The Role Of The Zerona Laser in Fat Reduction and Body Slimming

The concept of non-surgical fat reduction has been around for over a century. From belt machine devices in the early 1900s to the infomercial weight loss supplements of today, hope is eternal when it comes to getting rid of unwanted fat. Without question, the definitive way to lose spot areas of fat is liposuction. Liposuction is a proven surgical method to trim down specific body areas, but it is an operation and involves recovery.

Non-surgical fat removal, no matter what the method, will never be as effective as surgery for spot reduction. However,  newer non-surgical methods of fat melting have appeared in the past few years. One of these is Zerona, or specifically the Zerona laser treatment program. It is touted as a painless body slimming method that is proven to remove fat and inches without surgery with zero pain and downtime.  Does it really work? Is it hype or hope?

Zerona works by using a low frequency ‘cold’ laser that passes through the skin without injury and targets the fat cells. The laser energy targets the fat cells through a photochemical process. Not to be confused with a photothermal (heat) or photoacoustic (vibration) method, this non-heat generating process makes the fat cells ‘leaky’. The fat cells shed their liquid fat content, now known as free-fatty acids,  which is then absorbed through your lymphatic system. The lymphatic system transports it to the liver where it is processed and broken down, and most importantly, not re-circulated and stored again as fat.

Zerona is more than just a machine, it is a process. Treatment sessions number six to nine and have been shown to be able to take off three to five inches in the hips, waist and thigh in two to three weeks. But to aid the lymphatic clearing process, one must significantly increase their water intake and take a twice-daily niacin supplement (Curva) or HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) during the treatment process. The treatment sessions require a commitment and must be done every two to three days to really be effective. Once the fat cells get leaky, you can’t let them heal themselves by missing treatments or having them too far apart. Each treatment session takes just under an hour and is painless. You literally get up and go afterwards. Daily exercise (such as brisk walking, light running, or other cardio training) can increase the final results by aiding in lymphatic clearance and an increased metabolism.

Is Zerona fat reduction too good to be true? It depends on your expectations and how much fat you have from the beginning. We do screen our patients and select those that we think, based on our experience, have the best chance for success. That has resulted in about a 70% satisfaction rating from our treated patients. This means that those patients saw enough of a difference, both visually and by measurements, that they rated the treatment a worthwhile investment. Thus, as part of a jumpstart on the front end of some body slimming or as part of an overall weight loss program, Zerona can make for very visible body changs.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana