If you’ve Googled, “how to lose belly fat in Jacksonville,” you’ve probably already discovered that fat around the stomach can be stubborn! Even if you’ve completely changed your diet or have tried all the workouts in the world, belly fat can often be unresponsive to weight loss efforts.
If stomach fat has gotten in the way of your self-confidence, weight loss injections followed by a fat transfer could be the solution you’ve been searching for. By combining these treatments, you can achieve significant weight loss and transfer leftover fat in the stomach to other areas of the body.
Keep reading this blog to learn how weight loss injections and a fat transfer can help you create your best body yet. Ready to speak with one of our surgeons? Visit our website or give our team a call to learn more about your options.
Why is belly fat so stubborn?
If you feel like you’ve put on weight around your midsection as you’ve gotten older but can’t figure out why, you’re not alone!
For many women, gaining belly fat is a common side effect of menopause, the stage in a woman’s life when her periods stop permanently. During this time of lower estrogen levels, fat storage begins favoring the upper body over the hips and thighs. These changes can make your waistline larger and your favorite jeans a little tighter.
Calories consumed and burned each day can also dictate the amount of belly fat you have. As we get older and our schedules get busier, it can become difficult to squeeze in time for physical activity. But when you regularly eat and drink more calories than you burn through exercise, it’s easier to gain weight around your stomach.
The Ultimate Treatment Combination
At Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates, our experts recommend using weight loss injections followed by a fat transfer as a solution for how to lose belly fat in Jacksonville. When combined, these methods can completely transform the shape of your body.
It’s important to note that this recommendation depends entirely on each patient’s unique circumstances. Some individuals may only need semaglutide injections to achieve their wellness and aesthetic goals. Other patients may desire a fat transfer once they reach a stable weight to add volume to other areas of the body.
Weight Loss Injections
Though significant weight loss is difficult to achieve, weight loss injections like semaglutide can make the process easier!
Semaglutide is an FDA-approved injectable used for type 2 diabetes and blood sugar management. In more recent years, doctors have begun prescribing semaglutide to help overweight and obese individuals lose weight and keep it off for good.
Injections like semaglutide work as a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, which mimics the hormone released from the small intestine in response to eating.
When used for diabetes management, GLP-1 prompts the body to produce more insulin and regulate blood sugar levels. But when used in higher amounts for weight management, GLP-1s work to suppress appetite and cue fullness signals in the brain.
Everyone’s semaglutide journey is different, but most patients can expect to be on medical weight loss injections for a minimum of 12 to 24 months. However, many see results within 4 to 5 months, making semaglutide a great solution for how to lose weight in Jacksonville.
In addition to semaglutide, we also offer tirzepatide injections for all your weight loss needs.
Semaglutide and tirzepatide both serve as GLP-1 receptor agonists that reduce blood sugar levels and curb overeating habits. The main difference between the two is that tirzepatide also serves as a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). For this reason, tirzepatide acts as an additional catalyst for enhanced weight loss results.
You and your provider will discuss which weight loss injection is right for you during your initial consultation.
Who’s a good candidate for weight loss injections?
At Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates, we recommend weight loss injections to patients who are overweight, obese, or have a weight-related medical condition. We also recommend them to patients who have been unable to achieve significant weight loss through traditional methods alone.
Though weight loss injections are an effective option for many patients who want to lose weight, we suggest avoiding semaglutide if you have a history of medullary thyroid cancer, gallbladder disease, or pancreatitis.
Fat Transfer
As an additional solution for how to eliminate belly fat in Jacksonville, your provider may recommend a fat transfer.
A fat transfer is a minimally invasive procedure that uses liposuction to take fat from one part of your body and inject it into another. Also referred to as fat grafting or lipofilling, a fat transfer often removes fat from the belly, hips, and thighs and uses it to:
- Create higher cheekbones
- Fill in wrinkles
- Enhance your hourglass shape
- Augment your breasts
- Increase the size of your buttocks
- Reduce wrinkles on your hands
- Add volume to your lips
Losing a significant amount of weight in a short period of time can also make a person’s face appear thinner or more sunken. In this case, a fat transfer can add volume to depleted areas for a fuller, livelier glow.
It’s important to note that a fat transfer is not a weight loss procedure, which is why we recommend them for patients at a healthy, stable weight. Fat transfers also create subtle enhancements, so it’s important to enter your procedure with realistic expectations.
Who’s a good candidate for a fat transfer?
The best candidates for a fat transfer are close to their ideal weight but need an extra push to eliminate stubborn areas of fat. You must also be in good health and able to stop smoking if you haven’t already.
In order to have a fat transfer, you need to have enough fat on your body to add volume to your desired area. For example, a patient wanting to increase the size of their buttocks would need more fat than someone who wants to enhance their lips.
The Weight Loss Injections + Fat Transfer Process
At Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates, our team is dedicated to helping you feel like the most confident version of yourself. Whether that looks like creating a weight loss injection plan that’s tailored to your wellness needs or performing a fat transfer to reshape your body, we’re here to support you through every step.
Here’s what you can expect when you choose our experts to create your best body yet:
Weight Loss Injection Consultation
Your weight loss and body contouring journey at Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates will begin with a comprehensive consultation with one of our licensed medical professionals.
At this appointment, you’ll have the opportunity to meet your provider and describe your weight loss goals. Your provider will also ask about your medical history, medications you’re taking, and any previous weight loss attempts.
From there, you and your provider will develop your personalized weight loss plan and determine proper semaglutide or tirzepatide dosages.
Weight Loss Injection Treatment
As your next step in determining how to lose belly fat in Jacksonville, you’ll visit our office on a weekly basis for your semaglutide or tirzepatide injections.
At each appointment, your provider will clean the injection site, which may be under the skin of your upper thigh, in your stomach area, or upper arm, and administer your chosen weight loss medication.
Common side effects of weight loss injections include:
- Diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Stomach pain
- Vomiting
Be sure to notify your provider if any of these side effects become more severe.
Fat Transfer Consultation
If you’re still dealing with a few pounds of stubborn belly fat after reaching a stable weight with weight loss injections, your provider may suggest a fat transfer as your solution for how to lose belly fat in Jacksonville.
Much like your consultation for weight loss injections, you and your provider will discuss the areas you would like to enhance and any conditions you have that may complicate the fat transfer process. You will then work together to create a procedure plan that addresses your wellness and aesthetic goals.
Fat Transfer Procedure
On the day of your fat transfer procedure, you’ll be given IV anesthesia to minimize pain and discomfort. We may administer general anesthesia if you are enhancing a larger area of the body or are undergoing multiple procedures at the same time.
During your procedure, your surgeon will first make a small incision in your stomach area. They will then insert the liposuction cannula to remove any excess fat.
The fat will then be placed in a centrifuge to be cleaned and purified before being injected into your treatment area. We may also massage your treatment area to make sure the fat is distributed evenly.
Fat Transfer Recovery
After your procedure, we’ll provide a detailed recovery guide to support optimal healing. It’s also important to take pain relievers and attend all follow-up appointments according to your post-care instructions.
We suggest avoiding exercise and strenuous activities in the 6 weeks following your procedure. If you have any questions about alcohol and tobacco consumption after surgery, we recommend consulting your provider.
Book Your Weight Loss + Fat Transfer Consultation
At Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates, we believe every patient deserves to look and feel their best every day–regardless of stubborn stomach fat. If you’ve been Googling, “how to lose belly fat in Jacksonville,” but haven’t come up with realistic results, weight loss injections followed by a fat transfer could be the solution you’ve been searching for.
Your journey of creating your best body starts here. Visit our website to schedule your initial appointment.
Want to take a deep dive into all things semaglutide and our weight loss clinic? Head over to our latest blog posts for more information.
