Zerona Laser Treatment Review
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By CANDICE GREY ConsumersCompare.org Update: Jul 11, 2024 |
Zerona is a minimally invasive, FDA-cleared body contouring method that uses low-level laser technology to get rid of extra fat. Erchonia originally created the procedure to hasten the healing process following liposuction. Although some physicians still favor combining the two operations, it is now available as a stand-alone slimming option.
Cold laser technology is used in this procedure since the light intensity isn’t high enough to heat the tissues in your body. Zerona works by delivering laser energy through the tissues to just harm the cells, generating gaps in the cell membranes, as opposed to cryolipolysis procedures like CoolSculpting, which employ severe cold to freeze and destroy fat cells. The pores let the contents of the fat cells out, and the lymphatic system naturally gets rid of them.
For best body slimming outcomes, the manufacturer advises a course of six Zerona treatments spaced out over a period of two weeks, every 72 hours or less.
The Zerona laser therapy, like other body-sculpting treatments, is not meant to help you lose weight; rather, it works to get rid of stubborn fat deposits on your waist, chest, back, neck, upper arms, thighs, love handles, hips, and ankles as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Additionally, it is neither a cellulite or skin-tightening remedy.
RealSelf Tip: Zerona is commonly referred to as “laser lipo,” but this is incorrect; it’s a completely distinct process than laser liposuction, which liquefies fat before sucking it out through a small tube (a cannula).
Zerona Fat Loss Laser Treatment Claims
“Zerona is Beauty. Zerona is Confidence. Zerona is Health. Zerona is a Fresh Start.”
“‘It zaps away fat without the bruising, scars, or downtime.’ —Dr. Travis Stork from ‘The Doctors’”
“The Zerona Z-26 laser is specially designed for non-invasive body contouring. The laser is applied externally and has been proven through double-blind, multi-site, placebo controlled clinical trials to emulsify adipose tissue.”
“Real Science, Real Results. If you’ve tried diet and exercise but still have fat and inches you just can’t lose…It’s time for Zerona-Z6”
Now, the fact that they use a quote from a television personality whose greatest claim to fame was appearing on “The Bachelor” gives me a little pause, but overall they’re not really crowing “miracle cure.” Aside from the standard thin-equals-confidence spiel—and for some it does—most of the marketing is about the laser itself and what it does.
And they don’t skimp on their science. Sixteen separate journal and science magazine articles—not just abstracts (summaries)—are available via direct links on the Zerona website. From concise explanations of adipose tissue to a look at low-level laser techniques, Zerona covers their bases. We’ll look at those bases in a moment.
While I realize it’s a little difficult to “return” a surgery, non-invasive or otherwise, it is troubling that the Terms of Service on the Zerona website is completely non-existent, outside of the words “Terms of Service.” It’s possible that because the service is offered through providers, terms of service are covered individually as well.
back to menu ↑What Are The Pros and Cons of Zerona?
Pros
Zerona laser therapy is a non-invasive, painless fat-reduction procedure that requires no recovery time.
It can strengthen the slimming effects of healthy lifestyle adjustments including increasing water intake, eating a balanced meal, and exercising more. According to Dr. Buchanan, it might be a great method to kick-start a weight loss program.
Cons
Zerona is only advised for persons who have pockets of stubborn fat and are already near to their desired weight.
A minimum of four therapy sessions spread over two weeks are advised, along with a nutritious diet, regular exercise, and a lot of water consumption to help eliminate the contents of the fat cells. To obtain noticeable benefits, some individuals even require 12 or more treatments spread over six weeks.
Sometimes Zerona doesn’t work. Due mostly to the lack of results, the majority of RealSelf members who gave it a try gave it the rating Not Worth It. Even after 16 sessions, one participant showed no discernible fat loss.
Despite claims that Zerona has no known side effects, some RealSelf members, including Beeok, have claimed severe adverse events, some of which have been submitted to the FDA.
back to menu ↑Zerona Fat Loss Laser Treatment Ingredients
Essentially you, the Zerona Z26 cold laser, and 40 minutes—20 lying on your back and 20 lying on your stomach. Plus plenty of water and no alcohol or caffeine before and immediately after treatments.
back to menu ↑The Science Behind the Zerona Fat Loss Laser Treatment
So let’s check out the science beyond the virtual walls of the Zerona website.
“Adipose tissue” is a newer catchphrase that tends to make you think of Doctor Who aliens (in fact, the little guys were actually called the Adipose), but fat cells have always been called that. We’re all born with them, and the hormones that determine our gender also determine, when they kick in at puberty, where the bulk of our adipose tissue hangs out—for men, the chest, abdomen, and buttocks; for women, the breasts, waist, hips, and buttocks.
At puberty, the body stops producing them—so “getting fat” doesn’t mean we have more adipose tissue, just that each adipose cell we have gets bigger. Unless you gain a lot of weight really fast, or—and I found this most interesting—you have liposuction. Turns out the body likes a set amount and will reproduce those cells taken away.
There’s also the whole deal with brown-vs-white fat, but since treatments like Zerona tend to target the white, we’ll stay with that here.
Fat cells are unique; they have a much smaller nucleus than other types of cells, and are 85 percent storage. Picture a tiny bubble wrap bubble with one small control center and a drop of fat. How big that drop is determines how “fat” we look. In other words, does the bubble wrap look new, or fully popped? Science.HowStuffWorks.com has a great article explaining the details of how the body processes and stores fat, but we’ll skip to the getting rid of fat stage.
When you use up more calories than you take in, your body needs to pull energy from somewhere else. Enzymes are sent to trigger a biochemical process for the fat cells to release their storage—a bit like switching to the reserve fuel tank on a vehicle—and the cells shrink because they’re empty and take up less space.
What the Zerona laser seems to do is bypass that enzyme trigger and instead disrupt the wall of the fat cell itself—like poking a hole in a plastic bag filled with water. Allegedly this “emulsifies” the fat in the cell, releasing it. The empty cell shrinks.
But this question arises: if the cells are releasing their fat, but the body isn’t using it (via exercise), where does it go? The Zerona site doesn’t offer an answer to that.
However, an outside source in a LiveScience.com article noted that:
The procedure, which lasts about 40 minutes, should be done at least six times every other day to be effective, according to the company website. If more than 72 hours lapses between treatments, the fat cells may take up the fat again, the website says. (emphasis added)
back to menu ↑Zerona Treatment Procedure?
Usually, you’ll spend 20 minutes on your front and 20 minutes on your back while lying on a table. The Zerona lasers will be pointed at the desired location three to six inches away from your skin by your healthcare professional.
There won’t be any pain when the treatment is being done. According to Dr. Joshua L. Fox, a dermatologic surgeon in Albertson, New York, “the only sensation some patients report is an awareness of something on the skin, possibly a tiny tingling, but never discomfort.”
Afterward, especially if you don’t drink enough water, you can feel a little dizzy. The good news is that you can resume your regular activities straight away and shouldn’t have any soreness, bruising, or swelling.
Your provider might suggest the following additional steps for the best results:
- Use Curva, a supplement created by the company that makes Zerona, to help break down fat.
- To assist your body in processing the contents of your fat cells, consume at least 64 ounces of water each day.
- Consume a diet rich in protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates.
- Engage in at least 15 minutes of daily, intense exercise.
- Caffeine and alcohol should be avoided while receiving therapy.
How Soon Will You See Zerona Results?
As your lymphatic system removes the fat that has been ejected from the cells, results may not be seen for several weeks. The manufacturer claims that while some people experience changes after just a few treatments, others must go through the entire therapy cycle.
The best treatment cadence for Zerona outcomes, according to a randomized research of 60 patients published in Lasers in Medical Sciences in 2019, is 12 treatments, twice weekly for six weeks. The patients in that treatment group reduced their body fat mass by 1.1 kilos and dropped an average of 2 inches around their waists.
RealSelf doctors’ opinions of the Zerona findings are conflicting. The Zerona laser, in the opinion of board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Larry S. Nichter of Newport Beach, California, promises outcomes that it is unable to deliver. “We tested it on six members of our office staff, including myself, but despite carefully following all instructions, no noticeable changes occurred. We no longer provide this therapy and have given back our equipment.
According to Dr. Robert T. Buchanan, a plastic surgeon in Highlands, North Carolina, “certain practitioners have experienced uneven results—with some patients shedding considerable amounts and others losing not as much.” “This seems to rely on both the patient and the practitioner.”
back to menu ↑Word On The Street About Zerona Fat Loss Laser Treatment
If you are going to shell out thousands of dollars for a treatment, it should last longer than a week. But that said, “body contouring”—which Zerona plugs—isn’t the same thing as weight loss or fat loss.
Still, a “revolutionary new treatment” tends to have a lot of people excited. So we’ll look at what patients say, and what providing physicians (mostly cosmetic/plastic surgeons) say.
The Zerona website doesn’t have testimonials, just before-and-after shots—which in these days of Photoshop aren’t necessarily reliable. Most of the patient reviews come in the comments sections of other Zerona review articles or blogs. Here are two:
“Kanwal” from a DietSpotlight.com review: “I am doing Zerona, at a reputable clinic, in a very reputable city known for their elite education system.4th treatment and nothing has happened literally! I had a waist of 28 inch and it still is 28 inch, and it really doesn’t make scientific sense as any MD will tell you. I have thrown away 2G’s!”
“Freespirit02” from a RealSelf.com forum about Zerona: “When I turned 55 this year (2016) I took a look at myself in the mirror and was mortified! I was overweight … I had no energy, was overeating unhealthy food and was not happy at what I had become. … [Zerona] was a healthy alternative to surgery and they could treat my body contouring as a whole, not just in certain areas.
I had 15 treatments and a strict diet plan sorted for me by the staff nutritionist. … I dropped 3 dress sizes including skin tightening after 15 treatments. …The treatments helped curb my appetite for unhealthy foods and drink more water. My energy came back as well as my self confidence and desire to get my “groove” back. There was no discomfort or side effects.”
Cosmetic and plastic surgeons are equally divided. According to Live Science,
This isn’t a procedure that treats obesity or is a miracle cure, it’s just is an alternative or an additional procedure to traditional liposuction,” said Dr. Gregory C. Roche, a plastic surgeon in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, who has conducted research on Zerona.
When asked if this treatment lasts, after adequate research done by Roche with his patients who have received the treatment , he said,
About two weeks after the procedure, the patients who received the Zerona treatment regained an average of 0.31 inches (about 1 cm) across their waists, hips and thighs. The researchers aren’t sure what caused this increase in volume, it could have been from swelling or from the addition of new fat cells, Roche said.
But Dr. Darryl K. Hoffman, MD, plastic surgeon in San Jose California, says: “Zerona works. There are studies in our plastic surgery journals that document results of low level laser for fat reduction. I have been using the Zerona laser in my Palo Alto office since July [2010] and have been generally impressed. … Zerona is an alternative to liposuction for those who want to completely avoid an invasive procedure and risk it. I believe these types of treatments are the direction that plastic surgery is going in the 21st century.”
Blogger “Monica” at RunEatRepeat.com did an entire post about her experience with Zerona, and while she was not negative toward it, she would also not do it again. Some of her last words about trying Zerona were, “Because it is expensive and the results aren’t super AMAZING I would suggest others first try and lose the fat naturally via exercise and diet (as I did).”
back to menu ↑How Much Does Zerona Cost?
Cost: $350 to $3,000; average: $1,550
The cost of Zerona is influenced by your provider’s location, experience, and how many treatments you receive. Some RealSelf users claim to have discovered packages of six Zerona treatments at significant savings.
Ask for proof that the Zerona machine is registered with the manufacturer and inquire about the level of training the individual performing the treatment has had to make sure your provider is reliable. As New York City doctor Dr. Jamé Heskett put it in a RealSelf Q&A, “If it appears too good to be true, it generally is.”
back to menu ↑The Bottom Line: Is Zerona Fat Loss Laser Treatment Worth Trying
Problematic.This is a very expensive treatment for less-than-impressive results. It’s not a weight-loss miracle, it’s small-scale body contouring that may or may not stick around long-term. The only effort you will be putting out is the work it will take to pay off this treatment.
There are no side effects, which is a positive, but traditional liposuction is more proven once diet and exercise alone are exhausted as options. Someday science may develop a cheaper, less invasive form of liposuction, but Zerona isn’t it.
SIMPLY IT DOES’T WORK
logically speaking, if it works, why there are many people still go for liposuction with all its risks and cost? A simple answer would be “because this machine doesn’t work”.
Please, don’t fall into the trap I was in. James the manager will give you a fantastic presentation and bombard you with a dozen of scientific theories about this machine and the cold laser and its effect on the fat cells and how it makes them shrink ….etc. Then he will give you promises that he cannot fulfill. However, he is right about one thing that the whole procedure is painless because besides the nice red light that his spider machine will project on your body there is nothing else that gonna happen. Despite these obvious TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE promises, we were caught in the trap. We paid more than $ 1600 and attended 10 or 12 sessions and because there was no change we got another 4 extra sessions and guess what? Still, the result was the SAME. At this stage, James will hit you with another dozen of theories about why your body didn’t respond to his first dozen of theories. But of course, you were not eligible for any refund or compensation. so to conclude, we lost money, time, and efforts. And the only thing that we got is DISAPPOINTMENT.
Please, don’t repeat this hassle experience, save your money and efforts for something worth it.
Me and my boyfriend we had treatment with James that he promise everything included a $4000 refund
After we didn’t see any results he started to offer us a few extra treatments and then he started to give us all kind of explanation why the treatment wasn’t working
We didn’t see any results and he guarantee us a full refund.
We been trying to get our refund since April without success because each single time gives us a different excuse like the line of credit it’s maximize, like his having personal issue or like his waiting for money to come in from new customer and lots of others excuses that they all bring to one answer DONT TRUST JAMES
This is a scamming and fraud stay away from him and all the words that will come out from his mouth
Save your money