The liposuction diaries - Ultrashape road test - 16 April 2008

Posted by Felicity 2 comments

Maybe in three months!

I had an interesting day yesterday – the first of my Ultrashape treatments at the I Care For My Body clinic in swanky Knightsbridge.

Saddlebags beware, because let me tell you, they got a real pummelling! Mind you, I can’t see a discernable difference yet, but that’s because this treatment takes time.

I arrive at the clinic and meet the lovely Dr Nina Couvaras, who talks me through the procedure and assesses my suitability for this treatment. This involves the usual questions about medications, diseases and pre-existing conditions and then a measurement of my Body Mass Index (BMI). As my BMI is 27 (slightly overweight), I am perfectly suitable for the treatment. Skinny minnies need not apply here, nor the obese. This is because the ultrasound laser used to zap the fat cells is calibrated to shoot down to around 3cm down below the skin. Too thin and the laser will hit muscle and hurt, as well not having any effect. Too buxom and the laser won’t go down far enough.

Once Dr Nina has signed me off, delightful beauty therapist Melissa takes over. I get a surgical gown and some sexy paper pants to wear and it’s time for the “before” photos. Yikes. I was considering publishing them here but quite frankly, I think it’s time to give that a rest. Using a blue marker, Melissa draws on my skin, demarcating the areas on my thighs where the hated saddlebags reside. This is to help with the next stage, which is where we get down to business.

I lie down on my side on an elevated airbed, above which the Ultrashape transponder camera is suspended. Melissa tapes up my thighs to enhance their full dimply glory, and the machine takes an image of the area and electronically maps out a grid of points for zapping. Using castor oil and a handset not unlike one used for pregnancy scans, Melissa watches a screen showing this picture of my thigh and releases the impulses through the handset on the highlighted areas onscreen. It’s like a crazy computer game, zapping the evil fat cells.

Now for the fun bit – does it hurt? No…and yes…sometimes. The sensation is similar to that of an insect bite or perhaps a hot, very fine-gauge needle. The pulse is three seconds long and becomes more intense the longer it goes on. In some areas, I can’t feel it at all, in others it is quite uncomfortable. As each of my thighs gets between 350 and 400 blasts each, I do get to the point where I am waiting for it all to be over. But it’s important to remember that this is not surgery, and in no way near to the pain I’d experience if I was having real liposuction.

Melissa finishes the procedure with some radio frequency treatments on the area to firm the skin – not part of the Ultrashape treatment, but one that the clinic advocates as a good compliment to it. This is the same deal – a massaging handset that shoots radio waves into your skin (but with no discomfort).

The whole procedure does take some time – more than two hours. I’m told that the makers of Ultrashape are now working on technology to shorten each treatment session, as well as developing a smaller handset that will enable treatment of areas such as the inner thighs and knees. Also, it’s not cheap – on average, each pulse costs £1 – in my case, that comes to about £700. But then again, it’s cheaper than lipo.

My next treatment is in a month. In the meantime, I have been instructed to go on a calorie controlled diet which is very low in saturated fats and exercise as much as possible. This begs the question: surely all this dieting and exercise is actually going to be the thing that shifts those bags of saddle? Not so, claims Dr Nina: “You need to do all you can to get the best results from the treatment.” This seems fair, as I have been thinner than I am now before with diet and exercise, and yet I still had that extra junk in my trunk. I live in expectation!

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