e spend tons of money each year trying to lose weight. While some people would like to try liposuction and have the fat sucked out, many folks are afraid. What if you could have the fat melted from your body with no needles and no cutting? You'd probably say "tell me more." That was the same reaction from a conway man.
Bob Scroggin, 65, of Conway feels like a new man.
"I tried so many diets. By the time I hit 58 years old I found out I couldn't lose weight," says Scroggin.
Bob had problems with his mid-section. But not anymore. He's 19 pounds lighter on his feet with three inches off the waste. So how did he do it?
Through a procedure called Lipo-Ex, a non invasive alternative to liposuction.
"We don't use any needles, no anethesia, there's no down time," says Dr. Anne Trussell.
With a hand held device and a special cream, Dr. Anne Trussell first heats up the lymph nodes in Bob's legs. Then she goes straight to the problem area heating it to as high as 113 degrees, literally melting and releasing fat from the fat cells.
"And then once you release the fat you start to excreet it in your urine," says Dr. Trussell.
Bob's had eight treatments so far.
When asked what he would say to the non-believers, Bob said he had his doubts at first too.
"I can show you patients who've had good results, I can show you before and after pictures. I can show you CT scans but it is really a matter of trying it," says Dr. Trussell.
Here's the catch, if you want it to work you need to drink 64 ounces of water a day. You can't eat or drink anything cold two hours before the treatment and two hours after. And you have to exercise 30 minutes three times a week.
Bob says when the treatments started working he started eating better and taking more walks. But he says it's the machine that does the work, not the lifestyle change.
"I felt more toned, my skinned tightened up and even now I have on some pants I haven't worn in a long time," says Scroggin.
They're still waiting for the FDA's final approval on lipo-ex. But it's being used by doctors around the country.
"You simply cannot get dramatic results by "melting" fat with sound waves," says New York plastic surgeon Dr. Elan Singer. "These methods are more suited for people who either have very small problem areas...or for those that are not good surgical candidates."
Lipo-ex will cost between $1,600 and $3,800 for eight treatments.
