Type of Surgery
Laser Liposuction Advantages over Traditional Liposuction
Last updated: 05/08/2009
Laser Liposuction: Some Advantages over Traditional Liposuction
Everyone wants a perfectly toned body, but sometimes diet and exercise are not enough, especially as we get older. Since its addition to cosmetic surgery, liposuction has been the principal procedure for putting the final touches on a well-trained thigh, for shaping the buttocks or for removing a small belly roll or some residual “love handles.” When targeted to small areas, traditional liposuction is very effective. The problem is that liposuction liquefies fat using an ultra-high speed oscillating probe and removes the fat through suction—but it does nothing for the skin itself. The skin has stretched and grown to cover the body’s fat and when the fat is removed, excess skin remains.
Laser liposuction is different. Laser liposuction does not liquefy fat but rather uses concentrated light energy to vaporize the fat instantly. This laser light also cauterizes any blood vessels in its path so bleeding and bruising are kept to a minimum. Best of all, the laser liposuction technique tightens the skin. Patients that have had laser liposuction report that not only is the fat gone, but the remaining skin does not sag nearly as much as they had expected.
Scientists and doctors that have studied laser liposuction theorize that the heat associated with laser liposuction stimulates certain parts of the skin to form new collagen and elastin fibers†. The formation of these proteins is a normal part of wound inflammation and healing when skin is exposed to heat. In other words, laser liposuction damages the deep layers of the skin, and, as the body heals, it creates a new skin structure that is much tighter than before the procedure. So when you opt for laser liposuction over traditional liposuction, you can expect a much more rapid and more natural tightening of the skin at the site.
It should be noted that this beneficial skin-tightening effect is not as pronounced when larger areas are targeted by laser liposuction. As with traditional liposuction, the results of laser liposuction are better on smaller areas with less fat. With more aggressive procedures (large areas with considerable fat deposits) laser liposuction does not achieve the same degree of fat loss as traditional approaches. Also, since there is more skin that needs to retract in these cases, the skin response is slower and not as impressive.
Another major advantage of laser liposuction over traditional techniques is that a very small probe can be used. Since the fat is vaporized rather than liquefied, there is no need for the large suction tube when performing laser liposuction. Therefore small areas, such as around the face and neck, can be targeted by laser liposuction while leaving only a small incision scar, if any.
Because laser liposuction requires that the surgeon be familiar with both the surgical aspects of liposuction as well as the use of lasers, laser liposuction tends to be more expensive than traditional approaches. In cases where small and/or delicate areas are targeted and rapid skin tightening is desired, laser liposuction offers some distinct advantages. Talk to a cosmetic surgeon that routinely performs both types of liposuction to help you determine what is best in your particular case.
†Mordon, SR, Wassmer, B, Reynaud, JP and Zemmouri J (2008) Mathematical modeling of laser lipolysis. BioMedical Engineering OnLine 2008, 7:10.
Last Updated: 05/08/2009
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