Dr. Charles Mok recently presented his reasearch on high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for weight loss at the 2011 American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery Fall Meeting.  In this video, he explains the science behind this fitness trend.

Zerona^® is a cold laser (meaning it doesn’t emit heat) to cause little openings in fat cells.  Scientists have proven that when tissues are exposed to this laser for several minutes, fat cell walls actually become leaky.  

Without dieting, Zerona^® can cause modest size reduction. When the laser is used 3 times a week for 2 weeks, without diet or exercise change; the average person can lose an inch off the waist, an inch of the hips and nearly an inch off each thigh (so an accumulative 3.5” total). ^1,2,3

This treatment can be more effective if you go into a negative calorie balance, (eating fewer calories and healthier food choices).  

Here is what we did at Allure:  One male and one female were placed on a diet consisting of low fats and no refined or simple sugars, while eating lean protein, vegetables and fiber filled foods which actually burn up to 30% of the energy they contain to digest.  They did not reduce portion size, count calories or change any exercise pattern. 

The man had his abdomen treated 6 times in two weeks.  His weight was down over 16 lbs., and he lost 5 inches around his upper abdomen and 4 inches around his lower abdomen. 

 The woman lost 8 lbs in two weeks. (women have a lower metabolism, and generally don’t have the same results) and lost 9 1/2” total between the waist, hips and thighs.

1:  Low-level laser assisted lipoplasty appearance of fat demonstrated on MRI on abdominal tissue. Am Journal of Cosmetic Surgery.  Vol 18, No3.   2001.  pp131-140

2:  Low-level laser assisted.. Am Journal of Cosmetic Surgery.  Vol 21, No 4. 2004.  pp191-199

3:  Low-level laser therapy as an Non Invasive approach for body contouring.  A randomized, controlled study.  Lasers in Surgery and Medicine.  41:799-809 (2009).

Allure Medical Spa is now the largest CoolSculpting center in the world, offering this groundbreaking procedure that is proven to reduce fat without surgery. Allure was the first center in Michigan to perform cryolipolysis (freezing fat to reshape the body) and now 3 more machines have been added because of the overwhelming demand.  The procedure was recently featured on Dr. Oz and The Doctors.  

The results after just one CoolSculpting procedure can be dramatic. See for yourself in the CoolSculpting by Zeltiq gallery on the Allure Medical Spa website by clicking here. 

Aesthetic Medicine News published a story on the top trends for 2011 in aesthetic medicine.  The big topics were body shaping, medical weight loss, skin treatments, and injectable fillers.

In the article (click here), Dr. Mok discusses CoolSculpting by Zeltiq.  It promises to be a growing procedure in 2011 because it effectively reduces fat areas without surgery. Dr. Kotlus also describes the fractional CO2 laser, ActiveFX and DeepFX, for wrinkle reduction.  

The general trends are towards less-invasive, more technology-driven approaches to aesthetic improvement.

Laser hair removal/reduction is one of the most common cosmetic procedures in the US for several years. 

Here is the basic concept:  A laser is able to selectively target certain components in the skin based on color (chromophores).  Lasers used for hair removal are specifically designed to transmit laser energy to pigment in the hair shaft.  Since most people have hair that is at least slightly darker than their skin, the laser energy is absorbed by the hair shaft and transmitted to the hair follicle which is destroyed.  At any given time, only a certain percentage of your body hair is in growth phase, and a majority of the follicles are in the resting phase, usually about 5 treatments over several months are needed to destroy the majority of the hairs. 

While immensely popular, two major hurdles have limited many people from getting rid of unwanted hair. 

#1: Discomfort.  Since the pigment in the hair is essentially burned, treatment can be uncomfortable.

#2: Skin injury.  Since we have the same pigments in our skin as our hair, the laser could burn the skin. 

A new machine was recently released to overcome these 2 limitations.  The Soprano Xli laser uses the same wavelength as the Lumenis Lightsheer (which was the gold standard for years), but it delivers the laser energy in a much more gentle fashion.  It causes almost no discomfort in most people, and it is safer for a wider variety of skin color types.  

Allure Medical Spa is right now the first location in Michigan to offer this laser.  Since this is the new Gold Standard, expect to see much more of this laser!