It has been well established of the known deep emotional scars carried by gyno patients. The struggle with self-consciousness can generate anxiety and stress.
April 11, 2024
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The sun’s out. It’s a beautiful day. However, your self-consciousness is stopping you from reaching for that short, fluttery skirt or bikini. Whether it’s fat thighs, pigmentation or rashes from thigh chafing, saddlebags, ‘kninkles’, excess knee fat, or other equally delightful dilemmas, most of us have something we would like to change about our legs.
Here’s why these issues shouldn’t be ignored – and how we can liberate our legs before the year is out!
Problem #1: Stubborn inner thigh fat and thigh chafing
Fat is an important connective tissue. It’s necessary for sustaining life and organ protection. Adipocytes, also known as fat cells, are the cells that store energy as fat. In adulthood, we generally have a consistent number of fat cells; the number of fat cells remains regardless of weight loss or weight gain – what is lost or gained is actually the energy that is stored in the adipocytes. If we gain weight, the fat cells expand. When we lose weight, they shrink.
Where you store excess fat is very much determined by your genes. Women usually store excess fat in their belly, hips, buttocks and thighs. Excess fat accumulation may lead to chronic health conditions and reduced quality of life. In addition, fat thighs may affect our self-confidence, limiting our clothing choices and hindering us from being adventurous with dressing up (in that pair of stylish summer shorts, for example).
Also, if you have excess fat on inner thighs, you’ll know it can lead to thigh chafing; it’s not the most pleasant of experiences. Thigh chafing usually comes with redness, a burning sensation, a flat rash and even blister-like boils. And healing comes with a different problem: itchiness! Brown spots may start to appear on your inner thighs if they frequently chafe. These form each time your skin heals.
Continuous thigh chafing damages your skin and makes it prone to hyperpigmentation. Wearing thin leggings or fabrics that don’t absorb enough moisture often doesn’t help stop thigh chafing. Moisture can get trapped between skin folds and cause chafing too.
Problem #2: Kninkles and knee fat
The term ‘kninkles’ may be relatively unheard of in Singapore but it’s not something new. It developed when Hollywood stars – who are always closely scrutinised for their looks – were reported to be experiencing knee wrinkles, or kninkles, as they became known. However, with the advancement of modern technologies, signs of skin ageing and excess fat can be treated successfully; this includes body parts that show more subtle (yet still age-betraying) signs like the hands and neck too.
Ageing is an inevitable life process; as our skin starts to sag, collagen breaks down and muscle density reduces. The good news is that excess knee fat and saggy skin with kninkles can be treated effectively via non-invasive or surgical interventions.
Problem #3: Saddlebags
No, these aren’t the latest ‘It’ accessories! We’re talking about excess fat deposits on your outer thighs. They’re generally found on women with pear-shaped bodies who are heavier on the lower bottom, and it can also be hereditary. In addition, oestrogen in women triggers fat accumulation around the abdomen, along with the thighs, which commonly happens during pregnancy.
Saddlebags are pretty hard to hide or lose, and in many cases are very dimpled. And they can prevent us from wearing a lot of different clothes and styles.
So how to lose fat thighs and get legs that we’ll love?
Exercise can only do so much – as evidenced by the number of marathon runners and athletes who still experience thighs with no gaps and/or saddlebags. When exercise and diet don’t work, there is now a permanent and effective solution: Liposuction with MDC-Sculpt Lipo technique.
“Most people may think that thigh liposuction is just bulk removal of fat — straightforward and easy to treat, but it is certainly not!” says Dr Ivan Puah, an MOH-accredited liposuction doctor in Singapore, and Chairman of the Lipo Peer Review Committee Singapore. “The bone structure and musculature of lower limbs, especially the inner thighs, poses a challenge for liposuction doctors. I take into consideration the presence of cellulite and loose skin, the amount of fat present, and the overall body shape of the patient when I’m doing a liposuction procedure, as not paying attention to any one of these will inevitably affect the outcome of the procedure.”
Dr Puah is an advocate in providing customised body sculpting plans for each of his patients. No one person has the same body shape as another; therefore, the cookie-cutter style of liposuction will not reap good results. He believes that body contouring surgery is 70% art and 30% science. Having the relevant medical know-how is insufficient. A good liposuction doctor needs to have an acute knowledge of anatomy, a keen aesthetic sense and an artistic flair with his surgical tools.
It’s this that led him to innovate the unique body sculpting method called MDC-Sculpt Lipo technique. This proprietary surgical approach targets bulky fat removal, sculpts the body and stimulates collagen production that simultaneously firm up loose skin. His incision sites are also strategic as Dr Ivan Puah will ensure the scar is hidden or barely visible. Unwanted fat deposits will be permanently and safely removed, and the end results are immediate, with natural-looking contours.
Dr Ivan Puah, liposuction doctor in Singapore
Liposuction isn’t a one-size-fits-all treatment – so finding the right doctor is paramount. Before you schedule an appointment for liposuction in Singapore, it’s crucial to source for credible, experienced and accredited liposuction doctors by the Ministry of Health Singapore. Of course, finding a liposuction doctor in Singapore with an artistic sense is a bonus!
Dr Ivan Puah has over 20 years of clinical practice, more than 15 years of which was spent in aesthetic medicine performing FDA-approved injectables, skin lasers and body sculpting procedures. He has received hands-on training in surgical body sculpting in the US and Italy, including in 4D Liposuction (Hi-Definition Lipo) and gynecomastia surgery. Dr Puah takes consultation with patients very seriously and thoroughly; his aim is to genuinely listen and address any concerns and anxieties they have. Patients like his bedside manner, friendly deposition, professionalism and high ethical standards.
