Flávia starts my lipocavitation – with a smile!

I love a good body treatment but I usually have face ones more often. When I was invited by Flávia Azevedo at Body Wise Clinic to sample one of theirs I was chuffed – it seemed she read my mind, as I have been retaining a lot of liquid, and feeling a bit puffed up after changing medication.

The clinic is located in one of the business units above shops on the Queensway, a super central and easily accessible location. The petite clinic, pretty much the treatment room itself, is very clean and comfortable and the calming ambiance felt miles away from the bustle of the main road.

Flávia suggested the lipocavitation, a treatment known as the “non-invasive liposuction”. The machine has metallic pads like an ultrasound one, and it works pretty much the same way: by emitting strong sound waves that reaches the fat layer, breaking down the fatty structures into a something that our bodies can absorb and use as energy. Nice eh?

There are a few contra-indications to this treatment; those suffering from  fatty liver disease, some types of cancer, decompensated diabetes, high blood fat, renal insuffiency or women wearing copper IUD (for stomach treatments) should not do it, so Flávia asks about all these conditions beforehand.

She recommends that you follow some rules to maximise the treatment, such as not eating for an hour before and after the treatment, avoid alcohol during the treatment, especially 24 hours after (as the fat is processed by the liver) and not to wash the area at least for an hour after treatment, so the products can keep working.

Lipocavitation in progress

And it goes on….

After lipocativation and radio-frequency

The machine!

Metal pads

Warming product

Little roller used during the massage

Some of the products used by Flávia, all from Brazil

My measurements, before and after!

She first asked what area concerned me the most in my body. After marking the region to be treated, I stepped onto the treatment bed for a real treat. She applied a warming product to the marked area, then a gel (similar to ultrasound gel). There is a discreet noise and you feel a tiny bit of vibration while she works the area. This goes on for 5 minutes on each treated area. After that, she applied radio-frequency for 10 minutes, which heats up the skin’s deeper layers, aiding tightening. After the treatment, the area feels quite warm and the skin goes slightly red and a tiny bit itchy from the all the stimulation, but it is nothing uncomfortable.

Flávia will recommend a tailored treatment to suit your needs, depending on how much and where you want to see reduction. Usually, a couple sessions a week are recommended, as well as a minimum of 48 hours between sessions, for better results. The typical measurement reduction is of about 0.5 to 1 cm per session; legs and waist areas usually show better results, with loss in arms being less.

After that, I had a great lymphatic drainage massage. This is no ordinary massage – it is a gentle, rhythmic massage to push the toxins and fat broken down by the previous procedure towards the lymph-nodes and subsequently into the blood stream, to be eliminated by the body. It is very good for circulation and those suffering from “heavy legs”; it also helps diminish the appearance of cellulite.

Following that, an “aesthetical massage”, which works at a fat level and not muscle. It is worth remembering that this massage does not eliminate fat, but helps to smooth the skin appearance and shape the body by helping to eliminate liquids retention.

I really like that Flávia explained the procedures and what I would feel in detail, so there were no surprises. She told me about the main benefits, touched on secondary benefits but she didn’t create false expectations; many times she mentioned that measuring takes place before the course of treatments, in the middle and at the end, not after very session not to create anxiety. I asked her to measure me… and the reduction was, amazingly, more than 2 cm from one of the measured areas (and about 1 in others)!!!!

At the moment, there is a promotion until the end of May; six 30 minute lipocavitation sessions for £120. The normal price per session is £40.
For the all over the body (not face) lymphatic drainage massage, a single 50 minute sessions costs £40, but packages are available, at £175 for five sessions.

BodyWise Clinic is located at 54 Queensway, London, phone number 078 6831 9584 . You can get more information about the range treatments and the team on their website. You can also buy their treatments at Wahanda.