If you have areas of extra fat on your body that won't go away with weight loss methods like diet and exercise, you might consider laser fat removal. There are many different cosmetic treatments that use laser technology to help reduce excess body fat. If you've been thinking about laser fat removal, it's helpful to learn about the different options available, what results you might expect, and who makes a good candidate.
Laser Fat Removal Treatments
There are a variety of cosmetic treatments that use different types of lasers to remove body fat. Some procedures are minimally invasive, while others are non-invasive. When someone refers to "laser fat removal," they might be talking about any of these procedures.
Laser Liposuction
Laser lipo or laser-assisted liposuction, also called lipolysis, is an alternative to traditional liposuction. During this minimally invasive procedure, a physician uses laser energy to liquefy fat in a targeted area. The fat is then removed through a cannula (thin tube). Only local anesthesia is required (as opposed to general anesthesia, which is required for traditional liposuction). The treatment usually takes 45 minutes to an hour.
Low-Level Laser Therapy
Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) targets and liquefies the content of fat cells. The fat cells remain but the contents are emptied and eventually eliminated from the body. Zerona, an LLLT device, gained FDA approval in 2010 and approved treatment areas include the waist, hips, thighs, arms, chest, knees, ankles, back, or bra line. Patients undergo six 40-minute treatments over a two-week period to achieve optimal results.
A benefit of this treatment is comfort. Low-level laser therapy is a cold laser treatment, but it is not as cold as cryolipolysis (better known as CoolSculpting), which some people find to be uncomfortable. And it is not as hot as other laser treatments for fat that some patients find difficult.
Thermo Lipolysis
Thermo lipolysis, also called ultrasound therapy, uses heat to destroy fat cells. In May 2015, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved SculpSure to remove body fat with this technique.7 During a 25-minute treatment, lasers target fat cells and heat them to a temperature that damages their structure. Cooling mechanisms are employed to make sure that the skin is not damaged in the process.
Unlike Zerona, SculpSure removes the fat cell entirely (rather than emptying the contents and leaving the cell structure intact). Results are usually noticeable at six weeks post-procedure, with the full effect generally seen at about 12 weeks. Over the three months following your procedure, the fat cells die and your body eliminates them.