Liposonix: still waiting for FDA approval

Imagine a machine, that without anesthesia or invasive surgery, could take away fat from your abdomen, making you a dress size smaller 6-8 weeks after one treatment. Sounds pretty interesting, right? As it turns out, there are several companies that are working on machines that can safely and successfully achieve this very thing.

One of the leaders in this field, Liposonix, uses focused ultrasonic energy to coagulate a layer of fat about one-half inch beneath the skin. The body then gradually absorbs the damaged fat cells over time. Based on the presentations I've seen at recent Plastic Surgery meetings, there appears to be a real and noticeable difference in the before & after photos.

Liposonix had been pushing for FDA approval. Just last week, however, the FDA said that they wanted to see even more data....which means a delay on the release. The machine is already in clinical use in Canada and elsewhere (sound familiar?)

So far, the Liposonix machine has only been used to treat abdominal fat. The company says not to use it if you have less than a centimeter (0.5 inch) of fat, if you have surgical scars in the area, or have previously had liposuction.

It's pretty intriguing....and unlike some of the other non-invasive treatments we've discussed, (e.g. lipodissolve, zerona) this one looks as though it might actually work! Time will tell just how it fits in with the body shaping tools we have. It will be especially interesting to see how the results of Liposonix treatments compare to Zeltique, UltraShape and some of the other non-invasive body contouring contenders.

ASAPS 2009: new technologies in body contouring

At the recent ASAPS meeting, a number of breakthrough new technologies were presented, as potential alternatives / improvements on the standard liposuction technique. Bear in mind that most of these wonder gadgets are still in the developmental phase, and do not yet have FDA approval.

But some of the before & after photos looked pretty exciting! Definitely something to watch for over the next few years!

The techniques presented included:

Focused external ultrasound for fat reduction: "Liposonix", "UltraShape"
Radio-frequency assisted liposuction: "BodyTite"
Water-assisted liposuction: "BodyJet" - which is FDA approved.

The BodyTite before and afters seemed to show some clinically significant skin shrinkage effects. Their built-in skin temperature monitoring system may offer a better degree of protection and higher effectiveness than competiting laser lipo machines. But the UltraShape and Liposonix machines have the advantage of being external, non-surgical treatments with minimal "downtime", even though the results are more subtle than traditional liposuction surgery.

It's too early to tell which horse will win this race....