At Physician Skin Solutions, we want to help you be the best that you can be both inside and out.  Along with all of our  skin repair and enhancement treatments, we also offer weight management protocols that include the use of the popular HCG diet.

The HCG diet is actually an older protocol of weight loss and management.  Dr Simeon first introduced the diet in his book released in 1971, however its history dates back to the 1950’s.  The HCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin which is a hormone produced by the placenta during pregnancy.  During pregnancy the substance almost completely controls a woman’s metabolic functions.  This hormone is however found in very high levels in a pregnant female and its therapeutic uses in weight loss and management are in no way even close to these level.  Other medical uses for HCG include infertility and delayed development in boys.   HCG works on the hypothalamus to release fat stores and adjust metabolic rate.  The HCG is combined with a caloric restrictive protocol and nutrient supplementation, to lose weight directly from adipose fat tissue rather than lean muscle.  HCG’s addition to protocols aids in hunger suppression, release of stored fat, and limits the dehydration, muscle loss, and skin laxity often seen with low calorie diets and rapid weight loss.

The nutrient supplementation also facilitates the removal of fat and enhances energy.  While all weight loss programs are complex and require a customized medical treatment approach, HCG therapy can safely be combined with a program for patients wanting to lose ten pounds or more.  An average of 1-2 pounds of weight loss is seen per day during the first month, as well as an increase of energy, clearer thoughts, improved sleep and overall mood.  And, with the hypothalamus being “reset”, the bodies metabolism is different resulting in the ability to eat moderately without feeling the need to overeat.  This aids in the long term ability to keep the weight off. This program is recommended to be monitored by a medical professional including regular follow-ups and lab work.

Physician Skin Solutions combines the use of the VelaShape Laser to contour the new you.  As the weight is shedding off, this laser assist in firming the skin, loosening the fibrous collagen and fat pockets, and enhances circulation.  So let us get you on your way to looking and feeling great quickly and for the long haul!

What is hCG?

The fat burn aspect of the diet involves the use of a natural hormone called hCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin. HCG is the hormone that increases significantly during pregnancy, and helps to support the growing baby in its early stages. One of the functions of this hormone is to stimulate the body to mobilize and burn extra fat cells for energy. In the weight loss program, a very small amount is used (compared to the surge in pregnancy) to stimulate the body to burn fat cells while the body is on a restricted caloric diet. Normally when the body undergoes a restrictive low caloric diet, it goes into "starvation mode," and in that mode our body stores fat. This is a protective mechanism by our bodies to prevent death during periods of starvation. When using hCG in conjunction with the diet, for a short period of time, the body is stimulated to burn excess stored fat cells. This results in the use of stored fat that you want to lose while giving your body the calories to prevent the "starvation mode". 

The Dead-End Cycle of Dieting:

Most people who have dieted have tried many different programs with no successful results. When calories are reduced to lose weight, your fat is first burned from normal fat cell reserves. Once these are all used up, the body will move on to burning the structural fat cells (both of these types of fat are necessary, and are not the kind of fat that leads to obesity). The last fat cell on the list to be utilized is the abnormal fat, or the fat that causes people to be overweight. By the time the patient gets to this point they feel hungry, fatigued, and generally give up on the diet. This type of dieting causes patients to feel exhausted, to lose fat in the wrong places (from face leading to sagging skin versus belly, hips or thighs). It also depletes them of nutrients, which leads to further complications. This is where the addition of hCG comes in, and is what sets this program apart from other "diets". Yes, the calories are restricted, but when this is done in combination with using the hormone hCG, the body is able to successfully burn fat. Not only is the body now burning fat, but also it is burning the abnormal fat, so people are able to lose it in the areas that they are seeking, such as belly and thighs.