AQUALYX Q & A
WHICH PATIENTS ARE MOST SUITABLE FOR AQUALYX?
An ideal patient is one who is close to their ideal body weight but has isolated stubborn areas of fat deposition. These can be genetically predetermined and can prove very difficult to get rid of in other ways. You must be able to pinch at least 1.5cm of fat for an area to be suitable for treatment. Patients who have lost considerable weight often have loose skin rather than significant fat deposits. If we feel this is the case for you then we will suggest Aqualyx is not appropriate for you.
WHAT IS INVOLVED IN AN AQUALYX TREATMENT?
Initially we will have a consultation to discuss your areas of concern and to take a thorough medical history. This will also involve weighing you, examining you to make sure treatment is appropriate, and taking some photographs as a record of your starting point. We will then mark the area of the fat deposit and ask you to look in a mirror and confirm that this is the area that bothers you. You will then be positioned on the couch in a way that gives best access to the area to be treated. The treatment itself takes anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes depending on the size of the area we are treating. Usually each area only requires one or two needle insertion points, although we will fan the product in several directions from this one point.
DOES AQUALYX HURT?
We mix the Aqualyx solution with a small amount of a local anaesthetic drug called lignocaine to make it more comfortable. The needle we use is very fine. Most people describe the procedure itself as a little uncomfortable but not painful. You could take some Paracetamol tablets an hour before treatment if you are concerned.
WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT AFTER AN AQUALYX TREATMENT?
Once the local anaesthetic starts to wear off you may feel quite tender. Make sure you have some Paracetamol you can take, but avoid non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as Ibuprofen and Aspirin).
The treated area will look swollen initially, but you should expect this swelling to double in size within the first 24-48 hours. The swelling will go down over the course of the next week, although in rare cases may persist longer. Remember – SWELLING IS GOOD! The more you swell the more you are responding to treatment. The treated area will look red and feel warm afterwards, and this may persist for 2 days. You may develop some bruising in the treated area, may feel itchy, and may have some minor aches and pains. The skin overlying the treated area will feel numb, even after the local anaesthetic wears off. This can persist for upto a month.
Rarely you can develop systemic symptoms such as nausea, diarrhoea, intracyclic menstrual bleeding (in women) and hyperpigmentation.
HOW MANY TREATMENTS OF AQUALYX WILL I NEED?
This will depend on the protocol we follow after discussion with you at our consultation. Traditionally between 2 and 6 treatments were suggested, depending on the area being treated. These treatment sessions would be spaced around 4 weeks apart. It is possible to use a modified technique where we would inject a much higher volume in one treatment, but you should expect to only require one treatment. This will obviously carry a higher initial cost, as more product is being used. However you will only need to deal with the side effects on a single occasion.
WILL I LOSE WEIGHT AFTER MY AQUALYX TREATMENT?
No you will not see any difference on the scales after Aqualyx treatment. Subcutaneous fat accounts for a small proportion of our overall body fat, and dissolving this in one area will not produce a change in your weight.
HOW LONG BEFORE I CAN SEE RESULTS OF MY AQUALYX TREATMENT?
You will start to notice an improvement anywhere between 3 and 6 weeks, and could notice ongoing improvements upto 6 months.
ARE THE RESULTS OF AQUALYX PERMANENT?
The fat cells that have been destroyed by Aqualyx are permanently eliminated from the body. If you gain weight in the future you may put it on in a different distribution to where you would have done prior to Aqualyx treatment.