Mind YOUR BODY

Dr Padmavathi Surapaneni explains various trending non-invasive body contouring procedures that men prefer.

The biggest myth in the field of aesthetics is that it caters predominantly to women. In current times, men are equally motivated to look and feel their best. The awareness and acceptance about the safety and efficacy of aesthetic procedures is attracting more people towards these procedures, irrespective of their gender.

Men are breaking tradition stereotypes and are paying more attention to grooming, beauty and personal care. They walk into aesthetic clinics for services like laser hair reduction, beard shaping, botulinum toxin, anti-ageing procedures, scar resurfacing and complexion improvement. Another popular trend in men is to achieve a masculine, chiseled jawline. The increase in self-care is not just for the face, but also for body contouring and complexion improvement. They may be interested to undergo body contouring to lose weight, for the lack of time to work-out or to accelerate workout results. Contouring in men mostly involves getting a sharp, masculine jawline, flatter chest and abdomen, with a V-shaped taper of the upper body.

Although the traditional surgical body contouring techniques are still being sought by some people, non-surgical methods are gaining momentum. They have the advantage of having no downtime, minimal to no pain and no surgical risk. This helps the client get desired results without disrupting their routine. There are multiple techniques of non-invasive body contouring, which include cryolipolysis, electromagnetic stimulation, radiofrequency, high frequency-focused ultrasound, microneedling radiofrequency and mesolipolysis. These techniques are used individually or in combination to achieve desired results. The ideal candidates for these procedures are the patients who are close to their goal weight but have stubborn areas of fat that do not respond well to diet and exercise. An overall good health, BMI of less than 30 and realistic expectations, maintaining good diet and lifestyle are the main prerequisites to start a patient on a body contouring programme.

The fat in men tends to be firm and more concentrated in the belly area while the fat in women is more fibrous and is usually located more in the thighs and hips. Women usually have a loose skin post-childbirth which require tightening and firming compared to that of men. Men desire muscular body, combination of fat reduction and muscle stimulation procedures are planned to achieve optimal results. A detailed evaluation regarding the fat distribution, quality of skin and overall fitness of the patient must be done prior to designing a body colouring programme that is best suitable for him/her. Health evaluation regarding any metabolic, hormonal disturbances should be done and corrected if any. Customised protocol is required for individual patient, usually a combination of different modalities to target the fat and muscle.

QHIFU is another promising modality to target stubborn areas of fat along with skin tightening, with minimal to no downtime.

Cryolipolysis

Cryolipolysis or ‘fat-freezing’ involves non-invasive cooling of fat cells in fat pockets such as abdomen, love handles. Chest, buttocks, arms, thighs and chin. It freezes the subcutaneous fat cells without causing any damage to the surrounding tissues and skin. These frozen fat cells turn into crystals and are naturally eliminated from the body. Unlike diet and exercise, which reduce the size of the fat cells, cryolipolysis destroys the fat cells, giving more long-lasting results. The procedure takes about an hour and the client can return to their daily activities right after. There might be mild soreness, redness or tingling during and postprocedure, that settles down in a day. Results of cryolipolysis are seen after one to three months, after which a second session can be planned if necessary. Areas such as central abdomen may show significant improvement after a single session, whereas more firm and fibrous areas of fat such as flanks and back may require two to three sessions. With each session, a 25 percent reduction of fat in the treated area can be expected.

Electromagnetic therapy

This innovative technology uses high-intensity electromagnetic energy to stimulate powerful muscle contractions in the targeted muscle group. These contractions are much stronger than the voluntary contractions that happen during exercise. Around 20,000 of these supramaximal contractions happen over 30 minutes of the procedure, remodelling the muscle and stimulating fat burn. The ideal candidates for this procedure are relatively thin patients, who are looking for a more sculpted and defined abs or buttocks. The protocol is to undergo four treatment sessions in a twoweek interval, for optimal results. This technology stands out against other non-surgical body sculpting techniques because not only it burns fat, but it also strengthens, builds and tones the muscle.

For the same reason, this also finds a role in physiotherapy, to strengthen muscles postinjury.

Radiofrequency tightening

Selective heating of the skin with radiofrequency energy to over 104° degrees contracts and stimulates collagen fibres and shrinks the fat cells. This helps flabby, sagging areas, stubborn fat and cellulite, giving a tighter and more toned look to the treated area. This has gained popularity as it is a very comfortable and relaxing procedure, with great results. Around 8-10 sessions are needed at one week interval for optimal results.

Hight-frequency focused ultrasound

HIFU is another promising modality to target stubborn areas of fat along with skin tightening, with minimal to no downtime. Highenergy ultrasound waves are targeted towards the subcutaneous adipose tissue, causing necrosis of the fat cells. Noticeable results are achieved even after a single session.

Other modalities Microneedling radiofrequency is gaining popularity for noninvasive skin tightening and contouring of areas like arms, thighs, upper back and double chin. It also helps in reducing cellulite and stretch marks. Mesolipolysis is another modality that involves injecting fat melting.

About the author: Dr Padmavathi Surapaneni is a Dermatologist and Cosmetologist at Pragna Skin and Laser Clinic in Hyderabad. She has been a faculty and trainer in various national conferences and has conducted training workshops on injectables and body contouring.