Women Lacing Up Corsets To Lose Weight

WEST HILLS (CBSLA.com) — Many women are lacing up corsets in order to lose weight and get a more shapely figure.

Karilyn Gonzales, of Whittier, told CBS2's Lisa Sigell that she's a believer in what some have dubbed the "corset diet."

"I started as a size 12. Now I'm down to a size 8, hopefully I'll get to a size 6. [The corset] pulled in the waist, brought up my chest. It holds you really snugly, so you don't get hungry as often," she said.

Under the supervision of Dr. Alexander Sinclair, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, Gonzales is on her second corset. As her waist and weight go down, she gets a smaller one, wearing it anywhere from four to 10 hours a day.

"The patients have a feeling of being full, of being satiated, so they're not constantly eating," Sinclair said.

He added, "What the corset does, is with progressive pressure, it will mold those ribs, and makes the waist more narrow."

Dr. Mark Paya, who specializes in weight loss surgery, thinks the "corset diet" can be risky.

"Whenever you increase abdominal pressure, you can decrease blood flow to the organs. Also, the lungs will need room to expand, and if you limit that, it can affect your breathing," he said.

Sinclair, however, said the corset is safe and effective.

"There is plenty of room for all the organs to live happily ever after. If you have any discomfort, just back off," he said.

The cost of the corset is $150. Sinclair said after a year of wearing corsets daily, along with a year of maintenance, people can get a reduction in waist size of up to three inches.