Lyubov Malysh, cosmetologist-body esthetician, leading specialist in working with exclusive French LPG-system equipment at the multidisciplinary medical diagnostic center BMDC, member of the Association of Cosmetologists and Aromologists of Ukraine (Ukraine)

Hardware techniques

In addition to manual massage, hardware techniques are widely used in figure correction - vacuum-roller, vacuum-pressing, vacuum-cup massage. The essence of the approach is a dosed, controlled effect of vacuum on tissues with their temporary deformation under the working handpiece and controlled depth of influence; vacuum makes it possible to work layer by layer, affecting both the deep and superficial vascular network, as well as muscle tissue. The effect of vacuum, in addition to improving micro- and macrocirculation, causes tissue resistance and, as a result, its strengthening by stimulating the formation of connective tissue and the renewal of collagen fibers. In addition, the device does not get tired during operation, unlike the hands of a massage therapist, and provides a uniform, controlled force of influence.

Myostimulation

If the client is unathletic and does not want or does not have the time and opportunity to visit the gym, and has poorly developed muscles and reduced muscle tone, then myostimulation will come to the rescue. Today, there are many devices for myostimulation and tissue biostimulation on the Ukrainian market. This equipment has a wide range of capabilities and functions, which allows it to be actively used in beauty salons, fitness centers and clinics.

Myostimulation is a dosed, controlled effect of electric current on the striated muscle tissue of the body - it causes its passive alternating contraction and relaxation, which contributes to its healing, restoration and development. The myostimulation procedure is used for weak muscle tone, increases muscle endurance before training in the gym, relieves pain and relaxes muscles after training, promotes the removal of waste products, relieves muscle spasms, is used for the speedy rehabilitation of athletes after injuries, strengthens the muscle corset, and helps achieve muscle relief.

Methods of direct impact on subcutaneous adipose tissue - cavitation, cryotherapy, radio wave exposure, lipolaser and ozone therapy - are becoming widely popular in clinics and beauty salons. Let's consider each of them in order.

Cavitation is one of the modern methods of getting rid of excess fat deposits. The method is based on the formation of a large number of bubbles filled with gas and steam. Over time, the bubbles increase in size and subsequently evaporate.

Cryolipolysis

The cryolipolysis procedure is often called cryoliposuction, or cold liposculpture. Its essence lies in the cryogenic breakdown of subcutaneous fat in a non-invasive way. This happens due to the launch of the process of apoptosis - the destruction of fat cells and their gradual removal from the body through the blood and lymph.

The mechanism of cryogenic lipolysis is to trigger apoptosis - the natural destruction of fat cells. This occurs due to cooling of the area of ​​the body in which fat deposits need to be reduced. Fat cells, unlike cells of blood vessels, nerves and muscles, are less resistant to low temperatures. It is thanks to this that, under the influence of low temperature, fat is broken down, and other tissues are not damaged. During the procedure, a strong vacuum is used to grab the skin fold and pull it inside the working handpiece, and then process it with a gradual decrease in temperature. The standard temperature is up to +5 °C, but a decrease to 0 °C is also allowed. Some devices do not use a vacuum, and the working handpiece is similar to an ultrasonic one. Such devices are safer, but at the same time less effective; they are used mainly for the correction of not too pronounced pancreas.

Laser lipolysis

One of the relatively new and effective methods of figure correction is lipolaser, or laser lipolysis, or cold laser lipolysis. This is a modern, effective technique for correcting body contours and improving the figure by removing fat from fat depots without surgical intervention. The method is based on laser technology and has its own characteristics.

Special pads with laser diodes emitting cold spectrum light with a wavelength of 650 or 940 nm and delivering a laser beam at different time intervals are fixed on the problem area. The laser beam acts selectively on adipose tissue cells in places where they accumulate. No other surrounding structures are affected, much less damaged. Only the permeability of adipocyte membranes and the penetration of enzymes into them increases. In addition, the laser beam activates biochemical enzymatic reactions, as a result of which fat is broken down into fatty acids, glycerol and water, which, due to their small size and low molecular weight, as well as the increased permeability of the adipocyte membrane, freely exit into the surrounding intercellular space and through the lymphatic ducts enter the liver. There they are used as a source of energy and material for the construction of new cells, and the excess is excreted from the body with bile and urine.

The fat cells themselves, after the fat is released from them, significantly decrease in volume and disintegrate, which is reflected in the contours of the body. The mechanism of action of laser lipolysis is based on the same processes that occur in the body during natural weight loss. Therefore, the laser technique can be considered completely safe and physiological. The same laser can be used to prevent aging and sagging skin.

It must be said that the use of this method involves physical activity in the gym for an hour after the procedure or electrical myostimulation of the muscles in the area affected by the laser, so the patient must be warned about this. The lipolaser is good for use in fitness centers and sanatoriums that have sports equipment and exercise machines.

Radio wave therapy

The next technique that deserves attention is radio wave exposure to tissue. The essence of the technique is to expose problem areas of tissue to radio waves, which heat the tissue to +40–40 °C and cause a local response. With this treatment, tissue microcirculation is stimulated, lipolysis processes are launched, the production of fibroblasts is potentiated, collagen fibers are twisted and tightened, and old collagen is gradually replaced with new one.

This technique, despite many contraindications, is becoming increasingly popular due to its pronounced results and wide range of application possibilities. Radio waves can be used to treat almost all areas of the body - from fingertips to face. However, there is a risk of tissue overheating and complications during the post-procedural period, so working with such equipment requires a highly qualified operator.

Ozone therapy

The healing properties of ozone have been known to medicine for a long time and have been used in cosmetology for many years. However, this method is considered relatively new in getting rid of fat deposits and correcting stretch marks. The technique is based on the properties of ozone to break down fat deposits. In one session you can burn about 400 kilocalories.

Ozone treatment for weight loss is carried out in cosmetology clinics. The procedure is performed using an injector and disposable needles and involves injecting an ozone-oxygen mixture, which contains 5% ozone and 95% oxygen, into problem areas. As a result, metabolism accelerates, blood circulation improves, lymphatic drainage is activated, tissues are saturated with oxygen and active processes of lipolysis begin with the removal of toxins. At the same time, people lose weight gradually, which does not have a harmful effect on the body.

Only a doctor can prescribe ozone therapy, taking into account indications and contraindications. This procedure is carried out 2 times a week, the duration of treatment is from 10 to 15 sessions.

I strongly recommend combining absolutely all techniques with manual massage.

Injectable lipolytics

The use of direct and indirect-acting injectable lipolytics is also gaining popularity. This method is effective and does not require large initial investments, unlike the purchase of expensive equipment, therefore it is quite widely used and gives good results. The essence of the method is the direct injection of lipolytic directly into the subcutaneous fat with a syringe with a thin needle manually or using a mesoinjector.

Meso cocktails

The market offers mono-drugs and drugs with a complex composition and a complex effect on all stages of cellulite development and properties that improve skin quality - the so-called meso-cocktails. The gold standard for injection lipolysis is phosphatidylcholine and sodium deoxycholate, which are fat emulsifiers and promote its release into the intercellular space with the death of the adipocyte.

The composition of meso-cocktails is very complex, and only a doctor can prescribe the drug. The composition may include substances of various effects - stimulating lymphatic drainage (artichoke and bladderwrack extracts), venotonics (caffeine, centella asiatica), carnitine, which helps convert fat into energy for the body; arnica montana – a remedy that potentiates collagen renewal; DMAE (dimethyl-amino-ethanol) with pronounced lifting properties, etc.

Mesotherapy can be combined with hardware and manual procedures to work on the body. However, this technique has many contraindications, as well as side effects, such as hematomas at the injection site, allergic reactions, poor tolerance and painful procedures, and an effect on biochemical blood parameters (which is mainly associated with lipolysis processes and is a temporary phenomenon).

First published in ​"Les Nouvelles Esthétiques Ukraine" No. 3 (109) 2018