Winning Combination

Created on 15th May 2009

A bumlift is now possible by utilising two of the newest treatments to hit the market: Vaser High Def and Macrolane. Dr Mike Comins of the Hans Place Practice is the doctor pioneering this new procedure

Kate Winslet claims she gets hers through 20 minutes of pilates every day and Kylie's perfect peach is a result of roller skating, but if you've tried everything to reclaim your rear then a combination of two groundbreaking treatments could be the answer.

Traditionally, the options available for women who wished to get a new shape were very extreme. Liposuction can be quite a brutal procedure, performed under general anaesthetic, often causing major bruising and swelling and necessitating a lengthy period of recovery. Another option - if loss of fullness is an issue - are expensive bottom implants, rather like breast implants, that involve saline pouches of various sizes being inserted into the bottom cheeks.

Dr Mike Comins of the Hans Place Practice in Knightsbridge sees many women seeking the perfect bottom and he is now able to offer them an alternative by combining Macrolane, an injectable body shaping gel, and Vaser High Def, the next generation of Vaser technology, which allows the practitioner to literally sculpt bodies.

"Men are quite straightforward to treat," Dr Comins explains. "There is an accepted body shape that all men aspire to - the Greek god look - whereas for women there are many different body shapes out there. Women come in various shape and sizes and what we call an ‘ideal female shape' differs in people's minds but they are all beautiful in their own right.

"This can range from the more voluptuous J.Lo look, through Kate Winslet's rounded but pert shape through to a more athletic look sported by women such as Kelly Holmes."

The starting point, in Dr Comins' eyes is always the patient's frame. "It would look wrong to have a patient who has a lovely curvy Kate Winslet shape and carve a skinny up and down bottom and at the same time if you have a patient who is very lean and give her too curvaceous a bum then she won't look in balance," he explains.

However, once the patient has made her mind up about what shape she desires then the possibilities of this combined procedure are endless.

Vaser High Def explained
Vaser is an ultrasound assisted liposuction procedure which represents a new revolution in fat removal and body sculpting. This technology is able to isolate solely fat cells and not the surrounding tissue and selectively emulsifies this fatty tissue which is then removed.

Dr Comins is the first practitioner in the UK to offer Vaser High Def, the next level of this new technology, and he is really happy with the results he can now offer patients. "Traditional liposuction is just not precise enough - it is very crude and you are never going to get a sculpted look. With liposuction you can never get too close to the skin because you are left with irregularities and lumps so it is only the deep fat that you can work on, whereas with the Vaser High Def system you can literally sculpt the body."

Macrolane explained
Implants now have competition from Macrolane for women who want increased shape and not just in the breasts. Macrolane is an injectable gel substance made from hyaluronic acid.

As Dr Comins details: "In other parts of the world where Macrolane is not yet licensed, practitioners are often injecting the patient's own fat into the buttocks to get shape, but it doesn't always stay in the correct place, can break down very quickly, become nodular and uneven and the results vary from patient to patient. I think Macrolane definitely has the edge in body shaping."

The bumlift
The first part of the procedure is the Vaser High Def; under mild sedation the Vaser breaks down the fat and then a very thin suction canula sucks out the bulk of the fat. By applying different pressure on different parts of the body it is possible to bring out the muscles and shape the body as the patient desires.

"For a Lopez or Winslet bum, I'd take out the fat with Vaser lipo and then create volume by injecting Macrolane into the upper buttocks to define the curve. For a really muscular toned look the Vaser High Def can take it in very tight around the buttocks, around the waist and on the inner and outer thighs. In both cases you take the crease up a couple of centimetres and then volume is put into the upper area with Macrolane.

"The procedure would take about two and a half hours and the two treatments work beautifully together," Dr Comins concludes.

The perfect candidate
One of Dr Comins most recent patients is the popstar, Toyah Willcox, who has been very vocal at how happy she is with the procedure. She represents the perfect candidate - women who are within their ideal body weight, who are healthy and fit but want to restore what they had when diet and exercise no longer do the trick.

This winning combination of two revolutionary treatments proves that it is possible to reclaim your rear.
CS&AM