Does ultrashape really melt away body fat?

Lucia longs to learn: I’ve heard about a method called UltraShape, which claims it can literally melt fat with ultrasound without affecting surrounding tissues. The best part is, you can melt a pound of fat without anesthesia and then go right away to your daily routine. Is that possible? How can they make sure they are not burning other tissues? Is it available in the US?

The Left Brain responds:

UltraShape is a type of non-invasive body contouring that uses focused ultrasound waves to melt away body fat without an incision. Each treatment takes about an hour and you can go right back to work after the session. The FDA is expected to approve UltraShape for use in the US in 2007 but at the time of this writing, I couldn’t confirm if that has actually occurred yet.

We couldn’t find any peer reviewed scientific literature that documented the effectiveness of UltraShape, but unlike cellulite creams like Murad or Cellulean this method does appear to work to some extent. However, there are some limitations.

First, unlike liposuction, this procedure doesn’t work on large fat deposits so it won’t help you lose belly fat. That’s because it breaks down the fat but the body has to process the melted fat cells. Second, you can’t treat fat that is located under tattoos or scar tissue. And third, you’re supposed to maintain a negative calorie intake for four day after treatment to make sure the released fat is properly processed by your body. While the process is claimed to be safe, there is a slight risk of medical side effects so you should ask your doctor if you’re seriously interested in this procedure.

Finally, check out the before and after pictures on the UltraShape website. It’s interesting that most of the people do look a bit better in the after picture, but they really don’t look that bad in the before picture in the first place! You have to decide if the expense of this treatment (about $1000 per session) is worth such limited results.

If anyone in the Beauty Brains community has tried this method, let us know what you think.