| “Fat [from the UltraShape™ procedure] is ultimately processed by the body’s natural physiological and metabolic pathways that handle fat during weight loss.” |
Spencer A. Brown, PhD,
Director of Plastic Surgery Research
UT Southwestern Medical Center |
What happens to the released fat after an UltraShape Treatment?
After disruption of adipose tissue, the released fat and cellular debris are cleared by endogenous processes. Adipocytes consist predominantly of a triglyceride-rich lipid globule, which comprises 80-90% of the adipocyte volume. The nucleus and scant cytoplasm are squeezed to one side of the cell. Cholesterol comprises only 2-3% of the adipocyte content. The remainder of the content is primarily water, with small amounts of protein and nucleic acids.
The triglycerides released after treatment are slowly absorbed. Via a combination of metabolic events and trafficking into the systemic circulation, they re-enter the total body pool of lipids. Each triglyceride molecule is enzymatically metabolized by endogenous lipases to glycerol and three molecules of free fatty acid. The glycerol, which is water-soluble, is absorbed by the circulatory system and recycled for energy. The fatty acids, which are hydrophobic, are carried by transport proteins or chaperones, predominantly albumin, and trafficked to the liver, where they are processed as any other fatty acid - including fatty acids from food. Any unmetabolized triglycerides are bound to carrier proteins or lipoprotein complexes and become part of the total body lipoprotein pool.
It is important to note that the amount of triglycerides released after an UltraShape procedure is very small relative to the body’s capacity to handle lipids, and that no changes in serum lipids were observed in clinical studies. In fact, results from UltraShape’s peer-reviewed published multi-center controlled clinical study and other independent clinical series have shown that the released triglycerides do not accumulate to a clinically significant extent in the blood or liver.
