But there is a wand—of the non-magic variety, that can make you look younger.

It’s Smartlipo—minimally invasive laser liposuction. With regular liposuction, fat is sucked out by a pump. With laser lipo, fat melts away with almost no bleeding or bruising. Call it lipo-lite—there are people who get it done at lunchtime and go right back to the office.

We recently went to see Dr. Joseph Cervone, of Concierge Skin Care www.conciergeskincare.com in West Orange , make patient John Crawford’s double chin disappear.

With John nice and numb but fully awake, Dr. Cervone inserted the wand’s one-millimeter tip inside the skin at three entry points—near each ear and under the chin. He sort of wiggled it around, up, down and across, for about half a hour.  You could see the light at the end of the wand, shining through under John’s skin.

The wand, connected to a LaserBodySculpting Workstation www.cynosure.com/products/smartlipo/index.php, was liquefying fat cells. Dr. Cervone patted and shaped the throat as he worked it, literally sculpting a new appearance—possible because the laser not only melts fat, but also tightens the skin by cauterizing blood vessels.

The last step was to draw out the fat. That too was painless, John Crawford said, even as fat was gently sucked out with a needle.

When the procedure was over the patient’s entire throat area was noticeably smoother, if a bit swollen.  That swelling goes away quickly, Dr. Cervone said. “Appearance will continue to improve for three months, as the skin tightens.”

The patient seemed happy with the result. Next for John: Smartlipo for the tummy and love handles.