The Shambulance is an occasional series in which I try to find the truth behind overhyped or bogus health products. With me at the reins are Steven Swoap and Daniel Lynch, both of Williams College.
People selling no-suction liposuction are not totally sure what they're offering you. "Low levels of visible red laser light...create a safe and painless bio-stimulation effect," says one center. "Transitory pores" open in the fat cells, sending their contents out for "detoxification," says another, adding that the process is "almost exactly the same as exercise." Except for the lasers.
Despite the confusion, laser lipo does—seemingly, in some ways—work. Wait! Don't panic. Put away your wallet and let's talk about it.
"This is not a weight loss therapy," says Williams College physiologist Steven Swoap. At best, it's "a redistribution of fat therapy."
Many spas offer treatment with a specific laser system called i-lipo. The FDA approved this ...
