It seems that everyone wants liposuction without the surgery. Two interesting new techniques have recently garnered attention: the Body Jet and Cryolipolysis. The Body Jet was FDA approved last summer and apparently infiltrates anesthetic fluid under a pressure system and then immediately sucks it out with associated fat. It is touted as having less pain, less downtime, and less swelling as compared to traditional liposuction. To my knowledge, it has not been studied by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and there is very little (or nothing) in the medical literature about it. It sounds like it may be a gimmick, but at this time the information out there is so sketchy it's hard to tell. The only physician that admitted to using it in this article is an Ob-Gyn who is now a cosmetic surgeon (not a real plastic surgeon). Click here for an article on the Body Jet.
Cryolipolysis involves a chilling device that is placed on the skin to rapidly cool it. It is believed that this can create death of the underlying fat cells, allowing them to be eventually cleared away through the lymphatics or blood stream. Clinical trials are currently underway. Click here for more information on cryolipolysis.
As of now, liposuction is the only proven treatment to permanently remove fat cells from the body. Although there are some alternatives being used, none have proven to be safe and effective...yet.
Thanks for reading.
