**Double Article** 'Body Sculpting'

Skin Deep – April 2014

Welcome to ‘Skin Deep’ – This month’s feature looks at our ‘Non-Invasive Treatments for Body Sculpting’. Any questions, just ask Dr. Angie Winnington-Sharp – www.cheshireskinclinic.com angie@cheshireskinclinic.com or 01925 263660 & 07967 481594. 

Next month – ‘Reducing excess pigment in the skin’.

There are many new ‘techniques’ available currently to reduce fat and cellulite but a large number are invasive and actually quite destructive to the surrounding skin tissue (hence they can cause thread veins and other superficial damage).

Non-invasive radio-frequency (RF) has recently been publicised in the medical journal ‘Lasers Surgical Medical’ (Feb’2014) as offering an equivalent alternative to surgery, without involving the necessity for a medical procedure. One truly amazing fact is that, after puberty, we do not generate fat cells (although excessive weight gain and procedures such as liposuction can augment this) so each fat cell just gets bigger. Hence, if you reduce the percentage of body fat, any lost fat cells, can’t come back, fantastic!

So, the positive point is, if you remove the fat, it won’t come back if you are diligent enough to keep it off. One great way of doing this is to have a non-invasive RF treatment, which naturally breaks down excess lipids beneath the skin and smoothes the appearance by reducing the number of superficial fat (adipose) cells. This leaves you with a sleek, toned exterior (and a bag full of extra confidence).

We all know the best way to lose weight is eat less and exercise more, but if you need a little extra help, RF is the perfect answer to help you trim your weight in a much shorter period of time, without the use of chemicals, medicine or surgery. 

This month we’re focussing on body sculpting, to complete our eyes, face and body – season in time for the summer. Even if it’s not our fashion of choice, the option to wear a summer skirt, shorts and swimwear is made more enjoyable by knowing that we’ll look our best and not have to worry about any little ‘problem areas’ that we feel desperate to cover-up. The most common areas of concern on the legs and bikini are thread veins, unwanted/in-growing hair and cellulite/dimply skin. The other common ‘problem area’ tends to be the abdomen, where the focus is generally on stretch marks and uneven skin tone. All of these things can make us feel self-conscious about swapping from our spring to summer wardrobes, but needn’t be an issue. Clearly we know all about getting enough exercise and a good diet, both of which are essential, but often they are not enough for that last confidence boost. Even when we successfully lose weight, some skin can remain a little ‘slack’ and hence can benefit from some additional tining and tightening to give a ‘sculpted’ appearance.

Laser and pulsed light are ideal for redness, collagen boosting (to plump up fine lines and dimples) and of course, hair removal. Radio-frequency and light combined can diminish cellulite and smooth out stretch marks. A wide variety of different strength peels can then be used to really complete a treatment, leaving a smooth/sleek and super toned appearance.