Treatment Helps Melt Away Unwanted Pounds

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Imagine leaving the office not to grab a quick bite or hit the bank, but to melt away unwanted pounds on your lunch hour.

"I felt like a new woman," said Debra Volanski, of Canonsburg. "I lost over 10 inches, and I lost almost 10 pounds in three weeks."

Buying a whole new wardrobe wasn't an option after Volanski couldn't lose 20 pounds she had gained in just the last year. Instead, she tried the newest technology in cosmetic weight loss.

"It blew my socks off," said Volanski. "It was like all of the sudden I had loose room in things. Everything was fitting more comfortably. My thighs weren't rubbing in the middle anymore."

It's called the "Body Contour Sculpting" laser or BCS. It's better and stronger than the last best procedure, the Zerona laser.

"The Zerona is slightly more superficial. With the BCS, we can really target the areas - the spot areas - that patients are having trouble losing weight with," said Dr. Will Cole, of Laser Body Sculpting Pittsburgh. "The laser is directly applied versus being above the patient. We can get deeper into the fat tissue and we can force that fat to leave at a faster more efficient rate."

Like many guys, J.T. Marine, of Coraopolis, was frustrated that he couldn't get rid of those last 20 to 30 pounds in the gym.

"I was able to build muscle no problem. It was just the problem areas. It's just places that won't convert, especially as you get older," said Marine. "Specifically here, and in the lower abdomen or some people might say beer gut or love handles. That was my problem areas."

So, the busy father of two also went under the laser and lost 20 pounds in 20 days. He went from a 42-inch waist to a 40. He's still dropping.

"It's much easier to accept I'm going to loose a pound a day, than it's going to take me a year to lose this weight," he said. "So, that's the beauty of it. If you do it, you can see quick results."

Three times a week for three weeks is the basic protocol depending on a patient's needs. Also, because it only takes 40 minutes, you could literally do it on your lunch hour.

"The lasers are emitted from paddles. We apply the paddles directly to the patient's area they want to lose fat," said Dr. Cole. "It's forcing the fat cell to release their fat contents. So, pores open up on the cell wall of the fat cell. The fat is being pushed out and the body is either burning it off as fuel or it's being pushed through your bowel and bladder like any waste is."

Both Volanski and Marine rave about the treatment.

"It was amazing because there was nothing about it that was invasive," said Volanski. "They were warm to the touch, but not uncomfortable. It was almost like a spa treatment more than a medical procedure."

"I do it over my lunch hour," added Marine. "There's absolutely no pain involved with it. In fact, I have been known to actually nod of to sleep while the treatment is going on."

But is it safe?

"There are over 1,700 clinical studies done on this body of technology," said Dr. Cole. "There are no negative side effects shown in the research. The depth of a laser is about 635 Nana-meters. That's just a very superficial depth. So, we're not going into the organs. We're not harming the patient in anyway."

The procedure has also been recently FDA cleared. Based upon the patient's own goals, they individualize programs ranging in price from $2,000 to $3000. They say it is still much more cost effective than traditional surgical options.

For more information on the procedure, log onto LaserBodySculptingPittsburgh.com.