New ultrasound treatment trims fat without surgery

New ultrasound treatment trims fat without surgery

A new non-invasive alternative to liposuction that blasts fat cells using ultrasound has been approved by America’s health regulatory body.

Liposonix is designed to get rid of small but hard-to-shift areas of fat such as tummy flab and love handles without surgery. It works by delivering high frequency ultrasound deep into the fatty layer to melt away fat cells.

The treatment, which can be done in a lunch hour with minimal discomfort, was given the green light by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last year. Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr Renato Calibri is among the first to offer the procedure. "It's a high energy beam that will go through the skin and target the fat cells and permanently destroy the fat cells," he explains in a video posted on ivillage.com.

Patient Kristen Chaney says she considered liposuction, but didn't want an invasive procedure. The 34-year-old mother hopes Liposonix will flatten her belly following a Caesarean section. "I have the little overlap and it drives me nuts," she says.

Liposonix is available in a handful of clinics in the UK. An alternative is Bodytite, a minimally invasive procedure carried out under local anaesthetic that uses ultrasound to melt away excess body fat. It also shrinks collagen fibres to tighten up loose skin.