Skin Tightening

Offered at our convenient location in Denver

Skin stretches with weight gain, but when men and women lose the weight through exercise and healthy eating, the stretched skin often doesn’t contract to the newly slimmed contour. This is because the aforementioned actions do not have an effect on skin elasticity. This often poses a problem because weight loss patients cannot truly show off their results because loose skin hides the definition.

When fat is removed through a surgical procedure, such as traditional liposuction, the skin often remains loose because fat removal procedures ‘normally’ do not address skin laxity. For this reason, among others, men and women seek out skin tightening treatments. However, there is another solution.

VASER Hi Def Liposuction was created not only to provide minimally invasive fat removal but the technology used aids in the tightening of the skin.

This advanced fat reduction technology is much more complex than traditional liposuction. With this, it requires a deep understanding of fat anatomy and connective tissue in order to obtain the 3D and 4D results that are seen with VASER Hi Def. The same knowledge that is required for this procedure is also required to obtain skin tightening results. The better the knowledge of fat anatomy and connective tissue that a physician has, the better skin tightening results they will be able to provide. What many people are unaware of is that the technology used for VASER treatments is actually what enables plastic surgeons to further sculpt and contour the body within the superficial layer and achieve the skin tightening results.

Prior to VASER Hi Def, it was very difficult, and rather risky, to attempt skin tightening and body sculpting within the superficial layer. VASER technology has changed the game in this regard, allowing physicians to extensively remove fat throughout the body for more visible for muscle definition and help to tighten skin that has lost elasticity.

About Skin

Skin, the largest organ of the human body, is an active, living tissue. Skin is thick but flexible armor that is meant to keep harmful rays of light, chemicals, toxins, and microbes away from the inner tissues of the body. The skin consists of two layers, the epidermis and the dermis. The epidermis is the surface layer of skin which is the outermost layer where dead skin cells are shed. The dermis lies just below the epidermis and it is composed of blood vessels.

Due to both internal and external factors, the skin may begin to lose elasticity, causing both men and women to seek out skin tightening treatments.

What is Fat?

The technical term for body fat is adipose tissue and the individual cells that make up this tissue are called adipocytes. It is a common misconception that all fat on the body is bad; this is untrue. The body needs a certain amount of fat for it to function efficiently. It’s when a person has too much that it becomes a health concern. The amount of fat in the body that is considered to be “healthy” depends on the person’s age, height, and gender. There are three different components that make up total body fat. These are discussed in greater detail in the below information.

Essential Body Fat

Essential fat is needed to protect the body from infectious diseases and to protect the internal organs from bruising or further damage. This is the fat can be broken down into two types:

Subcutaneous Fat: The fat that lies directly under the skin to provide thermal protection and helps to prevent bruising on the body. This is the layer that is typically removed with liposuction.

Intramuscular Fat: The fat that is found in the muscles. This is similar to the layers of fat that are seen in a cut of meat from a butcher. This fat provides fuel for the entire body and is what helps to protect the internal organs.

For women, this percentage of fat in the body is higher because the female body requires more for reproduction needs and other bodily functions. Men do not require this extra fat, which is why they often have much lower body fat percentages in comparison to women.

Reserve Body Fat

Reserve body fat is the fat that poses no health risks to the body. The body holds this fat as stored fuel. To get a better understanding of this, think of this as a patient’s emergency food pantry in case of a crisis; the body does this too. Many studies have been conducted to answer the question: when is there too much fat? This amount, as stated above, is calculated based on gender, age, and height.

Excess Body Fat

After calculating the amount of fat on the body that is considered to be healthy, anything surpassing that number is considered to be excess fat. Excess fat is considered to be anything that is above or over the combination of essential and reserve fat. This excess can cause serious risks to a person’s health.

Why Understanding Fat Matters

The more detailed understanding that a surgeon has of the superficial fat anatomy, the anatomy of connective tissue, and the importance of working in the subdermal layer to achieve skin tightening, the better chance the surgeon has for obtaining the best results and the most skin tightening benefits for the patient.

The concept of subdermal liposuction was created in 1982. This is the concept that helped to create the VASER technology. With traditional liposuction, the fat that lies directly under the skin was hard to treat and posed additional risks, whereas, with the development of newer liposuction technology and techniques, subdermal liposuction is possible. These newer techniques provide the physician with a larger amount of tools and methods to change the shape of a person’s figure. Through this study, they were able to conclude that subdermal fat causes obscurities in the muscular detail throughout the body.

Good Candidates for VASER

Good candidates for VASER Hi Def are healthy men and women who are within 30 lbs of their goal weight and have realistic expectations. This procedure is not ideal for patients that have large amounts of fat and severe loose skin. VASER Hi Def Lipo is ideal for patients that have a moderate amount of excess fat throughout their body and are looking for visible muscle definition and skin tightening that reshapes the body’s figure. This skin tightening fat reduction procedure treats the subdermal fat, or the fat that lies just below the skin’s surface; therefore, patients that have large amounts of excess fat around the muscles and organs would not be good candidates for this procedure.

In order to determine candidacy, please contact our office and schedule a consultation today. Dr. Millard will evaluate the patient’s particular concerns and make a recommendation based on their needs and aesthetic goals.

Skin Tightening Procedure Options

VASER Hi Def can be used on multiple areas of the body to provide fat reduction and skin tightening. The most common areas to treat are listed as follows:

VASER Arms

This advanced liposuction treatment can be performed on the arms to remove fat and provide better tone, definition, and shape. Once the fat has been removed, the skin will form to the new contour, making muscle definition more visible. This can, on occasion, take the place of an arm lift if there is not severe sagging skin.

VASER Abdomen

VASER Hi Def will remove fat in specific locations on top of the abdominal muscles to provide a defined, sculpted abdomen. This particular fat reduction procedure removes the fat that hides muscle definition and provides additional sculpting. Once it is removed, the skin within the midsection will become tighter and firmer.

VASER Back

VASER can be used to remove fat on top of the back muscles and tighten the skin to provide definition and an aesthetically pleasing contour. Both the upper and lower back can be treated. Once the skin has tightened and formed to the body’s new shape, the appearance of the back will be more toned and firm.

VASER Legs

The legs are a common area of the body where fat resides. VASER Hi Def can be used to remove excess fat, which will help to improve the shape and contour of the legs. This treatment can be used on the thighs, knees, calves, and ankles to remove fat and tighten the skin.

Recovery

Once the VASER Hi Def Lipo procedure is complete, patients will be wrapped in a special compression garment that should be worn during the entire recovery period to help the skin form smoothly to the body’s slimmer contour. Patients are recommended to rest and refrain from daily activities for a couple of days. Following this, the patient is advised to avoid strenuous activities, such as going to the gym, for two to three weeks.

The results will be visible immediately following the procedure and these results will only improve more as the body heals. The lasting, final results can typically be seen after four months.

Price

The price of VASER Hi Def skin tightening treatments will vary from patient to patient depending on the areas being treated. During the consultation, Dr. Millard will be able to provide patients with an individualized quote that has been tailored to their specific needs.

Schedule Your Skin Tightening Consultation

During your one-on-one consultation with Dr. Millard, he will ask you what your concerns are and discuss the goal that they are looking to achieve. The doctor will then review medical history, routine medications, and any prior procedures if any. Dr. Millard will then conduct a physical examination, examining the body, the existing fat, and the condition of the skin to determine if VASER Hi Def would be the ideal procedure to address your concerns. This is a very good example as to why it is important for the physician to have an in-depth understanding of the body, the skin, and fat anatomy. Dr. Millard has extensive knowledge on the aforementioned topics to provide his patients with the best results possible.