Photos: Foiling fat with military might

Syneron, which owes a heavy debt to the military, makes medical gear to combat cellulite and wrinkles.

By Bill Detwiler, Contributor on July 20, 2006

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Shimon Eckhouse

Syneron Medical Chairman Shimon Eckhouse, a former missile engineer, has since founded several companies including Syneron, which makes medical equipment that can remove hair with less danger of burning skin. The company is also looking at ways to remove fat from a person's body that will be less invasive than liposuction.

"You know those TV shows like 'The Swan' or 'Oprah.' People talk about aesthetic procedures. They aren't ashamed to talk about it," Eckhouse said.

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Syneron hair removal

One of Syneron's hair removal machines. Rather than just market these systems, which range in price from $50,000 to $150,000, to dermatologists only, the company is also selling them to general practitioners. In some countries, the systems can be operated by non-physicians.

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Yehiel Tal

Left: Yehiel Tal, CEO of Regentis Biomaterials, shows off a petri dish of synthetic blood clots being engineered by the company. Made from polymers and human proteins, the blood clots can be inserted into badly broken bones or cartilage and stimulate the body to regenerate bone or cartilage. Currently, severe bone breaks require pins or screws while cartilage repair typically necessitates surgery.

Right: A close-up of the blood clots. Professor Dror Selectar at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, came up with the technology. Regentis will try to commercialize it. Now that animal trials have succeeded, the company plans to move to human trials.

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