The Health Bulletin

People who want to get an immediate contoured figure often opt for liposuction. This surgical procedure promises to get rid of obstinate fats that don’t seem to go away with just a diet revamp or even regular calorie-burning activities. The only catch is that liposuction has been known for its invasive nature because both the pre-surgical and the post-procedure aspects could be a bit demanding.

The use of general anesthesia, the presence of incision, chances of excessive bleeding, physical trauma, long-term recovery, and soreness are just few of the drawbacks that come with liposuction. In fact, the surfacing of non-surgical, less baleful body contouring methods has resulted to a 20% decrease of liposuction patients from 2008 to 2009.

Today, the trends and innovations in the area of liposuction have evolved enormously. Laser liposuction (or laser assisted liposuction) offers the same benefits that a person can get from a conventional liposuction procedure, minus all the drawbacks. Negligible bleeding, local anesthesia, minimal to zero chances of soreness and quick recovery periods are the supposed benefits of laser liposuction. Additionally, the procedure is said to show lower risks of infection and complications compared to traditional liposuction.

Laser liposuction uses laser energy to melt unwanted fatty cells. In a conventional liposuction procedure, a cannula is pushed and pulled to loosen fat layers before having all the fats suctioned through a tube. With laser liposuction, a tiny cannula is inserted all the way through fat pockets. These fat sacks absorb the laser energy and channels the heat that consequently results to fat emulsification. The use of a smaller cannula and the non-surgical facet of laser liposuction have influenced many fitness enthusiasts to consider this procedure instead of traditional, surgical liposuction.

The expediency of laser liposuction also allows patients to resume their usual daily activities in as fast as 48 hours after the procedure. The process can also be done as an outpatient procedure where patients can leave the clinic on the exact same day of the procedure provided that all their vital signs are normal and stable.

Aside from the safer, more expedient nature of laser liposuction methods, its precision in targeting obdurate fat deposits allows doctors to precisely sculpt problem areas in your body; thus giving you a more contoured proportioned figure.

The scientific verity that adults are no longer capable of producing new fat cells make liposuction a viable procedure for people who want to eliminate fat cells permanently. Though traditional and laser liposuction costs are tipping on about the same rate scales, actual costs may differ depending on the place where you’ll have the procedure done and on the amount of fat deposits that need to be treated.

With all the positive reviews and testimonies addressing laser liposuction, cynics are still thriving through print and online media to negate the benefits of the procedure. The supposed “less invasive” nature of laser liposuction has been refuted by some critics. Skeptics have also noted that the use of local anesthesia instead of general anesthetics leaves patients with an irksome and sometimes painfully excruciating burning sensation.

With all the positive and negative views from medical experts and patients alike, the bottom line is that laser liposuction, just like any other body contouring procedures will deliver maximum results only if executed by an experienced and certified medical practitioner.

Medical technology has advanced to a point where liposuction is no longer simply vacuuming out fat, often leaving scars and a long recovery period. New liposuction techniques are much less invasive, and more complex, often using the patient’s fat cells to add to other areas of the body. Liposuction has become more of a body-sculpting technique, using tools that create less trauma and are more versatile in the use of extracted fat cells. There are three main new liposuction methods, each with it’s own benefits and limitations, but all are far advanced from previous liposuction techniques.

The first method is known as high definition liposuction, which involves removing fat from problem areas and using that fat to enhance other areas of the body. The enhanced areas may include the abdomen, legs or arms, and are sculpted in such a way as to make the additional fat appear to be muscular definition. This method is much safer than adding silicone or similar products, since it uses the patient’s own body fat. It is also minimally invasive, requiring only small incisions to extract and inject the fat.

Smart liposuction is another non surgical liposuction method which utilizes a laser beam that collapses the fat cells, making them easy to extract from the body through small incisions. One advantage of this method is that it can be done under local, rather than general anesthesia and requires little recovery time. Smart liposuction is also generally less expensive than traditional liposuction, mainly because it doesn’t require general anesthesia or hospitalization.

The other liposuction technique that is fairly new to the market is water assisted liposuction, a procedure wherein the physician directs a high pressure water jet at the surface fat just under the skin, thereby extracting it from the tissue. The free floating fat cells can then be extracted with a small hollow needle that requires only a small incision. This method’s advantage is that is does not cause as much bruising to the tissues when extracting the fat. It’s relatively easy and patients are usually able to return to normal activity within a day or two.

Liposuction no longer has to be a traumatic medical procedure. In fact, many types of new liposuction procedures can easily be performed in your doctor’s office, with minor incisions and fast recovery times. If you’re considering liposuction, discuss some of these new methods with your doctor to determine the best one for your needs.