Nov
In Washington, DC, patients visit Dr. Cheryl Burgess and the Center for Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery team for body contouring services. Dr. Burgess is happy to offer two specific types of body contouring treatment: Vanquish and PelleFirm. Let us take a look at both treatments so you can determine which may be best for you.
Vanquish body contouring is an FDA-approved treatment to eliminate troublesome fat cells without touching the skin. The Vanquish treatment takes a unique approach called apoptosis to destroy fat cells underneath the skin of the thighs, arms and abdomen.
Your doctor will use a handheld panel device that will be held about an inch above the treatment area, allowing radiofrequency energy to penetrate the skin to heat the fat cells you want to eliminate without going further down into the muscle underneath the fat. The targeted fat cells will slowly die in the area of treatment as the temperature rises. These dead fat cells will then be processed by the lymphatic system and eliminated. Any remaining fat cells will be dramatically reduced in size. This fat elimination is accomplished without any physical contact and large areas can be treated at once, resulting in even and smooth results.
The destroyed fat cells are filtered out by the lymphatic system and finally flushed from the body. This process is accomplished faster with proper hydration, so make sure to drink plenty of hydrating fluids to allow the impact of the Vanquish treatment to reach its full potential. With a dedication to a healthy diet and exercise routine, the results you see from Vanquish should be permanent.
PelleFirm is another FDA-approved treatment for patients looking for better body contours. Where PelleFirm differs from Vanquish is its ability to smoothen skin and reduce cellulite. Patients looking for smoother skin and cellulite reduction rave about this treatment. Cellulite is especially troublesome in the thighs and buttocks region in many women. PelleFirm, like Vanquish, utilizes radiofrequency energy to gently heat problematic tissues that reside under the skin for elimination. A benefit of Pellefirm is its ability to promote the production of collagen, a protein mainly responsible for the structure and strength of our skin. It helps keep our skin tight and smooth. When collagen fibers are tightened, the skin will not only smoothen, but the production of new collagen will continue to occur, resulting in long-lasting results for the areas treated by PelleFirm.
Additionally, PelleFirm can break down strong connective fibers resulting from cellulite development. You may think that cellulite and fat are either the same or similar, but cellulite is actually the result of fat pushing through deeper skin layers because of tight connective bands. When these bands are broken down, fat can be eliminated and cellulite is reduced.
To learn more about body contouring, please schedule an appointment with Dr. Burgess today at the Center for Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery by calling (202) 955-5757.