SculpSure for the flanks and love handles in London

The flanks, the love handles, have their own trial behind the US clearance, 49 people with the fat layer 13% thinner at twelve weeks after one treatment, and the MRI study that gives the "24%" figure people quote. The applicators are fitted over each side on a belt, both flanks in one 25-minute cycle, with normal activities straight away. Every treatment is led by Dr Marie Duggan, GMC 7488383, at Sculpsure Clinic, 8 Devonshire Place, London, W1G 6HP, with the price in writing at a free consultation.

What it does on the flanks

The laser heats the fat layer at the side of the waist to the temperature at which fat cells break down, with contact cooling on the skin. The body clears the cells over the following weeks, so the love handle reduces by a measured fraction of its fat layer. It does not tighten loose skin and it is not weight loss; in our practice the flanks are usually treated with the abdomen in one plan, and the clinician plans the applicators at the consultation.

What the studies measured

• Flanks, 49 people (the trial behind the 2015 clearance): the fat layer 13% thinner at twelve weeks after one treatment.
• Flanks, MRI, six people (2017): average fat volume reduction of 24% at three months and 21% at six, an average change in fat volume rather than a share of cells destroyed.
• Satisfaction: 83 to 98% across the body trials, which are the maker's studies.

The session and after

The applicators fitted over each flank, the cycle of 25 minutes, hot with cooling running throughout and the energy adjusted with you. Red and warm afterwards, then tenderness, swelling or a firm feeling for one to three weeks, with normal activities throughout. The result shows from about six weeks and is best at about twelve, when we photograph the area in our practice. The side effects page has the other risks.

Who it suits

In our practice, an adult close to the weight they want with a stubborn bulge at the flanks, a BMI of 30 or less, and the patience for a result that shows over weeks. Your clinician checks your suitability at the consultation. The abdomen page covers the area treated with the flanks most often, and the full guide the rest.