Eleme Medical plans to take its laser and light energy cellulite zapping technology into commercial application after receiving $18 million of investment capital and the backing of a couple big names. Hambrecht & Quist Capital Management has joined forces with L Capital Partners in backing Eleme in its efforts to smooth the thighs and buttocks of the world.

The new system is called the SmoothShapes cellulite treatment, and the FDA has given it aapproval. The company's website however, sheds little light on how the device actually works. It would seem that the SmoothShapes laser and light energy system, in combination with suction and kneading of the tissue, causes restoration of certain skin cells which are important in the restructuring and maintenance of a smooth butt.

If you ask me, the whole thing sounds like a 3 a.m. Thigh Master commercial tucked in between episodes of Murder She Wrote. But if venture capitalists choose to place their bets on the possibility that there really is a new and effective method for enhancing the appearance of cellulite, who am I to question it? If the device has true potential, the venture partners might think about getting a celebrity to use it and endorse it. Then, all that will be needed is for Eleme to convince the insurance industry that cellulite maintenance treatments are a necessary medical procedure. Oh yes, one can just hear the cash registers ringing at the thought.

Gary Sattler is a freelance blogger. He does not knowingly have financial interest in the companies mentioned in this blog post.