LipoMelt

July 11, 2017 2:48 PM

I "won" some free LipoMelt sessions. Any reason NOT to try it?

I'm pretty fit, 38 yo, about 122 pounds and 16-18% body fat. I lift heavy 3-4 times a week. I'm fit. I'm healthy. I carry my weight in my upper thighs and have always hated it. It goes away when I'm down around 105, which is pretty tough for me to maintain. I've been considering lipo, but this fell in my lap. Other than the time commitment (20 mins, I hear?), are there any reasons NOT to do it? If there are no results, I'm okay with that since I'm not paying.

posted by mrfuga0 to Health & Fitness (7 answers total)

I have a reason for you not to try it. Gluteofemoral fat, which is the fat stored in the thighs/butt, is good for you. Omega-3s are stored in gluteofemoral fat.
posted by tooloudinhere at 4:52 PM on July 11, 2017 [5 favorites]

Have you looked on Realself for reviews? (I never 100% trust the reviews are real, so I disregard anything too effusive-sounding.)

My worry with this type of procedure is that it will leave loose skin. I'd rather have my plump thighs than deflated ones. So I'd be searching for something that isn't marketing material about that issue.

I'd also worry about being a guinea pig-- is it free because the practice just got the equipment and they need experience/business?
posted by kapers at 6:57 PM on July 11, 2017

I wouldn't do it because I wouldn't trust any kind of procedure unless I knew that the person performing it had stellar reviews and was a board-certified professional. The worst that can happen with this kind of thing isn't no results, it's really bad results. There's no fucking way I would get Groupon laser lipo.
posted by Autumnheart at 7:20 PM on July 11, 2017 [13 favorites]

I don't know anything about this type of procedure, but I remember hearing that with liposuction, what tends to happen afterwards is that you gain the weight back but in a different place. Are you comfortable taking that risk, and not knowing where the weight will go?
posted by imalaowai at 8:44 PM on July 11, 2017

Most people performing these types of services didn't do a residency in dermatology or have any training in the procedure beyond what the manufacturer of the drug showed them how to do. Most places that raffle/steeply discount the latest things like this are usingvyou as a guinea pig.

Source: My friend went to med school and did a residency in family medicine, which she disliked. So she and a urologist partnered to open an "aesthetic medicine" practice. All she does are treatments like this, despite having no training (which of course also means she's not board-certified). Business is booming. They give away lots of new services when they come on the market to build interest. It's a very common business model.
posted by ImproviseOrDie at 11:21 PM on July 11, 2017 [2 favorites]

One more q to ask yourself: these sessions are free, but follow up won't be-- can you afford whatever it would take to fix it if they mess up? One side drastically different than the other, a visible large dent, fat migrating/re-depositing in the knee months later, or whatever else can happen even if they are certified and experienced?
posted by kapers at 8:52 AM on July 12, 2017

This is so vague as to be unhelpful, but it's stuck with me.

I recently read a story about a woman whose weight also fluctuated 10-15 lbs pretty regularly, mainly in her thighs or waist or wherever. She had it done and now that fat comes back in really weird places and makes her feel weird and distorted. Absolutely regrets it.

That's all I remember, but it's scared me off plenty. Key to this was that she was not overweight, just a little thick when her weight went up a little. Now she gets thick in weird places - noticeable because she's not heavy.

So, just say no.
posted by crankyrogalsky at 7:17 PM on July 12, 2017