Summer and swimsuit season may be winding down, but the excitement surrounding non-invasive fat-reduction devices and procedures is as strong as ever. We checked in with Mark Patterson, CEO of Lila Strawberry Laser, for his perspective on this fascinating trend and how the Strawberry Laser fits in.
1. Why are non-invasive fat-reduction device such a focus right now?
It is largely patient driven. Patients are seeking solutions that are nonsurgical that produce similar results to surgical procedure. There’s always a lower cost without surgery and patients are often fearful of surgery. Surgery requries downtime away from work and a busy schedule. Non-surgical accommodates all those items. Clients can get in and out with a significant improvement. People are very busy and time is a great factor.
It is a benefit to medical spas. Because their inherent nature is non surgical devices, they look for more holistic viewpoints, relaxing, an escape within a medical environment. It’s a perfect fit. It also allows them to do other procedures based on their allotted time while the patient is in the office. People go to spas to feel better, change their life and do something different.
2. Can you explain how and why this technology works?
It is a laser, it’s not LED. Difference between laser beam and light bulb. We penetrate a fixed depth into the skin. Works so well based on partners in UK, knowing the human body. The laser has been designed so it would penetrate the right depth, perfected the right depth and area treatment to be done. Designed for abdomen, two treatments, entire area is actually being treated 9-13 mm, and in 6 minutes the cells become porous to allow fluids to leach out following exactly the same methodology as working out. It is the same process but short-cutted. Entire cell content empties out over next 4 minute period and remain open for 24 hours, additional workout can see additional inch loss, benefit that patient. The product has been available globally for four years, done over 300,000 patients with results, two inches or more 95 percent see significant inch loss.
Increases the number of patients that would come in the surgical office, get comfortable in that environment.
3. Who is the ideal patient?
Other alternative, competitive products have limited amount of patients based on specifics. We can treat anybody 18 years or older, any size, shape, race. Contraindications are oncology patients cancer. Everybody is a candidate who desires to jumpstart their inch loss. Someone with a BMI of 8 and 10 can still get inches off. Side effect is skin tightening. Side effects are positive. We don’t restrict anybody on the larger end. Our hope is to jumpstart get a different body and change their ways.
4. What are the most common requests of patients?
Patients come in after giving birth and before going to a class reunion. They also might want an instant fix, down a couple sizes to fit into a dress. I also see menopausal women going through hormonal changes, when they notice their bodies won’t react to workout in the same ways.
5. How do you recommend patients maintain the inch-loss they achieve with the treatments?
Real truth is, it's no difference in recommendations if they worked out to achieve the results. They don’t have to change lifestyle. Two things I recommend. Small core decrease in dietary habit because if they aren’t adding additional calories, they will maintain. Extra walk or little bit of cardio post treatment is beneficial too. Any additional exercise would be beneficial and help them maintain. Every treatment has the same recommendations.
6. What are other future potential uses for this technology?
Some are already available in parts of the world so these are expandable and ready to go once FDA cleared the next option. Coming up next are three things, facemask, like a hockey mask with a bunch of lasers, to remove double chin and cheekbone. Then there’s stretch mark focused using different set of paddles. It does permanently take care of stretch marks by 80 percent, it's a physical change within the body so they won’t come back. The third is the eye bag-laser, clients wear a pair of goggles and use laser on lower eyelids and upper eyelids to remove fat content. Side effect is skin tightening. These are used in Europe.