Market leaders in slimming technology, Laser Lipo are proud to announce the arrival of The Strawberry, a state of the art laser system with new multi-purpose functions for inch loss, reduction of stretch marks, eye-bags, and
‘man boobs’.  Incredibly, the machine even has a stop smoking treatment.

The Strawberry, named because of its unique shape, is the only low level laser on the market that can boast up to 60 diodes, equivalent to seven and a half paddles. 

Inch Loss 
Following the success of the Lapex BCS, the Strawberry takes inch loss to a new level, reducing treatment times and increasing the size of the treatment areas.

When the laser paddles are placed on the skin, the cold red laser beams penetrate the skin, just deep enough to reach the layers of fat.  When the light hits the fat cells, a rapid chain of events takes place.  Firstly, pores form on the cells causing them to spill out.  The water, Glycerol and fatty acids move into the interstitial space beneath the fatty layer in the skin.  Then further water, fatty acids and Glycerol spill out.   The adipocyte cells are therefore reduced in size.

These effects do not affect the neighbouring structures such as the skin, blood vessels or nerves.  The lymphatic system then removes the fat through the venous system, where they are processed in the same way that fatty foods digested.

Stretch Marks
Before explaining how stretch marks can be reduced, it is important to establish the causes of these unsightly marks, and to explain exactly what these marks are.

Stretch marks are caused by a tearing of the dermis, or inner layer of skin.  This tearing usually is associated with rapid weight gain, such as occurs in pregnancy, but hormones also influence the formation of stretch marks.  This means that stretch marks may occur during puberty, or even healthy muscle building.  Stretch marks can show up anywhere on the body, but are most commonly found on breast tissue, stomach and upper thighs.  New stretch marks appear reddish in colour, while older ones fade to a silvery tone.

Laser therapy for stretch marks works by stimulating the production of collagen in the skin.   This promotes elasticity and makes the skin under the stretch marks thicker.  Laser therapy also causes the fibroblasts or connective tissue cells in the skin to divide.   This in turn reduces the appearance of stretch marks but despite improving the visual look of the marks, does not remove them altogether.

Previously, laser therapy was considered effective only on new, red stretch marks, since the therapy lightens the appearance of the stretch marks without actually removing them.  However, the unique combination of laser wavelengths can now not only help to remove the newer red marks but also the older white/silver stretch marks.

About 70% of patients who have laser therapy for stretch marks see improvement, though these improvements may require a course of 8 treatments or more over a period of 4 weeks. As a rule, the older the stretch marks, the more treatments will be needed.

Eye Bags (Transconjunctival Blepharoplasty)
With age, the chance of developing bags under the eyes increases.  There are a number of factors that can cause eye bags to form.  First, the fat around the eyes can place excessive pressure on the skin, ligaments and muscles around the eyes, causing them to become loose.  The extra fat then gets behind the eyelid’s support wall, causing it to appear baggy. Baggy eyes can also occur when the skin becomes too relaxed, which results in too much skin in the area.  In other cases, the eyelids muscles become thickened. for some people, puffy eyelids can interfere with vision.

In addition, the skin becomes thicker and less elastic with age.  It is also a  condition that can be hereditary. The bags under the eyes have an aging effect and can create a perpetually tired look.  

The treatment of eye bags involves the use of two different laser heads.  The first laser acts in the same way as for Laser Lipo and inch loss.  This reduces the levels of fat in the area and tightens the skin.  The fat cells are not damaged but simply emptied of the water, glycerol and fatty acids.

The second laser is used to penetrate very slightly deeper into the skin and is used to address the dark patches.  The laser stimulates the body’s natural defence system, which in turn triggers mast cells to visit the area.   These will also induce collagen remodelling and some elastin fiber remodelling, which can help the skin look normal.

Stop Smoking Treatment
Cravings, lack of willpower and irritability are the three major obstacles to overcome when stopping smoking, and are quite often the main reasons for starting again. 

As well as stimulating the acupuncture points relevant to addressing addiction, laser therapy has been proved to independently elevate endorphin levels, (as nicotine does).   Together these effects reduce or eliminate the physical cravings usually experienced, presenting a reduced challenge for the smoker’s willpower, better mood and a fighting chance of quitting for good. 

Treatment sessions involve the smoker attending a clinic/salon or surgery probably four times over a couple of weeks for approximately 30 minutes. The clinician will hold the probe against the addiction related acupuncture points, most of which are located in the ear and hand areas.   Laser therapy for smoking cessation should ideally be administered within a broader support framework including counselling.   This ensures that the social and psychological factors are addressed enabling the smoker to take best advantage of the craving free opportunity which laser therapy can provide.

Laser therapy has a twelve year international track record with consistently high success rates for smoking cessation.  Clinics regularly report figures of around 70-80% for initial smoking cessation with sustained levels a year at around 40-50% of the original group. The latest controlled medical research supports this with the four session programme resulting in 79% initial quit rate of which 51% were smoke free six months later.  These figures compare favourably with alternative smoking cessation treatments. (Nicotione replacement therapy NRT reports a success rate of 17%).  

In order to achieve successful results, it is essential that the smoker must want to cease, prior to undertaking the laser treatment. 

Visit www.strawberry-laser.com for further information on the above treatments