Non-surgical body contouring procedures available today are effective and providing great results without the downtime, pain, and risks associated with surgery. Liposuction, an invasive procedure, has been the gold standard of body contouring for several years. This has spurred the advancement of non-invasive and minimally invasive procedures, such as CoolSculpting, Ultrashape, and TruSculpt.
Correlating with this, non-surgical procedures cannot offer the same dramatic results as surgical options. So, is surgical body contouring better or should you go in for nonsurgical alternatives? You should discuss these issues during your initial consultation with your plastic surgeon. Board certified plastic surgeons at the Aesthetic Center for Plastic Surgery provide surgical and non-surgical body contouring procedures to patients in Houston, Texas, TX, and surrounding communities.
Surgical vs. Non-Surgical Body Contouring – Results
Abdominoplasty, liposuction, and other surgical body contouring plastic surgery procedures offer near immediate results following a single treatment session. It may take time for bruising and swelling in the targeted area to resolve following the surgery. Furthermore, once the body heals fully, the final results are realized.
This is not the case with nonsurgical body contouring options. The results are staggered as the treatments sessions are ‘staged in’ over a period of time. For instance, a single session of CoolSculpting will remove only 20% of targeted fat cells at the treatment area. You would need to invest more time in nonsurgical procedures to see results. Surgical treatments also yield longer lasting and significant changes as compared to nonsurgical methods.
Surgical vs. Non-Surgical Body Contouring – Invasiveness
Cosmetic surgery body contouring procedures is more invasive as compared to non-surgical methods. These are marketed as minimally invasive and, in most cases, don’t even involve needles. Surgical methods usually require incisions for directly accessing the subcutaneous tissue and reshaping the body.
Non-surgical methods don’t use surgical instruments are designed to be minimally uncomfortable and gentle. This higher level of invasiveness allows surgical methods to provide dramatic and immediate results.
Surgical vs. Non-Surgical Body Contouring – Pain
You may experience mild to moderate pain after undergoing a surgical body contouring procedure. This can be addressed through prescription pain medications. Post-surgery pain usually resolves within 10 days of the surgery. Nonsurgical body contouring methods are less painful. The majority of patients cite zero to little discomfort during the treatment session. There is no pain medication or anesthesia required during the procedure.
Surgical vs. Non-Surgical Body Contouring – Downtime
Dedicated recovery period is required after surgical body contouring treatments. There are several restrictions placed on the daily activities of a patient. It’s most likely that you won’t be allowed to resume work for at least a week depending on the procedure. There is no recovery time in nonsurgical procedures. You can resume your routine activity and return to work immediately following the procedure.
Surgical vs. Non-Surgical Body Contouring – Number of Sessions
You should choose body contouring plastic surgery if you are looking for more immediate results. These treatments only require a single session. In addition to this, nonsurgical alternatives require multiple sessions spread over a period of time for achieving the most dramatic results.
Surgical vs. Non-Surgical Body Contouring – Cost
You may think surgical procedures are costlier at first glance. Pertaining to this, you need to keep in mind that non-surgical alternatives require multiple treatment sessions. You should consider the overall procedure cost when making a cost comparison. Cosmetic surgeons at the ACPS receive patients from Houston, Texas, TX, and nearby areas for surgical and non-surgical body contouring procedures.
Contact The Aesthetic Center for Plastic Surgery in Houston, Texas for More Information
For more information about The Aesthetic Center for Plastic Surgery (ACPS) physicians and the cosmetic surgery treatments and procedures they perform please click here or call us at 713.799.9999. We have offices in and around Houston, Texas.
Click here to see our pricing list.
Serving Houston, The Woodlands, Sugar Land, Katy, Friendswood, Pearland, League City, Richmond, Spring, Humble, Kingwood, Stafford, Cypress, Fulshear, Missouri City, River Oaks, Piney Point, Hunters Creek, Memorial Close In, Bunker Hill, Southside Place, Afton Oaks, Tanglewood, Crestwoods and all other surrounding Greater Houston, Texas communities and more.