Laser lipolysis uses heat to destroy fat cells and remove fatty tissue from targeted areas. It is commonly called laser lipo or laser body sculpting, which can reduce small pockets of fat in stubborn areas but won't result in significant weight loss. If you're considering cosmetic laser lipolysis but aren't sure how this body-contouring procedure works—or whether it works at all—read on.
After the laser liquefies targeted areas of fatty tissue, the fat is sucked out (liposuction) through a hollow cannula. Portable Laser Hair Removal Machine
The other type of laser lipolysis is noninvasive and called nonsurgical laser lipolysis. Small blocks are attached to a handpiece pressed against the skin. Its lasers are calibrated to a specific wavelength that penetrates the skin and melts fat cells below the surface without burning the outer layers of the skin. In the weeks and months following the procedure, broken-down fatty tissue is gradually removed via the lymphatic system.
One 25-minute session of noninvasive laser lipo can destroy 24% of the fat cells in the targeted area. Although results will vary from person to person, most people typically start seeing results about six weeks after the treatment. Optimal results from a single session are usually seen at 12 weeks.
Roughly 76% of the fatty tissue in a targeted area will remain after your first 25-minute session. That said, once the fat cells in a treated area have been obliterated, they won’t regenerate.
For most people, one laser lipolysis session is enough to get the desired results. However, because a 25-minute session only destroys and removes about 24% of fat cells in a targeted area, some people will opt for two or three treatment sessions.
Every procedure comes with risks. Noninvasive laser lipolysis may cause discomfort and swelling after the procedure, but it has an excellent safety profile and is typically well-tolerated. The healing process may take a few weeks, but complications are rare.
Overall, nonsurgical laser lipolysis is safer and has exponentially fewer adverse side effects than traditional surgical liposuction. It doesn't require general anesthesia. In some cases, noninvasive laser lipolysis is the treatment of choice for correcting deformities from liposuction (fat-removal procedure using suction).
Out-of-pocket costs for laser lipolysis will vary from city to city and state to state. Every clinic will have slightly different rates, but, in general, the price depends on the size of the area being treated. The average cost of nonsurgical fat reduction is $1,437.
Noninvasive laser lipolysis only takes about 30 minutes and doesn't require much downtime after the procedure. During your laser lipolysis session, the device will be placed on the skin area being treated, and the diode laser will go to work breaking down fat cells beneath the skin's surface.
Laser lipolysis is a safe and effective way to remove small pockets of fat from stubborn areas. People don't necessarily lose weight from laser lipo because the quantity of fat removed typically isn't hefty; it's more of a body-contouring procedure. Candidates for noninvasive laser liposuction must be close to their ideal body weight and have a relatively low BMI before a laser fat removal session.
Lee J young, Oh S won, Ryu H young, Seo Y seok. Development of a minimally invasive and non-invasive lipolysis laser system for effective fat reduction. J Lasers Med Sci. 2021;12(1):e55-e55. doi:10.34172/jlms.2021.55
Milanic M, Muc BT, Lukac N, Lukac M. Numerical study of hyper‐thermic laser lipolysis with 1,064 nm Nd:YAG laser in human subjects. Lasers Surg Med. 2019;51(10):897-909. doi:10.1002/lsm.23124
Kang A, Kislevitz M, Wamsley C, et al. Clinical evaluation of the safety and efficacy of a 1060 nm diode laser for non‐invasive fat reduction of the flanks. J of Cosmetic Dermatology. Published online August 22, 2023:jocd.15954. doi:10.1111/jocd.15954
American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Nonsurgical fat reduction.
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