Zerona Laser
Some of you may have started to hear about a new Zerona low level laser (LLL) that is being marketed as the “first non-invasive body contouring procedure to effectively remove excess fat”. The laser is applied externally to the skin. The machine looks a little like a 4 armed octopus. The laser is applied to the front for 20 minutes and then to the back for 20 minutes. They recommend 6 sessions over a 2 week time period. During the treatment the patient may have a feeling of warmth but there is no pain involved. It seems simple enough but almost too good to be true, Right?
The issue now comes down to does it work for the patient? I have reviewed the research presented by the makers of Zerona. There have been no published articles for the Zerona in peer reviewed quality medical journals. The only paper specific to the Zerona they had was an unpublished paper showing that the average patient lost a total of 3.5 inches when measuring 4 sites on the body. The paper was presented at the American Society of Lasers in Medicine and Surgery in 2008 but has not been published. In the paper they measured the waist, hips and each thigh. Now overall that does not sound too bad but that comes out to almost $1000/inch for the patient as the company recommends charging between $2000 and $3000 for the six sessions.
The next question to ask is how long will the results last? Well, they can not tell you that as their study only looked at patients up to 2 weeks after their sixth treatment. I have asked for long term studies from the company but they do not have any. So, how many patients are not going to be happy with 3.5 inches that may only last for a few months? We must assume that the results are not permanent.
So as you can see I am a little skeptical about this technology. For me, the jury is still out. I did call again today to ask for newer research showing long term results with the Zerona. The sales rep is going to send me copies of the research. I will let you know when I have had a chance to review their latest research.
Lornell E. Hansen II, M.D.
LazaDerm Skincare Centre
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August 25, 2009 at 11:25 am
Dr. Hansen
Well, I just received information back from the company that makes the Zerona. They state that they do NOT have any long term studies.
The question I have for them is why don’t they have long term studies? They have been producing a version of this laser called the Erchonia laser for years.
Their current stance is “if you maintain a healthy diet and exercise you will keep the weight off. But of course, they do not have studies to support this comment either.
September 2, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Quinn Kathner
I agree, I remain skeptical. Although it’s nice to know there are options available and new technology is being developed all the time.
Wish the results would last longer, but I imagine it’s like other procedures – eat right and exercise and you’ll maintain results.
Any ideas if this would work to remove excess fat in the areas left from a C-section?
Be interesting to see before and after pictures of people who have had this procedure.
Great post, btw!
September 3, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Dr. Hansen
Quinn,
I would tell you at this time not to waste your money on the Zerona. I would like to have you go to http://www.realself.com and look at the Zerona comments. Almost all of them are negative. There are a couple of positive comments but I think they were likely left by someone that either sells the Zerona or has it in their clinic and want to market it.
I have reviewed many of the before and afters on the web. Almost all of them are the companies pictures that are provided when the clinic purchases the system. If you look closely at some of the pictures you will see that there are changes. On example is the picture of the side view of a male client. In the first picture his arms are at his side and it looks as if he is even hunching over a little but then in the after picture the client has his arms raised above his head. Just these changes in position can make a very significant appearance in pictures.
There is also a picture of a female with a tattoo on her lower back. If you look closely on the pictures you will notice that she is wearing different panties as well as they have had her raise her arms in the after picture. Again, this makes a significant difference in the pictures without any treatments. One thing that is even more subtle is that they did not use a flash in the before pictures but did in the after picture. When using overhead lighting it often makes things look worse than they actually are. They then use the flash to “washout” imperfections and make things look better than they really are. This is another technique that will be used to manipulate before and after pictures as the flash will “washout” certain defects such as dimples and creases.
You asked about the fat following a c-section. I would tell you to find a physician that does true awake tumescent liposuction with micro-cannulas. I use these techniques and you can get very good results with minimal risk and downtime. I also use a laser that is called ProLipo and is made by Sciton. I have it works very well for braking up adhesions from the c-sec scar and tightening the skin.
I hope this helps with your questions. I too remain VERY skeptical and I do not want people wasting their money on a sham. If this does not work any better than I think it does it gives ALL physicians in the cosmetic side of health care a bad name. I am willing to fight these companies that over promise and under deliver.
September 3, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Dr. Hansen
I talked to a friend yesterday that has implemented the Zerona into their clinic. So far the clinic has treated 6 people. Out of the 6 only 3 followed the protocol. Of the 3 patients that followed the protocol in place at that time, they lost ZERO inches.
The clinic is still trying to give the Zerona the benefit of the doubt. They apparently had a system that may not have functioned correctly and are having a new system placed in their clinic.
They have decided to change their protocols as well. They are going to add Velashape for lymphatic drainage, a significant amount of supplements and continue with the nutrition and exercise. They have also decided to add a compression garment (like after liposuction) to the mix.
I now want an answer from the company is it the Zerona or is it everything else in the protocol? I would guess that this company will never run a double blinded placebo controlled trial with this system. They are going to try to continue to sell this to as many people as they can even if it does nothing. At this time, I do not trust this company.
October 28, 2009 at 3:05 pm
quinn
WOW – that’s very interesting! Good digging Dr. Hansen. Thanks for the great post…
Quinn
January 21, 2011 at 5:47 pm
Lornell Hansen II, MD
Hi, Medical Spa MD, sorry this took so long to reply to. I’ve been trying to get a blog out on a regular basis, and am attempting to keep up with the social media aspect of marketing… Please let me know what you’d like me to guest post on and I’ll try to respond in a timely manner. Thanks for your interest in LazaDerm’s blog.