A non-invasive procedure that helps you lose inches and contour your body without surgery.

Unlike liposuction, doctors say this new procedure melts away fat without incisions, downtime, compression bandages or side effects.

Matty hopes this procedure will begin to do what exercise and dieting couldn't.

"I would like to get to a point where my curves are natural. I think 'contouring' is the perfect word," says Matty, who is undergoing her first treatment with the Zerona laser.

Cg adam j. Rubinstein, md, facs board-certified plastic surgeon miami, fl "Zerona's the only option that patients have to help augment your body's natural ability to get rid of its own fat," says Dr. Adam J. Rubinstein, plastic surgeon.

Dr. Rubinstein says when the cold laser energy is absorbed into fat cells, it allows the fat to exit the body.

"Patients start telling me their clothing fits differently, and I can actually see it when it gets around the third, fourth treatment," says Dr. Rubinstein.

In one study, Zerona patients lost an average of about three and a half inches.

After completing her treatment, Meryse cerant likes the results.

"This isn't a weight-loss procedure, but I did burn some inches, and my clothes fit a lot less snug, and it's easier to shop now," says Meryse, a Zerona patient.

The before and afters may be impressive, but, Mayo Clinic plastic surgeon Dr. Sarvam Terkonda says there's no long-term data and no guarantees.

"What are you going to look like in two years, five years?” questions Dr. Terkonda. “And we don't know that with this current technique."

He says this procedure should only be performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon and only after you fully understand what kind of results you can expect.

Treatment involves six, 40-minute sessions over a two-week period. The cost of the regimen is about $2400.

Patients are required to drink lots of water to promote mobilization of the fat and exercise regularly during and after treatment.

Similar treatments are available locally.

RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: LASER AWAY FAT

LIPOSUCTION: Liposuction is a traditional procedure used to contour and remove fat from the body. Liposuction, also called lipoplasty, is one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures. Liposuction can be conducted on almost any part of the body on which unwanted fat exists. Most lipoplasty procedures consist of the patient being under a general anesthesia or just under sedation. Traditional lipoplasty surgeries use a flexible wand, a cannula, with a vacuum pump, to suck the fat out after the cannula breaks up the fat. Time and recovery varies depending on how much fat is removed and on the patient's extent of treatment.

TYPES OF LIPOSUCTION: Tumescent Liposuction (standard lipo): Anesthesia mixed with epinephrine is injected under the skin and into the fat. The epinephrine makes the area swell up and causes blood vessels to constrict, which helps the body not to lose as much blood. Meanwhile, the anesthesia works to disguise the pain. Patients can choose to be either under general anesthesia or sedation with an IV, which still allows for communication between the patient and the doctor throughout the procedure. Tumescent Liposuction may be combined with Laser liposuction, SmartLipo, Lipotherme, Ultrasound Assisted Lipo (UAL) and Vaser Assisted Liposuction (VAL). Wet and Super Wet Liposculpture: This is similar to tumescent liposuction but must be done under general anesthesia. (Source: Cosmeticprocedureinfo.org)

WHAT IS ZERONA: According to Zerona's Web site, it is the first non-invasive body contouring procedure that removes excess fat from the body. Zerona is not an FDA-approved procedure, but the Erchonia Laser Scanner used to do the procedure is FDA cleared for laser-assisted liposuction. The Zerona procedure consists of a low-level laser being applied externally through a low-level Erchonia laser. The laser itself is non-invasive and helps the body absorb fat by stimulating a normal biological function. The laser technology that Zerona uses induces the formation of transitory pore in the membrane of the fat cell. This pore then enables the fatty material to seep out to an extra cell.

FUTURE OF ZERONA: Zerona's initial double-blind, randomized, controlled study revealed an average of 3.65 inches lost from waists, hips and thighs. Zerona laser treatment consists of six 40-minute sessions over a two-week period. Though studies look bright, Zerona's lasting effects are still undetermined, and no one knows what the body will look like two, five, 10 years from now (Source: Myzerona.com).

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Adam J. Rubinstein, M.D.
FACS Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon
Miami, FL
(305) 792-7575
http://www.dr-rubinstein.com