Noninvasive Liposuction in the U.S.???? Not yet...

In plastic surgery news, Medicis, the company which produces Restylane and Perlane, has just announced that it is acquiring Liposonix, a Seattle-based company which specializes in nonsurgical fat removal. Liposonix is a pioneer in focused ultrasound technology as a noninvasive way to reduce fat. It's being used in Europe, but is not available in the U.S. They are hoping that their machine will achieve FDA approval by 2011, if not sooner.

What's the big deal? Well, we are always looking for ways to reduce fat without surgery(or exercise!). External ultrasound has been used in the past, but to my knowledge has never been proven to actually permanently reduce fat. It was a hot topic at one time, but has cooled over the past several years. With technology improving, however, it is possible that the Liposonix machine may produce results superior to the disappointing results of the past. In my office we utilize external ultrasound for cellulite reduction via the Dermosonic technique, but it is not proven to permanently remove fat cells. Yesterday our local Fox affiliate aired a segment on cellulite reduction where I described the cause of cellulite and how cellulite reduction works. Click here for streaming video of it.

Liposonix is a far cry from mesotherapy or Lipodissolve, however, which is by no means non-invasive. I saw a patient recently who had several treatments of Lipodissolve to the fat and loose skin of her tummy. To be honest, the fat did appear to have been significantly reduced. However, she was left with a bunch of leftover loose, hanging skin. She emphasized to me that the treatments were excruciatingly painful and cost several thousand dollars.

I am very interested in the possibilities of fat reduction with Liposonix. No matter what people may falsely advertise however, I know of no proven way to permanently remove fat here in the U.S. except via liposuction.... so far.

For the Medicis press release, click here.

Thanks for reading.
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.