Lipo Without the Suction
More than half a million times a year, Americans head to the office of a plastic surgeon to undergo liposuction, and that number is rising: According to CosmeticSurgery.com, it will double within eight years. As a quick fix for unwanted fat, lipo is certainly attractive. What could be more satisfying than to lie down and have a doctor literally vacuum the excess fat out of your body?
But in the fast-moving world of plastic surgery, traditional lipo is being upstaged by newer procedures and technologies that promise to make the procedure much less traumatic for patients. Out go the vacuums, and in come the lasers.
The problem with old-fashioned lipo is that it is invasive. Patients typically go under general anesthesia, and the doctor inserts a metal tube beneath the skin and moves it around forcefully to loosen and remove fat. There can be bruising and swelling, and the post-op experience can be uncomfortable and drawn out. That's why plastic surgeons have been looking for a less aggressive way to achieve the same results.
The answer lies with lasers. Since 2006, the FDA has approved laser-based lipo technologies ("laser-assisted lypolysis" is the technical name for them) that promise an easier time for the patient. The first, trademarked as Smartlipo, uses a tiny laser attached to the end of a very slim tube, which is inserted beneath the skin through a small incision and under local, not general, anesthesia. The job of the laser is to literally explode fat cells so the residue can be absorbed or drained away by the body. There is little bleeding, bruising, or swelling.
Unlike traditional liposuction, Smartlipo requires little recovery time doesn’t leave the skin the treated area loose because the laser energy interacts with the dermis, resulting in collagen shrinkage and skin retraction. A typical procedure takes under an hour and costs from $3,000 to $4,000.
A newer version of laser lipo known as CoolLipo was approved by the FDA in January 2008. While it does precisely the same thing as SmartLipo, its advocates say that because it uses a slightly different laser wavelength, it is more effective in blasting the fat cells without damaging anything else and encourages even faster tightening of the surrounding skin.
The bottom line: don’t go in for a traditional liposuction technique without first finding out from your professional cosmetic surgery consultant if one of the new laser treatments get you the same results with less stress and recovery time.
Read More on This Topic:
SmartLipo: http://www.smartlipo.com/
CoolTouch CoolLipo: http://www.cooltouch.com/Lipolysis.aspx
