By Doctor Nenad Stanković
Body contouring remains among the most common cosmetic surgical procedures performed in the world.
Its popularity has grown considerably because of advantages such as aesthetic improvements as well as numerous metabolic benefits.
In recent years, Non-invasive body contouring is one of the fastest growing market segments in aesthetic medicine. Today, non-invasive body contouring options are more plentiful than ever, and many have found that it can help them meet their goals for fat removal with minimal disruption to day-to-day life. New modalities have been developed to address body contouring from a less-invasive perspective. These modalities primarily target the physical properties of fat that differentiate it from the overlying epidermis and dermis, thus resulting in selective destruction of fat. Devices using low temperature (cryolipolisis), high-frequency ultrasound(HIFU), radiofrequency energy (RF), and laser light have the potential to improve efficiency, minimize adverse consequences, and shorten postoperative recovery time. Through thermal destruction, cavitational destruction, or creation of a temporary adipocyte cell membrane pore, the final result is that the number of adipocytes is reduced, which, when translated over millions of fat cells, results in a measurable reduction of fat.
Non-invasive Laser Assisted Body Contouring is the procedure that induce either adipocyte necrosis or apoptosis or stimulate normal lipolysis metabolism with the breakdown of triglycerides to glycerol and free fatty acids, which are metabolized through normal hepatic pathways. Damage to adipocytes during exposure to heat is exponential and dependent on the temperature and length of exposure. Heat can induce delayed vascular alterations and reduce adipocyte viability by 60% with 3 minutes of cellular exposure to 45°C.
This method is based on the application of a combination of 2940 nm Er:YAG thermal pulse for controlled surface tissue heating with subsequent collagen remodeling and 1064 nm Nd:YAG super-long pulse for deep bulk heating of the skin with the purpose of both reducing adiposity and shaping the body by heating shrinkable connective structures. This seconds-long pulse regime enables sufficient time for the epidermis to share the absorbed heat with the dermis through heat diffusion, thus sparing the epidermis from potential injury. This is due to its long wavelength of 1064 nm, which in terms of absorption, lies in an optical window that allows light of this wavelength to penetrate deep into the skin.
During a combined Er:YAG and Nd:YAG laser treatment using thermal pulses, superficial tightening is combined with deep heating of the skin. During the treatment, the generated heat is transmitted through the skin, increasing local vascularization and accelerating organic chemical reactions, including fat metabolism, as well as causing the tightening of deep connective structures. Moreover, superficial tightening using thermal Er:YAG pulses works to improve flaccidity and the surface appearance of the area. With this combined procedure, it is possible to achieve immediate and lasting effects.
The ideal candidate is someone already committed to making healthy lifestyle changes and who doesn’t have a lot of weight to lose but is more concerned about problem areas, particularly in the hips, waist, and thighs. An average of 7-8 cm in waist circumference reduction can be achieved. Moreover, ultrasound evaluation showed significant reduction already after 1 session.
Doctor Nenad Stanković
Body contouring remains among the most common cosmetic surgical procedures performed in the world. Its popularity has grown considerably because of advantages such as aesthetic improvements as well as numerous metabolic benefits.
