Potential new method for lipohypertrophy/buffalo hump

[Guest guest]

Not sure if this laser would be beneficial to eliminate fat deposits

related to hiv, but sounds like less traumatic method than opening

up and scraping the fat. Might be worthwhile to try on buffalo hump

to see if it works. It apparently tightens the skin as well, after

the fat is melted and siphoned.

EB

Jan 26, 2007 2:35 pm US/Central

New Procedure Helps Melt Away Fat - Literally

SmartLipo Uses Lasers To Melt Unwanted Fat

Ann Childers

Reporting

(CBS) CHICAGO Believe it or not, liposuction is the number one

cosmetic procedure done in America. There were more than 500,000

procedures performed last year.

But Medical Editor Ann Childers reports there's now a big buzz

about a new, less invasive way to remove fat that was just approved

by the FDA last November. It's like liposuction -- but it's not

major surgery.

Liz , 36, worked hard to lose 47 pounds after her second

pregnancy. But no amount of exercise and dieting could reduce her

belly until she found a new treatment called " smart lipo. "

" I think the results are amazing, " she said. " I saw the fat around

my abdomen disappear and the skin becomes dramatically tighter. You

know, I'm ecstatic. "

So is Meyers. She had the procedure on her inner thighs.

" They look tighter, " Meyers said. " It definitely looks tighter. "

Smartlipo uses a small tube with laser fiber on the end. The laser

melts the fat.

" The fat turns to liquid and then we just suction it out so it's

removed right away, " said dermatologist Bruce Katz. " It's very

easily done. "

The procedure is done with local anesthesia. There are no stitches.

" It's quick. It's simple [and] relatively painless, " said.

Heat from the laser also stimulates collagen production, which

smoothes out the skin.

" The skin [shrinks] up to fit your body again, " Meyers said.

The procedure can be used anywhere on the body where there's excess

fat, but it works best on small areas.

" We can take away the fat and cause the skin to tighten at the same

time, " Katz said.

Patients see results in just a few days.

" I wasn't looking for perfection, " said. " But I was looking

for a great improvement and I got it. I think people are going to be

on a wait list for years to come. I think people are really going to

love it. "

Smartlipo is expensive -- between $3,000 and $8,000. There can be

minor bruising and swelling. It's important to have a doctor trained

in the technique because lasers release energy that can burn.

Smartlipo is so new, it is not yet widely available. But doctors

nationwide -- including Chicago -- are starting to do it.

(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. .)