Comment

Alice Eaton discovers a treatment that promises to reduce unsightly fat and cellulite without resorting to the knife - just in time for summer holidays

I READ recently that around 95 per cent of women are unhappy with at least one part of their body. 95 per cent - that's an awful lot of calorie counting we must be putting ourselves through everyday.

I have always been fairly happy with the shape of my body, hovering around a healthy weight, but however many high impact step classes I power my way through, there have always been a couple of wobbly bits on my thighs that just don't seem to shift. So when I heard about a non-invasive, pain-free treatment that promises to reduce cellulite, I just had to find out more.

The newly-opened Viva Clinic in Golders Green heralds itself as North West London's premier aesthetic treatment centre, offering tailor-made procedures designed to help specifically with weight loss and fat reduction. The clinic is one of the few places in the country that offers courses of both state-of-the-art packages Ultrashape and Accent.

Ultrashape uses a high-tech ultrasound beam to break down the fat cells and free the body of unsightly fat. It is a walk-in, walk-out procedure that takes between 30 and 90 minutes and treats problem areas such as the abdomen, the inner and outer thighs and those hard-to-shift love handles. Clients have claimed to lose up to 2.5cm from a single treatment - the equivalent of one dress size.

This can be used in combination with the Accent machine, a new treatment designed to sculpt the body using radio frequency technology that stimulates the collagen and breaks down the fat cells, reducing the tell-tale dimpling that cellulite causes and leaving the skin more toned and smoother. What's more, it can be used on any part of the body, even the face.

All sound too good to be true? I went along to meet with the clinic's medical director Dr Tapan Patel to find out for myself.

After an initial medical screening, Dr Patel can devise a bespoke programme according to your problem areas, usually involving a series of sessions on the Ultrashape and Accent machines and, if needed, a suggested nutritional and exercise programme to work alongside them. It is a package that has been proving extremely successful so far.

Before

"A lot of our work is done by word of mouth - mostly friends or relatives of clients who have seen the results and are keen to find out if it works for them," says Dr Patel, a GP with more than 11 years clinical experience.

"We have a lot of people who are getting married and want to lose weight beforehand or who simply want to fit into their bikini on holiday."

And it is not just women who are signing up. Around 40 per cent of Dr Patel's clients are male.

"I had one man who was trying out for the army after several years working the city. He had developed a bit of a tummy and needed to shift it before his interview so he underwent the treatment alongside regular exercise and a strict diet."

Before we begin, Dr Patel shows me a selection of before and after pictures of some of his clients and the results are undeniably impressive. One woman, he tells me, dropped from a size 16 to 12 with just four sessions over a six week period. I am beginning to picture myself on the beach with a body to rival Elle MacPherson's - this treatment has a lot to live up to.

As I am at my optimum weight, Dr Patel decides on a course of Accent treatment to "sculpt my body", concentrating on my problem thigh area. To begin, my skin was given a generous lathering of oil to conduct the radio frequency waves. The machine is effectively a large box made up of lights and buttons and a hose attachment with a heated rounded metal end that he repeatedly draws along my outer thigh, gradually increasing the skin's temperature to an optimum point for the fat to begin breaking down. It is, in fact, very therapeutic - rather like a hot stone massage - and I could have easily nodded off to sleep.

Although Dr Patel tells me one treatment is usually not enough to be really noticeable, clients often swear they can see a difference and I certainly felt that the skin around my thighs felt and looked tauter and smoother. After two sessions, the shape was noticeably sleeker and I was itching to put on my bikini and show off my new figure. Time to book that summer holiday then.

Treatments cost from 150 per session. The Viva Clinic is located at 592 Finchley Road, London NW11 7RX. For more information, call 0845 6528 999 or visit www.vivamedispa.co.uk.

After two treatments

Print

Email this

Comment

Add your comment

Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
	e.g. 123-123
Comment: Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored. Format Text:
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed ** To avoid register now or login