Development of Minimally Invasive Mid-infrared Lipolysis Laser System for Effective Fat Reduction

Background and Objectives Due to changes in diet and lifestyle, the number of obese people worldwide is steadily increasing. Obesity has an adverse effect on a healthy life, so it needs treatment and improvement. Research related to this is continuously being conducted. Materials and Methods The laser system to compact designed using 808 nm laser diode and Neodymium Yttrium orthovanadate generates a 1064 nm wavelength, the periodically polarized nonlinear crystal pumping laser beam. The pulsed 1064 nm wavelength beam passing through the AO Q-switch is used as the pumping light of the nonlinear optical crystal and is irradiated to the periodic polarized nonlinear optical crystal with a quasi-phase matching period. Nonlinear optical crystals use an oven to control the temperature to generate the desired 1980 nm and 2300 nm wavelengths. Results The 1980 nm and 2300 nm wavelengths generated by temperature control of nonlinear optical crystals are effective for lipolysis. A fiber catheter was used so that the laser could be directly irradiated to the fat cells. In particular, the new wavelength (1980 nm, 2300 nm) can increase the fat reduction effect with low energy (1.3 W). When a laser with a combination wavelength of 1980 nm and 2300 nm was used, an average lipolysis effect of 20% was obtained. Conclusion A mid-infrared lipolysis laser system with excellent absorption of fat and water has been developed. We conducted a princlinical study to confirm the efficacy and safety of the lipolysis laser system, and obtained good results for lipolysis with low energy.