Trimming down the fat around the midsection has become today’s Holy Grail. If diets, gym workouts and studio-based exercises don’t work, and liposuction, which involves surgically siphoning the fat out of the body, is too daunting, there’s a plethora of noninvasive technologies that can produce results.

The Liposonix System is a body-contouring technology approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. It uses high-intensity focused ultrasound (Hifu) that permanently obliterates belly fat in a single session. The technology is dependent on vibration instead of heat to melt the fat cells, as if it’s cooking the adipose tissues.

Traditionally, Hifu is a procedure that treats fibroids, tumors and diseased tissues. In aesthetic science, it is directed at the subcutaneous adipose tissue to improve the body silhouette without surgery.

Focused energy

Lasers, low-intensity ultrasound and other procedures tend to be scattered near the skin surface, thus restraining the infiltration of energy into subcutaneous fat tissue and providing short-term results, and requiring multiple sessions.

On the other hand, Hifu employs a handheld transducer, its ultrasonic energy focused on the fat layer beneath the skin. That way, it does not burn the skin on the way through.

Moreover, the results can be predicted and fat is removed in just one session. Subsequently, it takes two to three months for the  body’s natural healing and for the elimination system to safely do away with melted fat.

Dr. Sharma Ojeda, MD, chief medical officer of Zunic, an aesthetic center, explains, “High-intensity focused ultrasound aims at 1.3 centimeters beneath the skin, the area where the fats are. It’s as if the fat has been cauterized after one session. The fat will be absorbed by the blood, metabolized in the liver and then excreted. The downside is that you will feel discomfort or intense heat during the treatment. Even the day after the procedure, some clients experience bruising.”

Zunic adheres to the USFDA’s guidelines in promoting Liposonix. The treatment guarantees a minimum of one-inch loss in the midsection in a session. However, clients at Zunic Makati lose an average of six cm (over two inches) in their waistlines after the first treatment.

Ojeda points out that the results are gradual and subtle. Sometimes clients get impatient, complaining that they don’t see a major difference after a few weeks. However, they are surprised when they see a decrease in their measurements in 12 weeks.

“We don’t promise a flat stomach. We promise that you will drop one pant size. Some clients go down three pant sizes,” says Ojeda.

Not an alternative to lipo

She maintains that Liposonix is an option for body sculpting, but not an alternative to liposuction. It’s designed for people with a body mass index (ratio of muscle to fat) of 24 to 30, the range for normal to slightly overweight.

“Candidates must have an inch of pinchable fat from their waists,” says Ojeda.

Liposonix has been attracting the over-40 age bracket. Most of them are professionals who can’t seem to get rid of their paunches or love handles despite diet and exercise. For liposuction patients, Liposonix targets the remaining fat which can no longer be removed by liposuction.

“Zunic’s approach is holistic. When people of a certain age complain about weight gain as their metabolisms slow down, we recommend complementary programs,” says Ojeda.

Slightly obese people are advised to lose weight and reach the ideal BMI before they undertake Liposonix. The client begins with a conditioning phase of improving the metabolism. This is followed by improving the body tone by an advanced muscle stimulator. The client must reach the ideal BMI range for Liposonix before undergoing the procedure.

Complementary program

For so long, midlifer Mitzi Arenas has been having weight issues despite daily  Zumba and yoga classes, and watching her diet. She then enrolled in Zunic’s program.

Arenas started with the Metabolique, which uses photon light energy, to increase metabolism.  She underwent Liposonix and was pleased with the results.

For her arms and back fat, she took to Contourage which uses radio frequency to firm up other body parts. For her face and neck, she underwent Elastique, another radio frequency treatment to stimulate collagen production and skin tightening. The happy client is Zunic’s poster lady.

For details, call Zunic Greenbelt, Makati City, at 7209000 and 7209090; and Zunic Greenhills, 9977888 and 9979888.