or

Sun, February 1, 2004

Technique appeals to variety of people

By Katie Chalmers

It's not only people with too much money and not enough motivation to shed pounds the old-fashioned way who resort to cosmetic procedures. In fact, Dr. Roman Chubaty, who performs fat-melting mesotherapy at a Winnipeg clinic, said many of his clients are devoted athletes who just can't get rid of lingering fat. A bodybuilder and a tennis instructor are among Chubaty's clients undergoing treatment for love handles.

"Fat happens," he said with a chuckle. "From the ballerina to the guy running a marathon."

Career women in their early-to-mid-30s who don't want the hassle of booking time off work to recover from operations make up the majority of the clientele for non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

"That's what drives the market," said Chubaty's colleague, Dr. Anthony Lockwood.

The injections, followed by a shot of vitamin B-12 to speed up metabolism, take about five minutes and offer an alternative to liposuction. "It's lunch-time lypo," said Lockwood's wife, Mindy, who has aspirations of getting into hip hugger pants and got injections in her sides.

Liposuction lures mostly age 40-plus mothers, whose skin has been stretched and damaged by having kids and spending too much time in the sun, Lockwood said. Those same women -- and men -- are now looking at mesotherapy.

"You'd be surprised how many men out there are vain," said Chubaty, who dropped one pant size by using mesotherapy.

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/WinnipegSun/News/2004/02/01/332034.html