14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists are currently developing a laser that could melt cellulite, acne and even make heart disease disappear, according to experts from the Massachusetts General Hospital in the U.S. The device will be able to melt fat without affecting or warming the skin above it.
Using this laser, scientists have been able to heat the fat, which was melted and then excreted. Professor Rox Anderson, dermatologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital, led the experiments in which pig fat and skin samples were used.
Anderson said that, according to the results, selective photothermolysis, heating tissues with light, could have medical applications in the future, including treating acne.
"The root cause of acne is a lipid-rich gland, the sebaceous gland, which sits a few millimeters below the surface of the skin. We want to be able to selectively target the sebaceous gland and this research shows that, if we can build lasers at this region of the spectrum, we may be able to do that," he stated.
Besides cellulite, the laser can target the fatty plaques that form in arteries, thing which might reduce the risk of heart attacks." While this laboratory research sounds exciting, we are a long way from knowing whether or not laser therapy of this nature could be developed into an effective treatment for people with heart disease," said Judy O'Sullivan, cardiac nurse, at the British Heart Foundation. Still, doctors warn that it might take them several years before they can test this method on humans.