Body Sculpting 101: The Simple Science Behind Fat Loss (and Where It Goes)

Poor fat. It must feel terribly misunderstood. We hear so much about ‘fat loss’ these days; but not many of us have a clear picture of what fat is, how we gain it, and what happens when we lose it. To help you understand fat and your best medspa options for removing it, here’s a quick primer.

The Basics of Fat

Believe it or not fat is a good thing to have in your body. Essential fat, that is. Essential fat is stored in small amounts in your muscles, organs, bone marrow and nervous system, and plays an important role in helping your body function properly. If you’re a man, essential fat is usually about 3% of your body weight. If you’re a woman, it’s 12% (unfair, we know, but it’s necessary.)

The other kind of fat the body holds is storage fat. Like its name implies, storage fat is stored in your body in several places, but especially under the skin. Some of this storage fat protects your internal organs. Storage fat is the fat that increases when we gain weight.

Weight gain is the result of the body storing extra energy that it doesn’t end up using. This energy is stored as fat inside your fat cells. Instead of multiplying to store more fat, your fat cells actually get larger and larger. If the stored energy is used, the fat cells shrink. (In case you’re interested, fat that is stored is called “triacylglycerol” and fat cells are called “adipocytes.”)

Weight Loss vs. Body Sculpting

Weight loss normally happens by changing activity and/or diet so that stored energy in your fat cells is consumed. It may surprise you to know that you don’t actually lose fat cells, even when you lose weight. The body holds onto its fat cells for future storage needs.

Bodysculpting, on the other hand, involves using advanced technology, in many cases to remove the entire fat cell. With fewer fat cells, the treated areas are less likely to store fat in the future.

What Happens during Honolulu MedSpa’s CoolSculpting® Plus+ Treatment?

Our CoolSculpting® Plus+ procedure gets rid of fat cells by cooling them to the point where they crystallize. This crystallization starts a process called apoptosis, where the cells shut down and die. With time your body will naturally get rid of these dead cells. The fat cells we target during CoolSculpting® Plus+ procedures are gone for good in about two months. To boot, we have added Z-Wave technology to best control the consistency, pulse, and speed of the cell break-up post treatment (normally done by hand).

What Happens to fat during the Kybella® treatment?

Kybella® treatments are performed by injecting special molecules into the area of fat beneath the chin. Normally the body produces its own version of this molecule, called deoxycholic acid, to aid in the breakdown of dietary fat in the stomach. In Kybella® treatments, a synthetic deoxycholic acid is used to break down entire fat cells in the area where we form ‘double chins’. The body naturally clears out the dead cells afterward.

Keeping Fat Off After Body Sculpting at Honolulu MedSpa

After removing fat, whether naturally or through body sculpting treatments, you’ll probably want to prevent fat from building up in the same area again. Although some of your fat cells may be removed, the ones that remain can still expand if the body is given more energy than it needs to use. Make the most of your body sculpting treatments by following a clean, healthy diet and getting plenty of regular exercise.

Looking for fat loss treatments in Hawaii? Call or visit us at Honolulu Med Spa to have all your body sculpting questions answered.