PHOENIX — Investigators found significant decreases in thigh circumference following multiple treatments with a dual-wavelength laser system with mechanical manipulation, compared with untreated thighs, in a multicenter study.
Dr. Michael H. Gold and his colleagues assessed 83 women 1 month after treatment with the SmoothShapes dual-energy laser and mechanical manipulation system (Elemé Medical Inc.). Each participant had one thigh selected randomly for treatment twice a week for 4 weeks, while their other thigh served as a control.
Significant reductions in circumference were noted at the upper, mid, and lower thigh, compared with baseline and the untreated thigh, at each assessment. “The SmoothShapes two-wavelength system was highly effective in producing thigh circumference reduction at each location and at each time point,” said Dr. Gold, who is in private practice in Nashville, Tenn., and is also with Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He is a consultant for Elemé Medical, which funded the study.
A total of 59 patients were considered responders (71%), and this group achieved a 3.5-cm average thigh circumference reduction at 1 month, Dr. Gold said at the joint annual meeting of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery and the American Society of Cosmetic Dermatology and Aesthetic Surgery.
Mean circumference reductions on the treated thighs were “consistently, statistically significantly greater at all time points,” Dr. Gold said. “Three months' follow-up was also statistically significant.”
Investigators enrolled participants at one of five sites in the United States and one in France. The laser system features a 915-nm wavelength that liquefies fat. The device also has a 650-nm wavelength to increase fat cell membrane permeability. Contoured rollers then move liquefied lipids from the interstitial space to the lymphatic system for drainage, according to the manufacturer. The Food and Drug Administration cleared marketing of the device for the temporary reduction in the appearance of cellulite.
With laser and manipulation system treatment, reductions in thigh circumference were noted in patients at 1 month.
Source Photos courtesy Dr. Robert A. Weiss