Surely, there ought to be better alternatives to traditional liposuction, SmartLipo, dieting, or gastric bypass surgery.

Why does it have to be so hard to lose that nagging extra weight?

In fact, some people claim that there are much better alternatives out there.

I have met several people who swear by something called mesotherapy.

It costs almost twice as much as liposuction, but hey, if it has no adverse health effects – comes from a cool place (France) and there is no post-procedural recovery period – this might be it.

Mesotherapy even tackles the “holly grail” of weight loss – spot reduction. Isn’t it the coolest thing ever? It sure sounds good, but how does it really work?

The theory goes that it is possible to target the distribution and ratio of fat receptors in your body, which allegedly opens a door to spot reduction. But to achieve this, they inject a cocktail of various substances in the skin layer.

One obvious problem with this procedure is that they inject you with unproven substances ranging from drugs to dubious sounding medicines.

Endermologie is another popular procedure with a promise to reduce cellulite, eliminate toxins, and spot reduce problem areas of your body.

A hand-held device is used to stimulate the skin to release toxins and according to the claims, this procedure reduces the appearance of cellulite. It is a non-invasive procedure, no injections or anything like that.

Theoretically, endermologie prevents fat storage and promotes fat loss. Incidentally, these procedures have no legitimate scientific studies to back up their claims.

Nevertheless, inquiring minds want to know, is all hope lost now? Perhaps not.

According to a number of prominent plastic surgeons, the basic ultrasound holds the most promise. An Israeli company called UltraShape, has developed a non-invasive, ultrasound procedure to combat those stubborn fat cells.

The machine itself is an ultrasound transducer that obliterates fat cells without a thermal damage. It also doubles as an ultrasound guidance system, which enables precise targeting of fat deposits.

At 120K apiece, it seems unlikely I will be throwing UltraShape induced fat busting parties in my backyard any time soon.

However, if your physician has UltraShape machine, and you happen to have about 30 Franklins lying around, the company claims you could see one inch of fat disappear from a single session.

According to the company, UltraShape’s technology is pending FDA approval; they are also working on spot reduction of cellulite deposits. Keep in mind, though, that “pending FDA approval” does not mean that the procedure is actually effective.