You can diet; you can run round the block, you can wear out the stair machine at the gym. And some areas of fat still refuse to budge. On your tummy, on your hips – or those stubborn ‘saddlebags’ – some parts of your body just won’t do as they’re told.

Traditionally many women resorted to liposuction to solve these problems: the trouble was, liposuction needed a general anaesthetic and an overnight stay in hospital. Then along came some new techniques – ‘Smart Lipo’ and ‘Liposonix.’ They were less invasive and broke down the fat – but they didn’t actually remove the fat from your body.

Fortunately, there’s now Laser Liposuction. At last, a technique that only needs a local anaesthetic, that doesn’t mean an overnight stay in hospital, that’s perfect for smaller, more intricate areas of your body – and that actually removes the fat from your body. It’s safe, the recovery time is quick – and the results can be amazing.

Laser Liposuction is performed by making tiny incisions in the skin – no more than two or three millimetres. The laser is then used to break down the fat cells. Think of the fat being ‘melted’ so it can easily be removed from the body. That’s done by inserting a fine cannula into the same incision. Once the fat’s out (and it’s not unusual to remove up to a litre of fat!) the laser is re-introduced to stimulate skin contracting and tightening – lead to a great final result.

After the procedure you’ll want to relax for a while, but you’ll be able to go back to normal life the next day. There may be some bruising or swelling for a while, and it’s advisable to wear something tight on the affected area for around a week. Assuming your job isn’t too physically demanding, you won’t need more than a couple of days off work.