that could slow down the healing process.