I know I have written on this topic in the past, so I will limit my diatribe and refer you to earlier posts. BUT….the Wall Street Journal personal section had an extensive article on these technologies recently that has brought the topic of non invasive fat removal in the forefront again. Like most articles written about beauty, there was not full disclosure from those in the know! Point being-these technologies are NOT the standard of care for fat removal. Way too many patients are wasting valuable time and money trying to take off inches with these Zerona and Zeltiq devices. What the article did address, which is a valid topic, is that fat is a complex, very functionable part of our body in regards to metabolism, storing and dealing with toxins, and hormonal regulation. Hypothetically, if we can melt large amounts of fat non-invasively (which we cannot) what would the consequences on the body be. My impression is that it would not be the best thing for you. If you have garbage in your backyard- cart it out, don’t melt it down or burn it. The same holds true with fat. Liposuction, particularly Tumescent Liposuction performed solely under local anesthesia is still the safest and most effective method of fat removal hands down. The Zerona and Zeltiq technologies offer very limited amounts of fat removal, if any. Is there a future in these technologies- I do hope so. But for now, in my opinion, it is still science fiction. Unfortunately, 15-20% of my liposuction patients have already spent time and money on these or similar technologies. There were obviously not happy to realize the hard way that Tumescent Liposuction was going to be the only answer for them.

many cool sounding words….all “soon to be released” or currently available NON- invasive devices to reduce fat. Sounds great….but do they work?
Zerona is a rotating light source that is shined on the patient that is not even worth the explanation of the technology. It just does nothing. Zeltiq is an interesting technology that uses cold energy to damage fat cells. The technology is in its infant stage…so dont get so excited. Very few patients are candidates for now. It works only on very small areas of fat and treatment time involves sitting for HOURS!…stay tuned this may have its place.
Liposonix and ultrashape are focused ultrasound devices that supposedly melt fat…both are not available in the US. My research confirms that, again, very limited in efficacy compared to minimally invasive liposuction. Unfortunately, these technologies will be sold to patients with ALOT of dissapointment. They will be expensive and have barely noticeable differences. The standard of care is minimally invasive liposuction under local anesthesia…STILL! As for mesotherapy or lipodissolve- not approved, not considered safe, certainly not accepted as effective by the mainstream of cosmetic surgeons. see more info at – http://pfrankmd.com/mesotherapy.html or http://pfrankmd.com/liposuction.html

Body-Jet or water jet liposuction…..just when you think they have run out of ways to gimick fat removal. This is the water pick of fat removal. Using a water-stream to help break up fat while suctioning, this technology offers another means of supposedly easing the removal process. Helpful? Not likely better than any odevice such as the laser, the ultrasound, or powered liposuction technology. It certainly does’nt “change the game” at all. As usual, the results and ease of liposuction surgery are directly related to the surgeon who performs it and the type of anesthesia and microcannulas that are used. As usual, performing the procedure with solely local anethesia, on a good candidate, and by an experienced surgeon always provides the best results!
http://pfrankmd.com/liposuction.html

so….what is the skinny on laser fat removal? Is it new? does it work? Is it non-surgical? Well, the media and the companies that make these devices will have us think that removing fat safely, quickly and easily under just local anesthesia is relatively new. It is not. “Tumescent Liposuction” has been around for many years and it was created by dermatologists. The name represents a type of liposuction that is performed on awake patients using very small holes and tiny instruments to sculpt away fat. The recovery is 24-48 hrs and it is extremely safe. The use of laser and ultrasound devices, like smart lipo, try to melt the fat prior to suctioning it out. Their use are actually a part of the tumescent liposuction procedure. I can say from experience of aproximately 3000 cases in 12 yrs that, although i own several of these “fat melting’ devices, they are at most icing on the cake. At times they do help to get a better result but most of the time the standard approach is still the gold standard.