No pain, no gain, the famous maxim that is oftentimes plastered across mirrors and walls in gyms or yoga space read. But is it still highly true nowadays? Perhaps not, thanks to the advent of technology that gave us treatments that could burn fat even without lifting or sweating. We are talking about non-invasive body-sculpting processes, which may be our shortcut for the summer bod. But before counting yourself in, let us first find out if these work or not.

Popular Non-Invasive Body Sculpting Treatments

For those of us who are afraid of the mere sight of needles, all the more going under the knife, there are non-surgical treatments that do the job of targeting stubborn fats in areas which we can’t seem to contour. These are the parts of the bodies that no matter how hard we work out or eat healthily, they just won’t shrink. Throughout the years, their older relative liposuction, which also does the job but is invasive, has seen better days, with its popularity waning, according to the data from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Shutterstock | There’s a way to lose the stubborn fat that won’t go away with a workout and a healthy diet

There’s a plethora of treatments now available at your local derma that all aim to eliminate fat that won’t budge by causing little to no pain at all. Sounds a lot like liposuction, right? Dermatologist Shilpi Khetarpal said that although both of these do the same thing, the non-invasive strategies won’t give you the same results as that of the surgical technique, which sucks 10 times the amount of fat than the non-surgical.

Fat Freezing and Heat Treatment

The first kind is called cryolipolysis, commonly known as fat freezing, which works by, as you may have guessed it, freezing fat. A suction device is placed on an area to be targeted, then, it releases cooling plates to damage fat for a specific amount of time, plastic surgeon Darren Smith explained. Although it is generally safe for most people, expert Stephen Greenberg clarified that a patient has to have enough fat for the applicator to stick.

Shutterstock | According to an expert, heat treatment is best for flat areas

The second most popular is the heat treatment, the exact opposite of the aforementioned. It uses a laser to impair fat cells, which will be eliminated by the body through the lymphatic system. Just like fat freezing, it will take months to see the effect of the process. However, the caveat of the heat treatment is that it isn’t best for areas with curves because it has a flat applicator.

Does Fat Freezing and Heat Treatments Really Work?

A review published in “Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery” looked at 19 studies and found that on average, people lost 14.67 to 28.5 percent in areas that underwent fat freezing. Those who had ultrasound treatment only reduced fat by 10.3 to 25.5 percent. Furthermore, cryolipolysis looked promising as per the research because there was no observed health risk. Another review in 2015 analyzed 16 studies and noted there was an average of 19.55 percent fat reduction.

Shutterstock | In the past years, fat freezing has had impressive reviews

While there are impressive studies on fat freezing, research on heat treatment for fat reduction remains scarce. One report published in the “Journal of Drugs in Dermatology” said that the process resulted in an 11 percent fat reduction.