Common Procedures for Weight Loss and Appearance

If you’ve been thinking about getting some help with your weight or how you look, here are some trending procedures for weight loss and appearance.

Liposuction

Liposuction is a surgical procedure where suction gets utilized to reduce fat from specific regions of the body. With liposuction, a doctor can easily reduce the size of these regions and shape them into the patient’s desired shape. Liposuction, however, should not be exclusively considered as an overall weight-loss method, but rather as a means to aid faster weight loss and achievement of the desired body shape. Liposuction is specifically applicable when the patient has too much body fat in specific regions of the body but otherwise retains a desired body weight or shape. Usually, liposuction is applicable for regions in the body that do not change despite diet and exercise, such as the abdomen, buttocks, hips and thighs, upper arms, and the chin.

Following a successful liposuction procedure, the skin molds itself to the new contours of the treated area. These regions become smooth for elastic skin but are likely to remain loose for inelastic skin. Liposuction, however, does not remove any skin irregularities such as dimpling or stretch marks. Additionally, liposuction is only recommended for individuals with no underlying health conditions that could complicate surgery. 

Coolsculpting

Cool scupting refers to a procedure where fat gets frozen to induce weight loss. The process of fat-freezing is referred to as cryolipolysis cryolipolysis. With this procedure, fat gets frozen and destroyed but leaves the skin and other tissues unharmed. Fat freezes at a higher temperature than skin, leaving the body unharmed. Coolsculpting works by placing the device on the part of the body targeted for fat reduction. The device cools quickly and is left on for about one hour, at which time about ¼ of the fat cells in the area get destroyed. The results of cryolipolysis are not instant but become apparent within several months of the procedure. However, cool sculpting is also not applicable as a weight loss procedure. It is only applicable for scenarios where the patient is unable to lose fat in specific body regions despite exercise. 

Abdominoplasty

Abdominoplasty or tummy tuck is a surgical procedure that removes excess abdominal fat and skin after weight loss. The procedure usually follows procedures like liposuction, where the skin often remains loose, where the skin and muscles get tightened to improve the patient’s appearance. There are several differences between liposuction vs tummy tuck. For instance, the tummy tuck is not a weight-loss procedure. Rathe it is a procedure to improve a patient’s aesthetics following weight loss. Tummy tucks take place strictly after weight loss, although a surgeon might perform liposuction as part of the tummy tuck. 

Gastric balloon systems

There are two gastric balloon systems used in weight loss procedures. Orbera Gastric Balloon, or fluid-filled balloon, is a non-surgical weight loss system where a fluid-filled balloon gets inserted into the patient’s stomach restricting their food intake capacity. The patient, however, has to observe a strict diet and adjust their lifestyle for adequate results. Obalon Balloon System is a gas-filled balloon system in which the patient swallows a balloon which then occupies space in the stomach and reduces its capacity. The patient can consequently lose weight following a strict diet within six months. Obalon, however, has fewer adverse effects than Orbera.