More than perhaps anywhere else on the body, the love handle fat just seem to persist and persist despite months and months of gym work.

Love handle fat is the top complaint of especially middle-aged men who work out.

Everywhere else seems to get taut and trim, but not those give-away love handles.

And so it is more the pity that these are not more often treated, because treatment is straightforward and treatment satisfaction high.

Our technique:

As is always the case at Peach, we assess you fully, prepare you well, making sure there's no impediment to proceeding.

You get a small dose of IV sedation, so that you are well relaxed but well able to chat and move as required.

We then have you lie face down on the treatment couch. As for a massage table, the head pillow is horse-shoe shaped so that you are comfortable. (You can listen to your ipod if you want).

Four dots of local anaesthetic are applied at predetermined and ideal sites on your lower back: two dots for each side. Into each dot a tiny 4mm incision is made, and through this incision local anaesthetic is then spread to fully anaesthetise all the love handle fat we want to remove and then some. We fill the area to overflowing with gentle dilute anaesthetic fluid: this is called the "tumescent technique" that has revolutionised liposuction over the last 20+ years.

Once the anaesthetic has been fully spread through the fat, we leave it for a few minutes for it to have its full effect. Using specially designed cannulas we ensure the anaesthetic fluid is fully mixed in with the fat: this is called "pre-tunneling".

Then we are ready to remove the fat. By suctioning the fat through two different incisions we get to "criss-cross" the suctioning for the most even result. We roll you a few degrees left and right to ensure we get all the fat we want from the front of the love handles.

You're finished.

Shower, dressings.

Dr Mahony's mobile phone number in case you have any concerns.

Your love handles will stay numb until around midnight. After that they will be a little sore, but nothing that a few Panadeines won't take care of. And, again, any concern and you give Dr Mahony a call direct.

Dr Mahony reviews you in person the next day, and the day after. You'll be wearing a compressive garment, most likely a binder, for two weeks.

Improvement will be noticeable straight away, then gets better as te swelling settles down.

And you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner...