Posted June 25, 2014 in Blog, Body Contouring, Mommy Makeover
You’ve heard that it’s the little things that count in life. Well, that certainly seems to be the case when it comes to pesky little pouches of fat. Some of the most bothersome fat deposits are those found in what we may call “transition areas,” where one body part meets another. Common examples include fat surrounding the knees, “banana rolls” between the buttocks and upper thighs, and bra rolls—those pouches of fat underneath the front and back of the armpit area.
Excess fat deposits in “transition areas” are notoriously uncooperative when it comes to form-fitting clothing. While the right outfit can make you look slimmer, it’s often difficult to hide these unsightly bulges—if you find yourself adjusting your bras to smooth out bra rolls, or rearranging your panties to avoid unflattering indents on your backside, you know exactly what we mean.
Unfortunately, fighting transition area fat deposits with diet and exercise is not easy—they seem to be the last bits of fat to budge. But before you give up and put your fitted pants and tops in a box for Goodwill, it’s worth considering your options for permanently getting rid of banana rolls, bra rolls, and other stubborn fat deposits.
OPTION 1: TRUSCULPT
For many patients, a non-surgical approach is all that’s needed to smooth small but bothersome bulges and achieve a more flattering fit with tank tops, bras and bikinis. We prefer truSculpt™ by Cutera, which works using targeted radio waves that warm fat cells in treatment area, causing them to break down gradually.
The truSculpt™ device is small (about the size of the palm of your hand), and pressed against your skin, rather than clamped onto a bulge. This allows us to successfully treat small and sensitive areas that other non-surgical fat reduction methods cannot. It’s particularly well-suited for reducing fat around the knee, smoothing bra rolls and addressing other hard-to-reach areas of fat.
Since we began offering truSculpt™, our patients have been pleasantly surprised at the ease and brevity of the procedure. During a treatment, a flat panel is placed on your problem area, and it takes about 4 minutes to reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit—a temperature that high enough to destroy fat cells, but cool enough that other tissues will not be harmed. No anesthesia is needed for truSculpt™ treatment, and you can resume normal activities immediately afterwards.
Typically, you’ll see results in a few weeks, as the fat cells gradually leave the body, with the final results in place about 3 months after your last treatment (2-4 treatments are recommended in most cases).
OPTION 2: LIPOSUCTION
While truSculpt™ produces excellent results for many patients, don’t discount liposuction as an option either. While it does require surgery and recovery, you may be more satisfied the with the results of liposuction if any of the following are true:
- You have multiple areas or a larger amount of fat to address. Liposuction can remove the optimal amount of excess fat in one procedure, where truSculpt™ will require multiple treatments to successfully address larger areas.
- You desire a more dramatically different contour. With a surgeon’s skillful approach, liposuction is designed to adjust the actual contours of an area as well as remove excess fat.
- You would like more rapid results but are okay with some recovery time.Results are immediately noticeable following liposuction, although it will take a few weeks for post-operative swelling to completely subside. Plan on taking about 3 weeks away from exercise.
If you are bothered by unwanted fat, no matter how small your concern might seem, we are here to help. Feel free to contact us for a personal consultation. We will tailor treatment to your needs, answer all your questions, and create a plan to ensure we’ll meet your goals.
