Most of us know them as well as the back of our hands, but love handles can be a real source of stress and misery when it comes to the way your body looks. Defined as any excess fat around a person’s waistline, love handles can be the most stubborn areas of fat to get rid of or even tone down.

What causes love handles?

A person’s love handles are primarily caused by fat retention around the stomach and hips. These are caused by fat cells which are made when the body consumes more calories than it burns off.

For women, the fat is more likely to accumulate around the hips, bottom and thighs because of the way our bodies develop through puberty. However, love handles can also be formed through hormone changes, age, sleep deprivation or a condition that can slow down your metabolism. Though they aren’t dangerous in themselves, being overweight can pose serious health risks, including raising blood pressure and cholesterol, contributing to breathing issues or causing cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

What can I do?

There are a variety of treatments you can undergo to reduce the appearance of love handles and over time, shrink them so that your body forms a more natural, smooth shape. These should be undertaken alongside a healthy and active lifestyle formed of a balanced diet and regular exercise - but this alone can still make the fat difficult to shift. Treatments that have many women singing their praises include CoolTech - the process of freezing and destroying stubborn fat cells - and Velashape, a contouring treatment designed to tone the body and reduce the appearance of cellulite.

What do these treatments do?

Velashape and CoolTech both target stubborn areas where fat can accumulate on the body, especially around the buttocks, arms, hips and stomach. Both are non-surgical treatments that have minimal side effects. The one key difference? One freezes the fat cells, the other uses ultrasound technology to stimulate collagen to tighten the skin.

Combined with diet and regular workouts, these treatments could give you quick, stunning results without having to resort surgery. Say goodbye to those love handles! Get in touch with us on 04 343 7987 for more information.