Laser Body Sculpting Explained

What is laser body sculpting and how does it compare to surgical body sculpting? The two body contouring treatments achieve similar results but have very different processes. However, the main difference between the two is that laser body sculpting uses a low-level laser as a noninvasive alternative to surgery.

Body sculpting is the process of using medical treatment to tone the body. A plastic surgeon might perform a body lift or a combination of a few different cosmetic surgeries such as a tummy tuck, thigh lift, and buttocks lift, to achieve the desired body sculpting results.

Laser body sculpting is a type of cold laser fat reduction that tones and tightens the body. It helps a patient lose circumferential inches over a short period of time, similar to surgery. In fact, the results of the laser treatments take effect over the course of three to four weeks, about the same length of time as a surgical procedure, but without any of the pain or recovery time.

Here’s how it works:

Laser beams alter cells rather than injure them. Cold lasers, also called low-level lasers, apply beams of focused light at a low spectrum that’s not strong enough to create heat or cause injury, yet powerful enough to affect the cell’s inner functions. The laser beams are applied directly to the skin to target the cells and tissue underneath—in this case, the fat cells.

Fat cells empty their inner contents. The laser application causes the fat cells to develop a transitory pore that releases the cells’ inner contents. The fat molecules are absorbed into the body and metabolized through the body’s normal detoxification processes. The cells left behind have been effectively flattened and take up less space inside the body, causing the patient to lose weight and inches in the targeted area.

Laser application during treatment sessions. During treatments patients are awake but they may relax and close their eyes or even listen to music. The laser is held a certain distance from the patient’s body and moved over the target area for about 20 minutes. The patient will need to turn over halfway through the treatment session for circumferential coverage.

It takes about 20 minutes of application for the cells to form the transitory pore. The pore or hole heals itself by closing back up on its own, so treatments must be repeated every two to three days for about two weeks before the fat cells have completely flattened.

The cells themselves remain inside the body, so it is possible for the patient to regain the weight that was lost, making it important to adhere to an overall healthy lifestyle of diet and exercise following a cold laser body sculpting treatment.