Dr. Tina Alster: Hi, I'm Dr. Tina Alster with the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery. Today, I'd like to talk to you about non-invasive ways to provide body contouring or ways to reduce fat without surgery.

There are several types of technologies that are available in the doctor's office to reduce the appearance of fat or celluloid. One such treatment is called CoolSculpting. This procedure involves the non-invasive freezing of fat through the skin layers such that the fat cells are destroyed and cleared away by the body and this works because fat cells are naturally more sensitive to freezing than your normal skin cells. In this way the fat is selectively destroyed leaving your normal skin cells intact.

What is nice about this procedure is that you can actually body contour down to one size or two sizes equal to about one inch around the waist when the CoolSculpting device is applied to your abdomen.

Even after a single treatment the fat bulges are noticeably reduced and the improvement is seen as quickly as one month, but takes about an average of 3-4 months to be fully realized.

Another way to non-invasively contour the body is through the use of a device called Bella Contour. The Bella Contour device is used in a series of treatments, not just a single treatment. A series delivered about 2-3 times a week and you want to have at least 4-6 sessions in a body area.

The Bella Contour is unique because it involves the combination of three technologies ultrasound, electric current and lymphatic drainage. All three of these technologies are actually applied in the same treatment session and are totally non-invasive. In fact the treatment is painless. It feels like a warm bath particularly when you use it across the belly or abdomen.

Of course as a doctor I advocate the use of diet and exercise to reduce the body fat as much as possible. But if you have some discreet fat bulging, some of these non-invasive tissue contouring or body contouring devices can be used.

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