According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, liposuction remains the second most popular cosmetic procedure among both men and women in the U.S.
"There's no question this is a tried and true treatment that works," said Dermatologist Leslie Baumann.
Baumann is now working with a technology that has been FDA approved for eliminating unwanted pockets of fat without the anesthesia, downtime and post-operative recovery common to liposuction.
"We do this with a device called Liposonix which uses ultrasound technology to heat up the fat," said Baumann.
Baumann said anyone who is a candidate for liposuction may benefit from Liposonix.
"While ultrasound has been around for a while, what's new is the ability to focus the beam of energy at different depths," said Baumann.
Baumann said the ultrasound beam of Liposonix can be pin-pointed to about 4 centimeters deep.
"That means you need to have at least an 'inch when you pinch' or the treatment won't do much good," she said.
The process takes about an hour and can be temporarily painful.
"It starts off kind of warm, then gets burning and can defiantly be uncomfortable," said Sara Jaeger.
Jaeger was showing off her tummy 3 weeks after the procedure, although the full results take 8 to 12 weeks.
"That little tiny bit of skin that hangs over your jeans a little is starting to go away so I'm really, really really excited," she said.
Bruising is the main side effect of the treatment but unlike liposuction there is no risk of infection and there are no uncomfortable garments to wear post-procedure.
A treatment for the tummy area costs around $3500; treating the sides of the waist costs around $4500.
Cosmetic surgeons still say if you're looking to eliminate large areas of fat, liposuction is still the way to go.
To reach Baumann call: 305-532-5552