Lower belly fat - what treatment will suit me? (Photo)

Question

I've lost a lot of weight and my lower belly still bulges no matter what. I've been doing cardio and weight lifting and have seen a difference in my body and even my tummy area but the lower belly looks almost the same. I don't want to get anything invasive and have heard mixed reviews about coolscultiping. What will suit me best? I only want procedures that have higher rates of efficiency.

Hung William Song, MD · Answer

Hi, looking at your photo, it looks like you have some options. You do not have a lot of fat and it looks like your skin is in good condition. As far as non-invasive treatments go, we have tried just about all the devices that are out there. CoolSculpting is the only one that seems to actually work in permanently reducing the fat. In our experience, the radio frequency devices require many treatments and the results are not very noticable. The laser based systems like SculpSure don't work as well as Coolsculpting and can be very painful. We were not very impressed with the ultrasound devices either. All the non-invasive treatments require more than one treatment. It looks like you will need 8 cycles of CoolSculpting to see visible reduction and then you would need to repeat it at least one more times to get results comparable to liposuction and there is a small but real risk of getting PAH which is a rare complication where the fat actually getting bigger in the area that was treated with CoolSculpting. PAH can be treated but it requires specialized equipment due to the fibrous nature of the hypertrophic fat that forms. I understand that you do not want anything invasive, but it may be worth looking into a minimally invasive outpatient liposuction. If you have not had previous CoolSculpting, you would be a perfect candidate. The procedure takes about an hour and you will see results immediately with continued improvement as time goes by.

Anna Petropoulos, MD, FRCS · Answer

Good morning LckyStar7 and Happy New Year!

You describe a problem that many people suffer from. Fortunately that were are born in this day and age of technology, there is a device that successfully addresses (and is FDA approved) to treat intra-abdominal fat, which is the fat behind the abdominal muscle and the fat that is intertwined amongst the intestines, also called visceral fat. This fat will not be affected by exercise. I would need to evaluate your belly and determine which treatment or combination of treatments would be best for you, based on your percentage of intraabdominal and extra abdominal fat.  We have many patients that love their 
non-invasive  treatment   results with us after having treated both their Intra-abdominal (Visceral) fat and also their extra abdominal fat, now happily sporting their new physique! Concurrently with that we also offer a Terzepatide/ Semiglutide clinic for those patients who qualify.

Best of Luck in your quest !
Dr. Anna Petropoulos
Boston Back Bay and North Shore
Board Certified AAFPRS  Plastic Surgeon

Lower belly fat - what treatment will suit me? (Photo)

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Lower belly fat - what treatment will suit me? (Photo)

Answers (2)

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Everything you need to know about CoolSculpting

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.