Low fat diets and exercise routines are going head to head against plastic surgery treatments and liposuction these days. For years the media has inundated society with high-tempo advertisements showing people taking fat-loss short cuts but it remains true that ‘instant’ fat removal is less fact and more fiction. When it comes to losing weight and looking better, diet and exercise is usually better than a cosmetic treatment like lipo dissolve.

Weight loss - in most cases - is simple math. If you take in more calories than your body needs to fuel your daily activities, your body stores the extra calories as fat. If you want to lose weight you have to either increase the amount of calories your daily activities burn, or decrease your intake of fuel (sustenance).

Of course, bodies are unique in how they store fat and when people talk about “problem” areas, it is usually because their body decides to retain cellulite in that particular part of their body. This is largely determined by genetics; people are likely to have fat distribution that is similar to their parents’ fat distribution. Therefore, if a person [spin]has a lot of extra fat in their buttocks|has undesirable cellulite around the abdomen|keeps unwanted weight in many areas, for example, their best bet for looking better is to lose weight overall.

Exercise doesn’t achieve spot fat reduction because there is no such thing as “turning fat into muscle.” Fat and muscle are two entirely different types of tissue and fat tissue can’t magically turn into muscle by exercising any more than bone can be turned into brain tissue by thinking hard.

This is not to say that exercising is not useful at all in improving the appearance of one’s thighs or other problem spots. In general, working out the abdominals will help the look of that area. This may result in an appearance that many people will find more satisfying, even without a loss of actual fatty tissue.

Exercises that include walking, jogging, and weight lifting use many of the larger muscles of the thighs and are good choices, as are weight lifting exercises such as leg extensions, leg curls, squats and lunges. If you are trying to decrease overall bulk (i.e., you want your thighs to look smaller, not just firmer) be sure to use lighter weights with high repetitions and to keep the resistance of a stationery bike or treadmill set to “low.” This prevents an actual increase in bulk from muscle growth.

In addition to increasing tone, increasing muscle mass also results in a faster rate of metabolism because muscle takes more energy to maintain than other forms of tissue. This leads to an increased rate of calorie burn, even at rest. This can lead to further thigh-slimming as a result of overall weight loss, without additional effort.

What can one do if diet and exercise simply haven’t delivered the desired results? Many frustrated people turn to spot fat reduction, such as liposuction or lipodissolve fat melting shots.

Liposuction is designed for shaping the body and can remove several pounds of fat using a vacuum tube, called a canula, beneath the skin while the patient is under anesthesia. It is not without risks but for those who are troubled by stubborn fat deposits in their thighs, stomach area, hips, thighs, calves, arms, buttocks, back, neck, or face, liposuction may be one way of removing the fat.

Lipostabil, which goes by many names, is different than liposuction. To begin with, PCDC fat melting injections are non-invasive treatments. Second, these types of treatments are only used to remove small fat pockets from targeted areas of the body such as the abdominal area, buttocks, behind the arms, and thighs. Lastly, lipo-dissolve uses injected drugs, typically phosphatidylcholine and sodium deoxycholate (PCDC), to dissolve fat cells.

There is a significant differentiator between liposuction and lipodissolve injections. The FDA regulates the sale and use of liposuction tools, like the canula, and drugs (anesthesia) used for liposuction. In the case of phosphatidylcholine and sodium deoxycholate drugs, the FDA has stated, ” … these are unapproved drugs for unapproved uses.” In 2007, the state of Kansas tried to pass legislation barring state physicians from giving PCDC injections. A Kansas court, however, stopped the legislation pending further review.

Proper controlled studies to prove the safety and effectiveness of PCDC drugs have not yet been conducted.

Here is some smart advice to follow regardless of whether one pursues fat removal treatments:
Ask questions. Talk to your doctor about liposuction and/or lipodissolve. Make sure you understand how the fat will be removed and the expected outcomes and side effects.

Step up to the plate and ask tough questions before signing up for fat-melting injections.