A helping hand for mother nature

ACHIEVING A PERFECT face and trim body is never easy, and for many women the easiest |path to beauty is to turn to non-invasive body contouring and fat reduction procedures that will leave them looking as good as they feel.
Since being set up by Dr Nantapat Supapannachart 20 years ago, Apex Profound Beauty has been helping women bring their true beauty to the fore through a range of non-surgical treatments, both aesthetic and medical, that use only the very |latest technology available.
The clinic has recently added a new weapon to its body care armoury. BTL Vanquish is the latest in non-invasive radio frequency (RF) devices and allows physicians to treat the largest area in the least amount of treatments and the shortest period of time. The recommended treatment is 3-5 sessions over the course of a few weeks. Treatments are usually scheduled seven to 10 days apart and patients have reported results in just a few days.
Vanquish is a breakthrough non-invasive, non-contact technology. It selectively heats adipose tissue to the point of apoptosis, or programmed cell death, but leaves the surrounding tissue unaffected. The result is a safe and natural decrease in the adipose tissue layer.
As long as the patient maintains her current weight and lifestyle, the results should remain for an indefinite period of time. Unlike other non-invasive procedures, Vanquish is pain free and easy to operate.
It is not, however, suitable for a patient who has a large area of unwanted fat. Vanquish, the clinic stresses, is not a weight reduction treatment for people who are obese, nor is it a substitute for surgical methods such as liposuction or gastric bandage. Suitable candidates must also be in good overall health.
The same restrictions apply to many beauty and skincare treatments. Dr Nantapat explains that even though the centre constantly employs new medical technologies, not all of them are suitable for Thais.
Dermatologists must understand the patient’s skin before selecting the right technological device and procedure.
For example, Fraxel technology is popular in the US market. A fractional laser technology for advanced skin resurfacing, Fraxel can help minimise blemishes, age spots or sun spots, tighten pores, erase acne scars and reduce fine lines and wrinkles. It is not suited to the Thai skin, particularly for eradicating blemishes
And while injectable dermal fillers can plump thin lips, enhance shallow contours, soften facial creases, remove wrinkles and improve the appearance of recessed scars, many Thais are rejecting these in favour of fat injections. Many follow the path chosen by superstars and celebrities and head to South Korea for the procedure, which is also known as autologous fat transplantation. It involves a fat transfer from another part of the body – often the thigh – and is used to recontour the face, fill sunken cheeks, puff out a flat forehead, fill deep creases, reduce wrinkles and diminish frown lines and crow’s feet, thus giving the patient a more youthful appearance.
Dr Nantapat is against the fat injection being used for small problems, adding that it can be effective for cases like sunken cheeks, but only in small volume.
“The fat injections might cause problems in the future because face shapes are dynamic. If people with fat injections gain weight, their faces will be out of proportion,” the dermatologist warns.