Liposuction & High-Tech Gizmos
Liposuction, Plastic Surgery Comments (1)
Plastic surgery patients looking for fat removal might find confusion instead these days.
In addition to standard liposuction machines which remove fat by suction, an array of high-tech machines are put being forth to remove unsightly flab.
Nonetheless, most board-certified plastic surgeons agree that the gold standard in surgical fat removal is still the procedure known as “tumescent liposuction.”
But in case you were wondering, here are a few gizmos competing for your attention and fat removal dollar, including:
- SmartLipo
Also known as SlimLipo, LipoSculpt and Cool Lipo, these lasers melt, and not suck, fat. Some surgeons use suction to remove the fat while others let the body absorb the melted fat.
Plastic surgery is evidence-based medicine and so far, no reliable scientific evidence exists that that laser-assisted liposuction can:
- Tighten skin
- Work better than basic liposuction
Downside: The machines cost upwards of $150,000 and drive up patients’ cost for the procedures. Tumescent liposuction does virtually all of what laser liposuction does, making the extra high cost questionable.
- VASER (Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Resonance) liposuction. High energy sound waves emulsify fat which is then removed by suction.
Proponents say VASER spares blood vessels and other tissues, resulting in less swelling and bruising.
But not many plastic surgeons use it. If it’s so good, why do most cosmetic surgeons still use tumescent liposuction?
So what is real and what is just hyper marketing?
Our take: the most important choice you can make is the surgeon, him-or-herself!
Various plastic surgeons achieve all type of wonderful results using many types of surgical tools and equipment. Would you hire a carpenter who used an extra fancy hammer? So put your judgment to work studying surgeons’ results!
That’s why plastic surgery before and after pictures are so important and useful.
Also, check and make sure the plastic surgeon you want to use is board certified. (Learn more about plastic surgery board certification.)
admin @ October 5, 2009
VASER has steadily grown in popularity without hyper marketing. It has earned its stature with real world results. It’s become the technology of choice for those physicians who have become exposed to it with an overwhelming very high 98% of physician satisfaction, as well as extremely high patient satisfaction. Not a single death, nor a case of serious complication has resulted from the use of VASER with well over 100,000 procedures now behind it. VASER does very little advertising. It’s growth has been a result of advocacy in the physician community, press accounts of worthy cases and the versatility of use. Besides lipo VASER is now being used by inventive physicians for hyperhidrosis, gynecomastia, high volume cases, buffalo humps, hi definition 3D lipo sculpturing and contouring, and regular lipo. VASER has placed its 1,000th system in the field and is being accepted as a “go to” technology around the world.