Introduction

Liposuction, ultrasound, cool sculpting, and cosmetic body contouring technology have become frequent in use and developed in modern society. But such is limited to body cosmetics and not much for dramatic weight loss or health problems and conditions. Serious treatments for weight loss and fat reduction tend to lean on surgical removals and incursions with suction at desired fat areas rather than the use of these newer technologies. These surgical treatments may have undesirable side effects and be costly due to their nature and as such people are less likely to seek these types of treatments unless under more serious health conditions. 

Why Now?

People have always sought out ways to remove fat and sculpt their bodies to their desires but struggle with diets, commitment to exercise, and other lifestyle changes. Finding alternative ways then, has always been in popularity. With this comes the rise of body contouring technologies. Ultrasound technology, in particular, has been in use for a while now, just not for body contouring. The recent popularity in these more modern body contouring techniques has increased the flexibility and experimentation of such technologies outside of their typical usage. Although not much research has been done to fully support the effectiveness of these treatments for the use of body contouring, enough support is shown that these treatments have some effect, just rather small or limited in scope.

What’s the Difference?

All three of the more well-known techniques, liposuction, ultrasound, and cool sculpting use different techniques to achieve the same or similar results; breaking down harder fat to allow more effective breakdown of such fat through regular means. These techniques may have immediate results of a loss in inches or tighter skin, reducing stress/stretch marks but this does not mean an immediate loss of actual weight. Each technique utilizes a particular technology to bypass the skin and harmlessly break down fat layers that have hardened and built up over time that can not be lost with just regular dieting and exercise. A combination of these techniques and regular dieting and exercise will allow one to lose additional weight they have struggled with prior. 

Liposuction is more commonly known for the use of suction and incursions in the skin to complete breakdown and or remove fat deposits directly in the body, but there are noninvasive liposuction techniques that utilize heat, cold, or sound waves to breakdown the fat deposits and have the body dispose of them normally. This can be confusing as there is no seemingly suction aspect of this noninvasive procedure, but the techniques fall under the same alias. Liposuction techniques are mainly used for a specific area and for more deeper and serious fat breakdown. Results can be seen immediately after the first treatment.

Coolsculpting uses cold temperatures to freeze and destroy fat cells over time, resulting in a less dramatic transformation but still effective in reducing inches and is much more passive than the other methods. Some people may not be comfortable with cool sculpting as it requires one to submerge themselves in a cold environment for long periods of time. Cost and time are one of the negatives of cool sculpting. Multiple treatments are needed for actual visible results which can be costly in both monetary amounts and in time. Not everyone has the time or money to spend up to a few hours every week or so to commit to the process. Cool sculpting techniques can also be used for pain or muscle relief as the cool temperatures help reduce feelings of pain, but such use is not the same for fat loss, only the technology is shared. Cool sculpting can be used for specific areas and larger parts of the body but require multiple trips and be time-consuming. Results can be observed after a few treatments depending on the intensity and commitment.

Ultrasound uses sound waves to break down fat deposits and destroy them, similar to liposuction or cool sculpting. Typically known for its diagnosis properties involving pregnancy and fetus recognition, the technology for breaking down layers of fat has always been in the know, but usage of this technology in this way has only recently developed in popularity. Ultrasound can be considered the middle ground between the invasiveness of liposuction and coolsculpting with liposuction being the most invasive and coolsculpting being the least. The soundwaves harmlessly pass through the skin but are strong enough to help break down the hardened layers of fat hidden in the body. Similar to liposuction, results can be immediate depending on the intensity of the treatment, but multiple treatments will achieve more dramatic results. 

As all three techniques utilize some form of technology to break down and or destroy fat buildup, some amount of inches can be seen as the fat becomes less sold and more fluid, easier to break down and lose. Actual weight loss is more common for the more serious treatments of liposuction and ultrasound; with limited results from cool sculpting. A combination of the three can be used in conjunction, but precaution is always advised and doctor recommendations should be made before attempting any of these treatments. 

Wagner, D. A. 2013. Ultrasound as a Tool to Access Body Fat. J Obes. doi: 10.1155/2013/280713. Epub 2013 Aug 26. PMID: 24062944; PMCID: PMC3770049.

Written by Cirino, E., Reviewed by Hannan, C. 2022. Does Coolsculpting work? Healthline. www.healthline.com. https://www.healthline.com/health/coolsculpting-does-it-work#common-side-effects