{"id":15654,"date":"2021-01-07T11:04:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-07T19:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/?p=15654"},"modified":"2023-08-25T13:50:13","modified_gmt":"2023-08-25T20:50:13","slug":"surgical-nonsurgical-fat-reduction-skin-tightening-procedures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https://www.realself.com\/news\/surgical-nonsurgical-fat-reduction-skin-tightening-procedures","title":{"rendered":"The Best Surgical and Nonsurgical Fat Reduction and Skin Tightening Procedures for Every Trouble Spot"},"content":{"rendered":"

With unparalleled transformative powers, fat reduction and skin tightening treatments yield some of plastic surgery’s most stunning before-and-afters. The more mind-bending changes<\/a> we’ve seen are almost too surreal to process (you’re gonna wanna hit that link before reading on). <\/p>

So it’s no surprise that two gold-standard sculpting operations, liposuction<\/a> and the tummy tuck<\/a> (aka abdominoplasty), consistently rank among the top five<\/a> surgical aesthetic procedures, according to annual statistics reports from The Aesthetic Society<\/a>. As noninvasive fat reduction technologies—machines that shrink bulges less dramatically than surgery but without incisions and downtime—have multiplied and evolved over the past decade, they too have dominated the charts, most recently claiming the number four spot<\/a> among nonsurgical treatments for 2019.<\/p>

There’s also a burgeoning category of happy-medium type tools that melt fat and tighten tissue when used on their own or in conjunction with liposuction. Classified as minimally invasive, they work under the skin but don’t require lengthy cuts or garner obvious scars.<\/p>

How do I choose between surgical or nonsurgical fat-removal treatments? <\/h2>

As the contouring realm has expanded, the landscape has gotten increasingly trickier for patients to navigate. Beyond sussing out what’s what and what actually works, there’s the all-important question of: What’s best for me—my body, my goals, my lifestyle?<\/p>

“This is one of the reasons that an in-person consultation is so crucial—it helps us determine whether someone is a better candidate for surgical or nonsurgical body contouring,” says Dr. Camille Cash<\/a>, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Houston. “It allows us to clearly understand the patient’s goals and to physically assess their anatomy and skin quality, to give a realistic idea of what they can achieve through each approach.” <\/p>

While Dr. Cash has seen an uptick in folks seeking noninvasive body-sculpting treatments, she says that patients are often surprised to learn that surgical contouring solutions, like liposuction, may be a better fit for their busy lifestyles, “since they’re one-and-done options [and don’t] require multiple visits to achieve significant and predictable results.” <\/p>

According to Dr. Charles Galanis<\/a>, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California, the nonsurgical body contouring contender fits a very specific profile: “If someone is looking for just a subtle change to a specific, targeted trouble spot and they don’t want to take time off [to recover], go under anesthesia, or have incisions—that’s your nonsurgical patient.”<\/p>

Ultimately, anatomy trumps all, and certain aspects of it—namely, drapey skin and stretched or sagging muscles—can immediately take nonsurgicals out of contention.<\/p>

We asked plastic surgeons to outline the best surgical and nonsurgical fat reduction and skin tightening methods for top trouble spots. While every case is different and influenced by myriad “uniquely you” variables, we hope this serves as a useful roadmap for your body contouring journey.  <\/p>

Related: Twilight Sedation: 8 Things to Know<\/a><\/em><\/p>

Trouble spot: submental (or under-the-chin) region<\/h2>

The rise of jawline sculpting<\/a> has thrust the chin—and what lies beneath—into the spotlight. “It’s amazing what a tablespoon of fat [in this region] can do for a patient’s jawline and confidence,” says Dr. Galanis. And there are many ways to target that tablespoon. <\/p>

However you go about it, it’s important to prioritize chin projection when contouring the area, he adds, building it out with a chin implant<\/a> or filler<\/a>, when necessary, to enhance facial harmony.<\/p>

Best nonsurgical treatments<\/strong>: Kybella, CoolMini, Evoke <\/h3>

When Kybella<\/a> debuted in 2015, the fat-digesting injectable was heralded as a game-changing alternative to liposuction<\/a>. While it certainly works—and there are numerous studies<\/a> to prove it—“it takes multiple treatments, it’s not without pain and swelling, and the total cost often ends up being not too far off from that of a one-and-done liposuction procedure,” Dr. Galanis says. <\/p>

CoolSculpting<\/a> makes an under-the-chin attachment called the CoolMini<\/a>, which kills fat cells via freezing to improve the profile. Company studies<\/a> show that a single round can reduce fat in the area by about 25%, but results take several months to show, since the body first has to break down and flush out crystallized fat.<\/p>

While “Kybella is intended for smaller amounts of fat, mainly in the central submental area, CoolSculpting can be used to debulk fuller necks that have excess fat extending laterally,” beyond that A-shaped pocket directly under the chin and into the jowls, says Dr. Umbareen Mahmood<\/a>, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New York City. Kybella is more limited, because injecting it into the jowls risks injury to the marginal mandibular branch of the facial nerve<\/a>, which helps to move the lower lip.<\/p>

Having a moment on Instagram right now is a new no-downtime device called Evoke, which applies radiofrequency (RF) energy to the lower face and neck, to lift and define. Unlike older noninvasive RF technologies, like Thermage<\/a>, Evoke is supposed to be pain-free.<\/p>

Interested in CoolSculpting?<\/small><\/div>Find Doctors Near You<\/a><\/div>
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A post shared by Dr. Karyn Grossman (@grossmandermatology)<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>