Greater options are available for people interested in spot reducing fat deposits. Many patients are willing to trade in more dramatic results for the convenience and lower cost of a non-surgical treatment. One of the latest is called VASER Shape, from Sound Surgical Technologies, the makers of the VASER Lipo device.
"I think I was the first physician in the United States to purchase a VASER Shape device," says Laguna Beach and Las Vegas Cosmetic Surgeon Dr. Robert Troell. As he discusses today on The Doctors, the VASER Shape device uses ultrasound to break up fat cells externally, similar to how the Vaser lipo device does internally. "In my opinion, hypothetically the energy delivery is the same, so if you can deliver it internally using liposuction you should be able to acheive a similar effect if you do it externally. That's the reason I actually went forward with the VASER Shape."
Patient Lost 1 1/2" in Abdomen in 1 Hour
Actual VASER Shape Results of Dr. Robert Troell
The device is able to not only treat spotty fat deposits, but is approved for several other treatments as well. "It's FDA approved for lymphatic drainage. It's FDA approved for temporary improvement of cellulite, for improvement of muscle spasms and pain." Dr. Troell also says that experiments also showed that patients experienced skin tightening and the reduction of local areas of fat. "That's really what we're doing experiments on, to get data supporting that."
Dr. Troell describes the way that VASER Shape uses external ultrasound to affect the outermost layer of fat. "The device has two transducers that converge at one site. It's generating heat and also vibrating the tissue up to 36,000 times per second. When it's vibrating the tissue it actually creates what we call cavitations which are little air bubbles that get larger and larger. These cavitations will separate fat cells from other structures such as nerves, blood vessels and muscles." Dr. Troell says that the device's hand piece then directs these free floating fat cells toward lymphatic drainage and it's then removed through the body's natural processes.
Actual VASER Shape Results of Dr. Robert Troell
It's important to bear in mind that certain people are better candidates than others. According to Dr. Troell, those who are already near their ideal weight are better suited for VASER Shape. "A great patient is someone who has one or two localized areas where fat is a concern for them. Another good candidate is someone who has lost weight and they have a little bit of extra skin and they need a skin tightening procedure. A third potential candidate would be someone who has cellulite." Someone who is significantly overweight is not a good candidate for VASER Shape. Also, those needing more fat removed are better treated with a surgical body contouring procedure.
Dr. Troell says that it isn't yet completely clear how often is best for treatments. Multiple treatments are needed, and generally over 4-5 weeks. Patients report there is little to no pain and often compare it to receiving a hot rock massage. Some have seen as much as 2 inches lost in one treatment, but these are likely not typical. Reasonably, patients can expect to lose 3-4 inches over the full course of treatments.
