The first revolution in body contouring was the introduction of liposuction in the late 1970s. For the first time we could permanently alter body shape by surgically sucking out localised deposits of fat from areas that have proven difficult to remove by diet and exercise, and enhancing body contour closer to that desired.

The second revolution is now here, the ability to do this without surgery, by simply injecting the localised fat deposits and dissolving them!

Eight years of extensive experience throughout Europe and America has shown this to be a very safe and effective way of permanently removing fat from any stubborn areas, such as stomach, back, thighs, buttocks, neck, arms, etc.

'Lipo' means fat, lysis means dissolving, so Lipolysis means the process of dissolving fat by means of injections.

Like all other body tissues, fat is composed of cells. These fat cells, called adipocytes, are designed to store surplus energy for our body's future use, so that when we eat more than we need the surplus food is converted to fatty substances, called lipids, and stored inside these cells. When this happens repeatedly the fat cells will bloat up with lipid material and so our fat tissues becomes thicker. The opposite happens when we don't eat enough or we exercise more, the cells give up their lipid stored and become smaller and so our fat tissues become leaner.

What is important to note is that the number of fat cells present does not change, only their size changes.

Genetically we inherit our parents' characteristics. For example, if your family trait is to have fat arms or fat thighs then chances are that you will inherit the same shape. When this occurs it means that you have been born with an excess number of fat cells in these areas making them bigger or fatter.

Since weight control and exercise can only change the size of each fat cell but not the number of cells present, then your basic shape remains the same. This means that your arms or thighs still remain proportionately bigger despite the exercising and diet.

The only way to change your shape is to remove fat cells from the affected areas to reduce their numbers. The only two ways this can be done is by surgery (liposuction) or by dissolving away the cells (lipolysis).

We have compounds in our digestive systems designed to digest and break down the fat component in our food to enable it to be taken up by the liver and used for energy and other purposes.

By modifying these compounds and injecting them directly into the fat tissue, the fat tissue will be similarly digested and broken down. As the fat cells are broken down their lipid content is released to the liver where it is used up for energy in much the same way as the dietary fat.

The result is that fat cells are physically broken down and removed permanently

Lipolysis should not be considered as a treatment for general weight loss as this should be done by diet and exercise. The ideal candidate is a person who is within 10 kg of his or her ideal body weight and who exercises regularly and maintains good eating habits, but is unable to lose persistent localised areas of fat deposits. For men, this is usually the abdomen and waist. For women, it is usually on the abdomen, thighs and hips, buttocks, inner knees, and arms. Other common areas are the neck (under the chin), the folds in front and behind the shoulders, and the fat rolls on the back.

Pregnant women and nursing mothers are excluded from the treatment, as is anyone under 18 years of age.

We are using compounds that are natural to our bodies (lecithin's, digestive enzymes, and vitamins) and so allergy or intolerance to them is rare.

These compounds are designed to digest fat cells only, and so other tissues in the areas injected are spared, making the injection treatment selective for breaking down fat tissues.

Freshly prepared solutions are injected and dispersed through the fat layer by multiple injections. The area starts to swell within a half hour and some bruising is common afterwards. There is only modest pain or tenderness for an hour or two which is readily controlled by a single dose of simple analgesics such as Panadol or Neurofen if needed,

The swelling, bruising and tenderness settle quickly, usually within a few days, and there is little change apparent for the next 4 weeks so it is better not to keep checking ("the more you look the less you see"). The main 'melt down' period for the area treated is between 4 - 6 weeks and the cycle is complete at 8 weeks, after which another treatment can be carried out if required.

There is a recommended maximum amount of fat that can be treated at any one time so that the liver processes are not overloaded when burning up the fat. Depending on how much fat needs to be removed, most areas only require 1 - 3 treatments.

The cost will depend on the area being treated and may start from $350 per treatment for a small area. There is no Medicare or medical fund rebates.