IT may be the answer to John Prescott’s double chin and Kate Moss’s cellulite. A new fat-busting laser treatment which is claimed to remove pockets of fat in a lunch hour will be launched in Britain tomorrow.
The technique, called SmartLipo, is claimed to be a quicker and less invasive form of liposuction. The “lipolytic laser” zaps unsightly lumps of fat such as saddlebags on the thighs and bottom, double chins and batwings on the upper arm.
Already six cosmetic surgery clinics in London, the Midlands and the West Country plan to offer the treatment. After its launch at the Facial Aesthetic Conference tomorrow, cosmetic surgery clinics in most towns and cities are expected to offer it, say the distributors.
The innovation may prove contentious, however. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is yet to approve the procedure in America, although it is available in Australia, the Far East and Italy.
A similar technique, known as the Flabjab,which involves an injection, was banned by health regulators last year.
The government’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has prevented clinics from using the fat-dissolving injections until more research is carried out into their safety.
SmartLipo, which costs £800-£2,500 depending on how many areas are treated, uses a tiny laser to break up the membranes of fat cells. The cells open to allow the oil to leak out and be metabolised by the body over four weeks.
It is being marketed as a treatment that can be given in a lunch hour. However, Dermatology Times, an American journal, last year quoted researchers who found that lipolytic lasers are capable of removing only a small volume of fat per session.
The laser treatment works in three steps: the first pulse breaks the fat cell, the second seals off surrounding blood vessels, preventing bleeding, and the third stimulates the production of collagen tissue and causes the skin to tighten.
Dr Aamer Khan, who runs a skin clinic in Harley Street which will be offering the new procedure, said: “SmartLipo will appeal to most people who would like to remove fat but do not necessarily want to go into hospital.”
The fat-busting laser is symptomatic of the popularity of cosmetic surgery in Britain, which increased by 35% last year, according to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons.
Breast implants were the most popular procedure, with members of the association carrying out 5,655 breast enlargements last year. Men, too, are opting for surgery to improve their looks. In the past year 11% of all procedures have been carried out on men, up 3% from 2004.
Some forms of laser eye surgery have caused health scares in Britain but Wigmore Medical, the company distributing the SmartLipo machines in Britain, insists zapping fat is perfectly safe as the 1mm laser is targeted directly at the fat cells.
David Hicks, managing director of Wigmore Medical, said thousands of sessions of laser fat removal had already been safely carried out around the world. He said the technique was safer than conventional liposuction, which vacuums fat out of the body.
Trinny Woodall, presenter of the TV programme What Not to Wear, said: “I would not have liposuction in my lunch break ... but it does depend on how badly having cellulite or lumps and bumps is affecting you. If you can’t leave the house, can’t wear a bikini and are miserable, perhaps it’s necessary.”
Additional reporting: Claire Newell
