Liposonix is here!

   Expect to hear a lot in the next few months about Liposonix, the completely noninvasive technology for localized fat reduction with focused ultrasound. It was FDA-cleared this year, and will be launched early 2012 but we are very pleased to announce that we have it now. Since I was the founding member of the medical advisory board when the company was founded several years ago, I have been involved in the development of the technology and will continue with post-approval clinical studies. We do know that it works, with a waist circumference reduction of about an inch after a single treatment. Think “one treatment, one hour, one size smaller.” Results take about 8 weeks or so to fully appear, since the body takes some time to re-absorb the fat tissue after it is treated.
   Focused ultrasound, known as HIFU, works by sending bursts of ultrasound waves across the skin and converging them at a precise point in the fat layer. This avoids damage to the skin but permanently gets rid of targeted fat. Other noninvasive technologies such as radiofrequency (Thermage) and lasers have less penetration into the fat layer because of absorption in the skin. Zeltiq, which uses cold therapy to destroy localized fat, does not allow for the precise targeting that HIFU does.  Like liposuction, Liposonix is not an alternative to weight loss with diet and exercise.