Laser liposuction, also known as “liposculpture”, “laser lipolysis” and “laser lipo”, has revolutionized the fat loss and has mad the agony of regular liposuction a thing of the past. Basic liposuction involves the use of a hollow metal tube called a cannula to remove extra fat, by sucking it out like a vacuum. The cannula is places through incisions and afterwards, these incisions are closed up with stitches – bruising and pain will follow.

The types:

Laser liposuction is minimally invasive, which means that you will not have to be tortured with the same experience of the basic liposuction technique. Recovery is faster and there is almost no pain or bruising. The outcome of any type of liposuction is a newly contoured body shape with reduced fat, especially in areas that are stubborn to fat loss.

When it comes to liposuction, there is a good selection of techniques to choose from. The most common liposuction techniques are Smart lipo, Cool lipo, Pro Lipo, Lipo lite, Lipo Therme, Lipo Control, and Slim lipo laser liposuction. Smart lipo is non invasive, and it dissolves the fatty tissue cells using a laser that also promotes the growth of collagen, which will leave the skin looking tighter, where as some other techniques of liposuction can leave the skin looking saggy and loose.

Why Laser Liposuction?

What are the advantages of laser liposuction over the other techniques? Here they are:

• The best part about it is that there are no incisions required, and it is painless, leaving behind no mess and allowing you to get back to your activities in a matter of days following the procedure. Rather than suctioning out the fat deposits, laser liposuction literally melts the fatty adipose tissue, and then the resulting liquid is drained.

• It is great for removing fat and cellulite from areas of the body that prove impossible to tone up and thin out with just the use of exercise and diet. Laser liposuction can treat areas such as the chin, jowls, neck, arms, chest, abdomen, butt, thighs, hips, knees, back, and sides. Conventional and basic techniques of liposuction are not able to treat these same areas effectively and efficiently.

• Laser liposuction can also be used through very tiny incisions using the cannula, but it does not cause the same damage as a cannula does in basic liposuction procedures. In addition, the incisions are tiny and will not make a big difference in recovery time when compared to other liposuction types that use no incisions.

• During the procedure, the laser will cauterize any ruptured blood vessels which stop bleeding and reduce any bruising that might occur.

Before the laser came:

Laser liposuction has become the more popular pick over the years when it comes to choosing what type of liposuction procedure a person wants in order to reshape and revamp one’s body. Before, when you wanted to get rid of that extra stubborn adipose tissue (fat) that refuses to budge, no matter how much you exercise and eat healthy, you had to deal with a lot of pain and bruising. Not to mention the recovery time, that was long and painful.

And the results? They weren’t always what you had expected and sometimes people are left with saggy pockets of skin that require more surgery to get rid of, resulting in more scars and skin disfigurement.

Laser liposuction offers a new and improved way of getting rid of extra pockets of fat without leaving behind unwanted scars and loose skin. This way, rather than going in invasively and sucking out pieces of fat, fat cells are melted away, and then the liquid is removed from the body afterwards, leaving no scaring or bruising. Recovery time only consists of a few days and the heat from the laser actually generates collagen, which causes the skin to tighten up and look toned.

What is Wet Liposuction?

As the name suggests, wet liposuction refers to the liposuction technique that uses injection containing fluids, like anesthesia (epinephrine) and adrenaline. The blood loss is minimized by the use of adrenaline. Besides, adrenaline also promotes quick recovery time. The solution itself breaks down the fat cells and fatty tissue.

Once the saline solution containing the fluids fills the treatment area, a small incision is made through which the cannula is inserted, which further breaks down the fatty tissue, and also helps in suctioning it out.  The solution also results in constriction of blood vessels resulting in restriction on the flow of blood in that area; thus, preventing excess blood loss, which was rampant in case of dry liposuction. Less blood loss means minimal bruising and swelling.

In case the area to be treated is large, more than one incision can also be made simultaneously.

The recovery time in case of wet liposuction depends on how large the area that was treated with this technique. However, generally, the patients recover much quicker than the dry liposuction patients.

What is Super Wet Liposuction?

Super wet liposuction is not dissimilar to the wet liposuction in terms of procedure. The only difference is the amount of anesthesia used in the saline solution. Considerably lesser amount of anesthesia is used in super wet liposuction technique resulting in less numbness of the area to be treated. No swelling is caused by the solution used in this technique. Moreover bruising and bleeding is also less than the wet liposuction technique.

The recovery time for super wet liposuction is also lesser compared to other traditional liposuction techniques.

Who is the Best Candidate for Wet and Super Wet Liposuction?

Individuals who are slightly overweight, and have a particular area on the body that refuses to respond positively to diet control and exercising, are perfect candidates for fat reduction through wet and super wet liposuction techniques. Post-surgery period for anyone who has undergone wet or super wet liposuction is extremely crucial, as you may be restricted in terms of diet and exercise. However, since the fat reduction is not too great, you won’t take too long to get back to your routine, but with a healthy diet.

Risks Involved in Wet and Super Wet Liposuction

The fluids generated by wet and super wet liposuction need to be removed immediately, otherwise they may get stored in the heart or lungs (medically, this condition is known as ‘drowning’). If the fluids are not drained out completely and quickly, they may result in infections, bloated face, scarring, deadening of nerves, or embolism. In case you are allergic to any of the fluids used in the injection, it’s advisable to inform the doctor before the procedure.

Undoubtedly, wet and super wet liposuction procedures are invasive (although minimally), and all invasive procedures carry some amount of risk. But all the dangers and fears should be banished once you’ve found a cosmetic surgeon with good track record and expertise to ably manage the pre- and post-operative patient care.

Cool Lipo is another minimally invasive liposuction technique that uses the laser technology for fat dissolution and removal from the body, just like smart lipo.

Usually, Cool Lipo is deployed for removal of excess fat from the chin, neck, jowls and under the arms, as the traditional liposuction procedures may find it difficult to access such areas for fat removal.

How Does it Work?

A hand-held laser fibered cannulus is used by a certified physician to directly target the fatty deposits under the skin of the target area, which is already numbed using local anesthesia. The excess fatty tissues get dissolved and liquefied by the heat generated by the laser energy. This fat is then naturally excreted out of the body through bladder and bowel movements

The use of laser energy shrinks the skin tissue on the target area, which in turn stimulates collagen production. The entire process not just removes the stubborn and inaccessible fat from the conspicuous body parts, but also tightens and tones the skin.

Cool Lipo vs. Smart Lipo

Apparently, both Cool Lipo and Smart Lipo seem identical, but there are subtle differences between the two. For instance, Smart Lipo is performed using a dual-platform laser (30-watt, 1,064-nm wavelength) that separates the functions for fat removal and skin tightening; while Cool Lipo system uses a single laser (1,320 nm wavelength) to separate fat cells and tighten the skin.

Besides, there may be difference in the prices charged by different medical facilities for these liposuction techniques.

Is Cool Lipo a Painful Procedure?

Once the target area is numbed using local anesthesia, you will hardly experience any sensation or pain while the doctors perform the procedure. However, be prepared to experience the injection pain from the anesthesia. After the procedure, some soreness, bruising and swelling may be experienced for a couple of days, but these can be treated using Over-The-Counter available medications.

How Long the Cool Lipo Procedure Lasts?

The duration of the procedure depends on the amount of area that is to be treated with laser energy. Greater the area, more the time needed for Cool Lipo procedure! However, usually, the doctors take 1-3 hours to complete the procedure.

Who is An Ideal Candidate for Cool Lipo Procedure?

Your doctor will decide if you are an ideal candidate for Cool Lipo, depending upon your age, history of illnesses, whether you are on any medication, your overall general health, diet ad family history.

Tumescent Liposuction is the most popular liposuction procedure preferred by many all around the globe. It goes by several other names, like lipoplasty, liposculpture and suction assisted lipectomy.

Tumescent Liposuction derives its name from the word ‘tumescent’, which means swollen and firm. Thus, tumescent liposuction can be understood as a procedure to remove fat from the target area after making it swollen and firm by the administration of a fluid that combines local anesthetic (usually, diluted lidocaine) and a medicine, which shrinks the capillaries (usually, epinephrine), to the target area.

Procedure of Tumescent Liposuction

The procedure starts by identifying the area in the body that carries excess fat that has refused to go even after the patient underwent diet control and strict exercise regimen. Then, a large volume of tumescent fluid is injected into the target area in order to make it swell and firm. This technique discounts the need to administer general anesthesia or the IV sedation for local anesthesia.

Apart from achieving strong local anesthesia, the drug epinephrine also ensures a very high degree of vasoconstriction, which prevents blood loss during the procedure. An incision is then made through which a cannula, attached to a vacuum is inserted into the target area. This vacuum is used to create tunnels through the fatty layer and the excess fat is then sucked out.

What are the Benefits?

1. Since numbing of the target area is achieved by a special tumescent fluid, it prevents the possible side effects that general and local anesthesia may entail.

2. The tumescent fluid also includes a drug that constricts the blood vessels around the target area. This results in negligible loss of blood during the procedure. The patient does not experience too much post-operative swelling around the treated area, which speeds up the recovery time.

3. The fat is removed from the target area in a minimally invasive manner, which also contributes to lessening the patient’s recovery time, which is usually not more than 48 hours.

4. Since the patient is awake during the procedure, the surgeon can feel the muscle tone along the targeted fat layer. This helps the surgeon to remove additional fat layer with precision, which is not the case in other techniques where the surgeon acts conservatively in fat removal from a heavily sedated patient.

5. Tumescent liposuction is an ideal second procedure in patients who have already undergone another procedure to loosen the fat, since it can remove the leftover fat with minimum patient discomfort and short recovery time.

6. Tumescent liposuction causes minimum trauma to the patients as the suction tubes used in the procedure are very thin. The sutures heal quickly without causing any significant scarring.

7. It is widely believed that the use of antibacterial lidocaine to prepare tumescent fluid tends to reduce the chances of infection. Read the rest of this entry »

Vaser Liposuction (or LipoSelection or Vaser Ultrasonic Liposuction) is a proprietary liposuction technique introduced in 2002 by Sound Surgical Technologies, LLC.

The name of this technique, VASER, is an acronym for Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Resonance. In other words, Vaser lipo uses ultrasonic high frequency vibration to break down the fat cells.

Apparently, Vaser liposuction looks similar to Ultrasonic Assisted Liposuction, but the difference lies in details. The former is more precise and causes less peripheral damage than the latter. However, it is equally true that the success of a liposuction procedure depends on the capabilities and skills of the surgeon as much as on the efficacy of the procedure itself.

How the Procedure Works?

The Vaser lipo procedure starts with locally anesthetizing the target area by injecting a tumescent fluid comprising anesthetic and medication to minimize the blood loss from the target area during the procedure. This tumescent fluid also temporarily expands the volume of target area so that the fat cells are clearly identified and easily removed.

Then, small diameter probes are inserted in the target area through which huge ultrasonic frequency vibrations are passes to break down the stubborn fat. Once broken down, the fat gets dissolved in the tumescent fluid, which is removed with gentle suction.

Target Areas

Vaser liposuction is efficient in removing stubborn fat from almost all the conspicuous body parts, such as:

• Abdomen
• Thighs
• Hips
• Arms
• Legs
• Face
• Chin
• Female and male breasts
• Back
• “Love handles”
• Buttocks
• Knees
• Calves
• Ankles

The traditional liposuction procedure may not give you the much needed flexibility in targeting certain areas, like back of the arms, upper abdomen, inner thighs, neck, jaw-line, etc. But with Vaser liposuction, you can easily target these areas and bring about a leaner change in your appearance.

Vaser Lipo Benefits

Undoubtedly, with excess fat removed from your body, the target area becomes slimmer and more presentable. Vaser achieves a toned figure without hurting the peripheral tissues and cells; thereby, reducing the swelling and trauma during the procedure.

The recovery time cuts down drastically and the results start showing in 2-3 months. You just need to ensure proper balanced diet and lots of exercise to keep the fat from the target area at bay.

Vaser Liposuction Costs

Vaser Liposuction is one of the advanced liposuction procedure developed in the recent times. Therefore, you may find the procedure a little expensive. Although the liposuction prices varies depending on the size of target area and other special circumstances surrounding the patient, yet Vaser liposuction could range anywhere between USD 1,000 – 10,000.

The liposuction cost also depends on the surgeon and the facility he/she is operating from. An upscale weight loss clinic will obviously cost more than the facilities in towns and cities that are considered cheap in terms of cost of living.

However, cost should not be the deciding factor when you select a surgeon for Vaser lipo. It should be a combination of:

1. Cost
2. Skills of the surgeon
3. The facility

A combination of the three should determine your choice of a liposuction surgeon.