RESEARCH STUDY – Non-Surgical Weight Loss Treatments
Define Aesthetics is a leading obesity clinic in Pune, offering complete weight loss treatments along with skin treatments.
A randomized controlled prospective study was conducted at Define Aesthetics by pioneer doctor Sheetal Badami, located at Tain square, Pune, Senpati Bapat road, Pune & Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Aim & Objectives
The aim of this research was to study & quantify the results of non-invasive obesity treatments i.e. Ion Magnum & High Focused Ultrasound.
Background
Obesity is a multifactorial disease. It is associated with multiple complications like diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea and certain cancers.
There are various studies demonstrating co-relationship of waist circumference & increased cardio-metabolic risk irrespective of BMI. Based on theses WHO (World Health Organization) has laid down cut-off criterion for waist circumference for Indian population are as follows:
Males – 90 cms
Females- 80 cms
Also various studies have demonstrated reduction in cardio-metabolic risk with reduction in central obesity. So a study was conducted at Define Aesthetics clinic to assess the effectiveness of non-invasive modalities of treatments for obesity namely Ion Magnum & High Focused Ultrasound for reduction in central obesity.
Definitions:
Ion Magnum:
The Ion Magnum device based on Nanotechnology is used to deliver Pure Analog Multiline Waveform.
This is FDA approved equipment for muscle conditioning on prescription of a Qualified Medical Practitioners only.
High Focused Ultrasound:
High focused ultrasound concentrates up to 1000 beams of ultrasound energy with extreme precision at a targeted depth in the body.
It has a triple effect on problematic areas.
- Separation of adipose tissue into individual cells and the gate opening of cell membranes.
- Drainage of contents of fat cells in the interstitial tissue.
- Reduction of fibrous partitions between fat cells.
Materials & Methods:
50 patients- 24 males & 26 females were selected randomly of different age groups ranging from 13 years to 70 years.
The Body Mass Index (BMI) values of patients ranged from 20.3 to 43.3
For every patient, 3 readings of abdominal girth were taken-
- 2 cm above level of umbilicus
- at umbilicus
- 2 cm below level of umbilicus.
After a valid written informed consent, patients were administered with combination of Ion Magnum & High Focused Ultrasound treatments ranging from 10, 15, 20 treatments. Patients of less than 18 years were administered only Ion Magnum treatments. Patients were advised to take healthy diet during this period, avoid intake of alcohol, avoid excessive intake of sugar, high glycemic index foods & foods high in fat content and take adequate amount of protein in diet. They were also advised to do 40-45 minutes/day of exercise during this period as recommended by WHO for maintenance of existent body weight.
At the end of completion of treatments, again the measurements at above mentioned levels were taken. The sum of reduction at each level was calculated to determine the total reduction in abdominal girth.
Inclusion criterion:
- People desirous to lose abdominal girth
- BMI – up to 45
- Age – lowest age limit was 12 years with no upper age limit
- Controlled diabetics
- Controlled Hypertensive
- Controlled hypothyroidism or any other endocrinal conditions
- People who have undergone surgery more than 3 months ago
- People who have undergone childbirth more than 3 months ago
Exclusion criterion:
Patients with following conditions were excluded from the study-
- Uncontrolled Hypothyroidism or any other endocrinal conditions
- Uncontrolled Diabetes Mellitus
- Uncontrolled Hypertension
- Pregnancy
- Liver Failure
- Renal Failure
- History of surgery in recent past
- History of childbirth in recent past
- Artificial Pacemaker
- Epilepsy
- Cancers
- Herniation’s
- Any other uncontrolled medical condition
DISCUSSION:
A combination of Ion Magnum and High Focused Ultrasound treatment reduce the subcutaneous fat and visceral fat, improve muscle mass of patients.
All patients showed significant reduction in abdominal girth which can be co-related with reduction in visceral fat and central obesity.
All patients reported improved stamina and endurance with the treatment.
There were 3 patients with Diabetes Mellitus.
- They reported improved blood sugar control, reduced dosage of medication at the end of study.
- One patient reported conversion from Insulin to Oral anti-diabetic medications.
- There were 4 patients with deranged lipid profile who reported improvement in lipid profile.
- One patient showed documented reversal of fatty liver on Ultrasonography.
This is quite amazing as a patient cannot be treated surgically, if he/she has above medical conditions. Diet and home remedies have their own limitations.
RESULTS:
The study showed that the total reduction in abdominal girth was minimum of 13 cms & maximum of 65 cms with an average of 33.28 cms.
The patients were segregated into groups of 10, 15 & 20 treatments and within each group the total reduction in abdominal girth was calculated. This showed following results.
| Group | Minimum reduction in abdominal girth (centimeters) | Maximum reduction in abdominal girth (centimeters) | Average reduction in abdominal girth (centimeters) |
| 10 treatments | 13
|
43 | 24.133 |
| 15 treatments | 16 | 55 | 33.176 |
| 20 treatments | 16 | 65 | 41 |
| Total | 13 | 65 | 33.28 |
CONCLUSION:
In the above conducted study at Dr. Sheetal’s Define Aesthetics, 50 patients showed reduction in abdominal girth with a combined treatment of ION MAGNUM & HIFU. There were no complications noted in the above study.
Below are two individual case studies from above patient database:
Case 1:
A 45 year old lady was suffering from severe obesity & diabetes mellitus.
She was an athlete in college but gained weight after second child birth. She developed diabetes at age of 39 and by the time she came to Define Aesthetics, she had diabetes and fatty deposits in her liver (Fatty Liver).
At Define Aesthetics we advised her 20 treatments in combination of HFU & Ion Magnum.
| Before treatment | After treatment | |
| Weight (kg) | 92.2 | 83.7 |
| Fat % | 42.1 | 32.7 |
| Upper abdomen(cm) | 108 | 98 |
| Umbilicus (cm) | 111 | 100 |
| Lower abdomen (cm) | 115 | 100 |
| Diabetic status | On Insulin HbA1c- 10.8 |
On oral drugs HbA1c- 7.8 |
| Sonography reports | Fatty liver | No evidence of fatty liver |
| Other | Lower Back pain | Significant decrease in back pain |
Case 2:
A 42 year old gentleman had regular lifestyle till the age of 35. He had healthy lifestyle and diet routine. After a late marriage he experience sudden increase in his body weight. At the age of 40, he developed hypertension and started on medication. Being alert about his health he immediately started dieting, yoga & walking; but no results! He visited many slimming centers & tried many alternative therapies that didn’t result any good. When he came to Define Aesthetics, doctors recommended him 15 treatments after thorough medical checkup.
| Before treatment | After treatment | |
| Weight (kg) | 98 | 89 |
| Fat % | 34.9 | 25.8 |
| Upper abdomen(cm) | 107 | 93 |
| Umbilicus (cm) | 115 | 99 |
| Lower abdomen (cm) | 117 | 99 |
** All the studies are based on original observations of patients’ treatments. Client testimonials with before and after images are sited in the website for further reference.
Dr. Sheetal Badami
M.B.B.S., D.A.
SCOPE Certified Obesity Physician
Director, Define Aesthetics
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