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Laser liposuction - Is it better than traditional liposuction?

By Dr York Yates

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 12Jul2009 Word count: 839 Viewed: 1116 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Laser liposuction is the hottest thing in liposuction that we have seen for a number of years. In the U.S. this has been available for approximately 2 years. Smartlipo was the first on the scene and was FDA approved in 2007. Smartlipo is certainly still the largest in this race but a few newcomers including slimlipo, LipoLite, lipotherme and cool lipo to name a few have come along.

Liposuction has been around for years. Major advances in techniques have occurred. The most significant advances are the development of tumescent technique (injection of numbing solution) and the use of smaller cannulas. Is laser liposuction the next great advancement in liposuction?

What is laser liposuction?

There is a general misunderstanding about laser liposuction. Most advertising would suggest that smartlipo and its competitors have completely reinvented liposuction. In reality the basic steps for traditional liposuction are always performed including:
1. Sedation of the patient
2. Injection of tumescent fluid (numbing solution)
3. Suction of fat.
With laser lipolysis there is an additional step which involves the burning of fat just before removal.
Initially, the laser lipo was supposed to be used without liposuction of the fat. 'Melted' fat was to be resorbed by the body. This has generally been shown to be ineffective. The fat must be removed after the burning, this is achieved in the EXACT same manner as would be performed without the laser.

The claimed advantages of burning the fat are:

1. Skin tightening
2. Less pain
3. Quicker recovery
4. Smoother results
5. Less invasive procedure, some ads even call it fat removal "without surgery or scars"
6. Quicker procedure

How accurate are these claims?

According the the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, "The only study that has scientifically compared this to standard liposuction has found no differences between these techniques in terms of the results."

The author (Dr. York Yates) is a plastic surgeon in the Salt Lake City, Utah area.

"I have been excited about the possibility of additional skin tightening with laser liposuction. This is often a problem in older people or folks who have lost a lot of weight."

"I was recently given the opportunity to 'try out' a laser lipo machine on a patient we had scheduled for liposuction. She had liposuction on the abdomen,upper hips, back, and inner thighs. The laser lipo was used on the abdomen to hopefully tighten some loose skin."

"The experience was less than satisfying. There were not any complications due to the laser, however it just didn't live up to the hype. Although the other treatment areas were nearly painless, the abdomen (laser treated) was extremely painful and was reported as a 'burning' sensation. The addition of the laser did not increase the amount of fat that could be removed, nor did I see any skin tightening."

"The only difference I can see between the two procedures is increased pain, increased cost and need for deeper sedation. It is certainly just as invasive as traditional liposuction if not more so. I have researched this extensively and cannot find any ground to support any of the claims that laser lipo is making. Hopefully these studies are done and hopefully the results are favorable for skin shrinkage."

Disadvantages of laser liposuction:

The purported advantages of laser liposuction don't seem to be accurate. There are, however a few disadvantages of laser liposuction in the authors opinion:

1. Most surgeons (not all) using laser liposuction are not experienced plastic surgeons. "Cosmetic surgeon", is not the same thing and may be an oral surgeon, family practice doctor, OB, radiologist or anyone with a medical degree.
2. The burning is painful
3. The burning requires a longer procedure with more time and risk. Does it make any sense to burn tissue before you remove it?
4. Burning of fat makes it a more (not less) invasive procedure
5. The procedure is more expensive (the equipment is very expensive)


How has laser liposuction gotten so popular if it doesn't do what it says it does?

Purely marketing genius. Add a laser to anything in medicine and the assumption is that it must be better. This undoubtedly true in Lasik eye surgery and laser hair removal. The bombardment of billboards, TV and print media have made it extremely popular. Many of these ads have been misleading and irresponsible. The claims make laser lipolysis sound like a quick lunch hour procedure. It is simply not the case. Liposuction is one of the most dangerous procedures that plastic surgeons do and all plastic surgeons take it very seriously. The fact that the procedure can be done with light sedation and the incisions are small should not be misinterpreted as minimally invasive. The majority of the deaths (although very rare) in cosmetic surgery are liposuction related.

Many of the doctors using these devices learn to do liposuction over a weekend course, a craft that takes plastic surgeons 6-7 years. The consumer should be very careful. Find the right doctor and together determine what would be your best treatment option. The technology behind the doctor is less important when it comes to liposuction.

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