I drove to the suburbs to a dermatologist-owned medspa the other night for an Open House. On top of his medical practice, the doctor had a handful of of lasers, injectables, and skincare products....I was in heaven. Two of the people who work there told me I know more about skincare products than they do. Skincare is kind of...ummm... a hobby for me. Weird, I know. We all have our thing. I like lotions and potions.
After my visit to the Open House, I'm now fascinated by FDA-approved Zerona....could it be too good to be true? I was told by the doctor's staff that in just 2 weeks (6, 40 minute treatments every other day) that hips and thighs can shrink 3.5 cummulative inches and cellulite can be a thing of the past (not FDA approved for cellulite reduction though). Of course, for $2600, I'm skeptical (even more skeptical when I was told there may be a Groupon for $1200---what a mark up! Sell it for that price all the time!). "Shrinking" fat cells is what happens when you diet, so doesn't that mean resume your regular eating habits and you'll be back to where you were before you handed over your miles Visa for $2600? Damn you, Zerona company PR-approved before-and-after photos for making me think that there's an easy way to get ready for bikini season! Damn you!
The open house didn't include Zeltiq, although I hear it's around $3500. Zeltiq is a FDA-approved treatment to permanently destroy fat cells in the belly and thighs by freezing them. Spend and hour (on each side for thighs) with a freezing cold machine pinching your fat together and then over the next few months your body gets rid of broken down fat cells naturally. Considering there's a new study out by Mayo Clinic saying that adults actually do reproduce fat cells in their thighs when they gain weight, but the cells in the belly only expand, killing off 20% of them sounds pretty good to me. The machine doesn't damage skin, just the fat beneath. It can't get to cellulite areas though, so no affect on that. I don't know anywhere around me that does it to even investigate, but I also heard they need to be able to squeeze 2 inches of fat between the machine to treat an area and I'm not sure my thighs have that kind of excess in 1 spot. Hmmm....
Anyway, this dermatologist's Open House was filled with big hopes pinned on high-tech equipment for a lot of money but no guarantees, money back policy, or his own patient's before & after photos (notice when you search online they're all the same pix no matter where they're done).... It makes me wonder what percentage of treated patients leave the office thinking their money was well spent? There are no statistics on that, but it would surely be a selling point if there was.Sorry Mr. MedSpa, but until you can prove it to me, or give me or my friends free treatments so we can tell others, I'm going to keep my money and use it toward a nice beach vacation. Aloha!
To spend or not to spend.
THAT is the question.
Either way, the unchangeable answer remains:
Diet and exercise are always a sure thing....
Have you tried Zeltiq, Zerona or any other laser treatments to reduce fat or cellulite? Tell me about your experiences on Facebook!
Diet and exercise are always a sure thing....
Have you tried Zeltiq, Zerona or any other laser treatments to reduce fat or cellulite? Tell me about your experiences on Facebook!
