SIPS

LESS IS MORE

o, how does simply removing fat take weight off and actually keep it off? Here’s the concept: Adipose tissue functions as an important endocrine organ in your body, meaning that it produces cellular messengers that are responsible for metabolism and appetite, known as adipokines. The more fat cells you have, the more adipokines you produce. If you produce too many, this can create a harmful imbalance in your body.

Excess abdominal fat is strongly associated with high blood sugar and insulin levels, harmful cholesterol levels, and inflammation—conditions that can increase the risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and even some forms of cancer. What’s worse: Excess adipokines can actually make you gain more weight through their effects on important hormones like leptin, cortisol, and insulin.

Another way that fat begets fat is through environmental toxins stored within the fat cells. Dr. Paula BaillieHamilton was the first researcher to suggest that low-level exposure to environmental toxins has poundpromoting effects. Coined obesogens, these chemicals interfere with fat metabolism in a way that promotes obesity. Substances that we are exposed to everyday like plastics, pesticides, metals, and fire retardants can mimic or interfere with the function of hormones in our body. They can increase the number or size of fat cells, and they also affect the hormones responsible for controlling appetite.

Environmental toxins are just that— toxins—that can cause many health problems in addition to obesity. Your body stores these substances in fat but they are released in small quantities over time. Your body doesn’t have the ability to readily breakdown these chemicals to rid them from your body.

The theory is if the subcutaneous fat is removed, then these weight-gaining chemicals will be removed with it. This may help with weight loss as well as overall health. The idea of liposuction offering health benefits is still a new and somewhat controversial idea because liposuction was developed to improve body image, and not health. The plastic surgery literature states that liposuction is not a weight-loss procedure and that it should be reserved for patients with a BMI less than 25. But, why?

Then, of course there is the social bias that overweight people should simply eat less and exercise more, and that this would solve their weight problems. However, this ignores the emerging

one of the more innovative thoughts on obesity is to remove the fat via liposuction

science supporting that having excess fat is a self-propagating condition.

There are numerous studies citing the many beneficial effects of subcutaneous fat removal. In the British Journal of Plastic Surgery, researchers evaluated insulin sensitivity and inflammatory blood markers in 30 obese women before and after liposuction procedures. When compared to baseline values, liposuction was associated with reductions in body weight, insulin sensitivity, and inflammatory blood values associated with cardiovascular and metabolic conditions.

A study published in the journal Aesthetic Plastic Surgery noted a group of physicians who decided to determine the effect of liposuction on type 2 diabetes based on their patients’ experiences and results. They found that patients who were obese and had serial liposuction treatments noted a substantial decrease in body fat as well as decreased appetite. This was further substantiated by a decrease in blood sugar levels in these patients of 18 percent as well as a drop in HbA1c (a marker for diabetes) of 2.3 percent.

healththe skinny

SENSIBLY SLIM

r. Eric Swanson of the Swanson Center for Cosmetic & Laser Surgery in Leawood, Kansas, published groundbreaking evidence of the effects of liposuction and health. The study measured triglyceride levels and cholesterol levels in 322 patients undergoing liposuction. Patients whose triglyceride levels were elevated pre-surgery experienced a 43 percent average reduction in triglyceride levels post-surgery. The study also found that white blood cell counts decreased an average of 11 percent post-liposuction. Elevated white blood cell counts are associated with inflammation linked to heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

This study further supports the theory that removing subcutaneous fat influences metabolic conditions, and therefore can positively affect the myriad medical maladies that obesity causes. Liposuction is currently the most popular cosmetic surgery in the U.S. It requires little down time and has proven safe and effective. More recently it is being considered as an adjunct to weight loss as well as a means to improve overall health. It will still be necessary for patients to commit to a healthy lifestyle, but it may be easier with immediate improvement in body image and fewer adipokines and toxins impeding progress.

men ’ snews

EAU DE HOMME, STYLE IN A FLASH, & LL COOL J FREEZES TIME

SPEEDY STYLE IN A FLASH Jon Ruti is the founder of New York City-based Rivay, a new clothing company inspired by motorsports. Racing has a storied style heritage—Steve McQueen and Paul Newman were both avid racers—and we love Ruti’s classic take on gearhead culture. NEW YOU: How would you sum up the Rivay aesthetic? JON RUTI: It’s rugged and masculine, but refined where it counts. NY: How did you curate the line’s launch? JR: I couldn’t find good outerwear that looked natural in my transition from job to weekend adventures. A well-tailored jacket will always carry the day. NY: What makes car-culture clothing so timeless? JR: We use traditional materials like waxed cotton, English wool, Italian linen, and Japanese cotton. They’re functional, luxurious, and stood the test of time, protecting generations of fishermen, hunters, soldiers, and adventurers.

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THE PERCENTAGE OF AMERICAN MEN WHO FOREGO COLOGNE. SOURCE: 2013 NDP GROUP, INC., STUDY ON THE U.S. FRAGRANCE INDUSTRY

The Smell of Success

A man’s signature scent need not be relegated to his neck or wrist— or any body part. Renowned Parisian perfumer Francis Kurkdjian has extended his perfume house’s reach into suit pockets across the world with a line of scented business card holders, crafted with the help of famous French saddle-maker Atelier Renard.

BEV BOOST

Forget matcha—the next nutrientpacked pick-me-up is Guayusa (gwhy-you-sa), a naturally caffeinated Amazonian leaf sold as tea and in energy drinks, with 15 essential amino acids, twice the antioxidants of green tea, and heart healthy chlorogenic acids.

Love for Leica

There’s no art form so tied to its attendant materiel as photography, which makes the debut of the stunning Leica Q ($4,250, us.leica-camera.com) so exciting for shutterbugs of every skill level. Iconic name aside, the compact fi xed-lens digital camera boasts impressive specs, like a 24MP full-frame sensor, massive electronic viewfi nder, and auto-focusing 28mm f/1.7 lens—all packaged with the same minimalist, form-followingfunction aesthetic that helped make the German company a household name.