Lasers remove inches from fat trouble spots

(HealthDay) -- Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is effective for body slimming, according to a study published in the March issue of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine.

To evaluate the efficacy of LLLT for noninvasive body slimming, Robert F. Jackson, M.D., a physician in private practice in Marion, Ind., and colleagues evaluated data from 689 participants with voluminous fat deposits within the subcutaneous fat layer of the waist, hips, and thighs who received a total of six LLLT treatments across two weeks. Circumferential measurements were recorded at baseline and post-procedure, and included waist, hips, thighs, arms, knees, neck, and chest. Data were not pre-selected.

The researchers found that, one week after treatment, there was a significant circumferential reduction reported for the waist, hips, and thighs (mean reduction, 3.27 inches). The overall mean reduction across all measurement points was 5.17 inches (P = 0.0001). A significant circumferential reduction was seen in each of the anatomical regions measured.

"These data reveal that the circumferential reduction exhibited following LLLT is not attributable to fluid or fat relocation as all measurement points, including non-treated regions, reported an inch loss," the authors write.