Non-invasive ultrasonic removal

Non-invasive ultrasonic fat removal (NUFR) is a method of fat removal and body shaping. NUFR removes fat from areas of the body such as the stomach, flanks, thighs, neck, back, male chest and buttocks. The process has been developed and utilized in several countries all over the world as an alternative to liposuction.
The method focuses the ultrasound frequencies to only target fat cells in the body and essentially melts away the fat. The broken down fat cells are moved through the body through the body's metabolic system. Because the ultrasound can target fat cells on the surface of the skin, no surgery is needed to remove unwanted fat.
History
The technology reviews that led to the development of NUFR were a series of improvements on the liposuction procedure. In the traditional liposuction procedure, a tube-like device, or cannula, is inserted into a small incision on the skin. The cannula is connected to a vacuum and the fat is sucked out of the body.
From traditional liposuction came the development of ultrasound-assisted liposuction. In this method, an incision is made in the skin and the ultrasound emulsifies, or liquefies, the fat cells, making it easier to suction out the fat. In many cases, water is inserted into the body along with the ultrasound device to assist with liquefying that fat. Since the ultrasound is used, only the fat cells are emulsified, leaving the surrounding tissue and blood vessels unharmed. An example of this method is Vaser. The FDA in the United States approved Vaser in 2002. NUFR is a further development of ultrasound-assisted liposuction..
Status
NUFR is not approved for use in the United States yet, However, it is used in 47 other countries, including Canada, Mexico, Britain, and many others. One system used in Canada, Mexico and Britain is called UltraShape, advertised as a “non-invasive fat reduction and body contouring using ‘non-thermal’ selective focused ultrasound technology”.
Another product with the same technology used in many countries is Med Contour, advertised as "a Non-invasive ultrasonic fat removal machine specializing in body shaping and the reduction of localised fat." Med Contour features its own patented FDA approved dual handpiece in order to focus treatments better and leave surrounding structures (i.e. skin, blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue) undamaged. Med Contour also has its own built in lymphatic drainage system encouraging the body to remove toxins, excess fluids and waste from the body.
In a study conducted by Professor Daniele Bani, Bani looks into the effect of ultrasound-induced cavitation on adipose tissue from human skin, Bani wanted to achieve two things, 1) to evaluate and quantify the histological and ultrastructural changes induced on the different cell components of human subcutaneous adipose tissue - i.e. adipocytes, vascular cells, perivascular mast cells, dermal fibroblasts, epidermal keratinocytes - induced by ultrasound cavitation on full-thickness skin samples taken at surgery. 2) To measure the release of triglycerids in the incubation medium of the full-thickness skin samples subjected or not to ultrasound cavitation.
The findings demonstrated that the Med Contour ultrasound cavitation device can yield a substantial reduction of subcutaneous adipose tissue mass, thus confirming the previous clinical observations, and provide circumstantial evidence for a mechanism of action of ultrasound induced cavitation on adipose cells.
Technology
For NUFR, the ultrasound waves have been specifically focused to only target fat cells, or adipocytes, in the subcutaneous layer beneath the skin. Also, the body can be shaped to a more desired appearance.
Concerns
The reason the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved a method of NUFR is because there are some concerns. The body naturally removes various cells that naturally die in the body, however, it is not as natural for the body to remove 2-3 ounces of dead fat cells. If the FDA approved a system l, there would most likely be a limit on how much fat can be targeted during one session.<ref name=Tao/>
NUFR cannot remove as much fat as liposuction. NUFR can remove around 2-3 ounces of fat in one session, which is about 2-3 inches from any given area, whereas liposuction can remove kilograms of fat in one session. This means NUFR would be most beneficial to people looking to sculpt only a couple inches from their body.<ref name=Tao/>
Future of NUFR in the US
In an effort to raise awareness in the US, the “results of an independent multi-treatment clinical study of the UltraShape Contour I, the first clinically proven non-invasive focused ultrasound solution for fat reduction and body contouring, will be presented at the American Society for Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) annual meeting on October 30, 2007 in Baltimore, Md. The presentation is entitled ‘Non-invasive Ultrasonic Selective Fat Cell Lysis and Body Contouring’ and will take place during the scientific session ‘Body Contouring: Are We There Yet?’".<ref name=Independent/>

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