Lipolysis vs adipolysis: what is the difference?

Adipolysis vs lipolysis. Or fat cell reduction vs fat molecule reduction.

• Adipolysis, lipolysis and cellulite/fat reduction treatments

• What is lipolysis?

• What is adipolysis?

• Both adipolysis and lipolysis lead to fat loss / cellulite reduction

• Fat cells can fill with new fat and new fat cells can be born in a tissue…

• Have a skin cellulite treatment in London with the cellulite experts

Adipolysis, lipolysis and cellulite/fat reduction

You may have seen the terms adipolysis and lipolysis in marketing blurb of different fat/cellulite reduction treatments or even in scientific literature.

And you may have correctly got the general impression that they both mean fat loss. But if they both mean fat reduction, why the two different words?

The answer is because those two words mean actually two different things, that both end up in fat reduction.

What is lipolysis?

Lipolysis refers to the breakdown of triglycerides in adipocytes (fat cells) into free fatty acids and their consequent release out of the fat cell.

Lipolysis is essential for fat reduction and it occurs:

• Either when there is negative calorie balance in the body (due to us dieting or exercising)

• Or when we receive a good cellulite / fat reduction treatment that stimulates lipolysis (rare but they exist)

• Or when we apply a good cellulite cream (very rare too, but they exist)

What is adipolysis?

Adipolysis refers to fat cell death. This can be:

• Either adipocyte apoptosis, i.e. early fat cel death

• Or adipocyte necrosis, i.e. fat cell damage

Adipocyte apoptosis occurs with treatments that stimulate fat cells to die, without damaging any other tissue (the safe way). Examples of such treatments include deep-acting, high-power radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation.

Adipocyte necrosis occurs with treatments that actually cause tissue damage and together with fat cells they also kill all other cells and damage all other tissues in the vicinity (the stupid/unsafe way). Examples of such treatments include HIFU and RF microneedling at extreme, very painful intensities (non-painful, non-extreme HIFU / RF microneedling achieve nothing).

Both adipolysis and lipolysis lead to fat loss / cellulite reduction

So lipolysis means fat molecule movement out of a fat cell that leads to the shrinking of the fat cell and consequent fat loss on that area.

Adipolysis means the death of the fat cell, either safe and gradual or abrupt and unsafe. This is also leads to fat loss on that area.

A good, safe treatment, responsibly applied, should stimulate both lipolysis and adipolysis.

Of course, if someone reverts to positive calorie balance after cellulite / fat reduction, fat cells can absorb new fat from the bloodstream, leading to new cellulite / fat accumulation in that area.

Plus, a positive calorie balance will also lead to new fat cells being born in the area, to accommodate the extra calories.

Fat cells can fill with new fat and new fat cells can be born in a tissue…

…so stay active and eat healthy after a fat/cellulite reduction treatment or surgery.

If someone (anyone, even a plastic surgeon) tells you that fat cells can never regrow in an area after a treatment or lipo surgery (even if you overeat) they simply lie to you, taking advantage of the public’s ignorance of adipose tissue physiology.

Keep this in mind to protect yourself from BS in the future.

Your welcome :)

Have a skin cellulite treatment in London with the cellulite experts

At LipoTherapeia we have specialised 100% in skin tightening and cellulite reduction for more than two decades and 20,000+ sessions.

This is all we study and practise every day and have researched and tried hands-on all the important skin tightening equipment and their manufacturers.

As strong, deep acting radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the technologies of choice for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, we have invested in the best RF/ultrasound technologies in the world.

Furthermore, over the last two decades we have developed advanced RF and cavitation treatment protocols in order to make the most of our technologies, for maximum results, naturally and safely.

Our radiofrequency/ultrasound treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, microneedling-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.

And our focus is on honest, realistic, science-based treatment, combined with caring, professional service, with a smile.

We will be pleased to see you, assess your cellulite, skin laxity or fibrosis, listen to your story, discuss your case and offer you the best possible treatment.

Learn more or check prices and book an expert treatment at our London clinic (49 Marylebone High Street, W1)