We informed you when the new noninvasive body-contouring device LipoSonix was cleared by the FDA for waist circumference reduction. Now we have additional information on how the device works from one of the founding members of the medical advisory board for the device: Seattle, WA plastic surgeon, Richard A. Baxter, MD.
“It is completely noninvasive and uses high-intensity focused ultrasound to destroy fat tissue,” says Dr. Baxter. “There is only one other device on the market that works in a slightly similar noninvasive way, and that’s Zeltiq, which uses cold therapy.
“Another difference is that with LipoSonix, you can three-dimensionally map out the tissue layer that you’re going to treat so it enables the practitioner to be very precise. You know exactly what depth the treatment is targeting because of the focused ultrasound.”
In trials that treated the abdominal area, patients saw an average waistline circumference reduction of about 2.5 cm, roughly one inch. “Those are the only results we have to report because LipoSonix hasn’t come to market yet,” Dr. Baxter says. “As we fine-tune the protocols and the technology a little better, we’ll learn a lot more about it.”
So when will it be available? There is no concrete launch date, but Solta Medical, Inc. recently acquired LipoSonix from Medicis and current plans are to bring the product to market in the first quarter of 2012.
Related links:
New Procedure Promises Smaller Waistline
Would You Try Ultrasonic Fat Melters?
