Liposuction Article 3

Types of Liposuction Available

Conventional Liposuction (Tumescent Liposuction)

Conventional liposuction in which a suction vacuum is used to extract the fatty tissue through small cannulae is the most commonly performed aesthetic procedure in the United States.

Ultrasound-Assisted Liposuction

Introduced in the late 80s, ultrasonic liposuction uses a probe to deliver ultrasonic energy to the fatty tissues to help destroy and liquify the fat. The fat must still be suctioned out as in conventional liposuction. The advantage of this technique is that it permits easier removal of fat from fibrous areas such as the upper abdomen, back, and flanks with greater ease, especially during secondary liposuction procedures. This is not to say that conventional liposuction is ineffective at removing fibrous fat. This is not the case.

Ultrasonic Liposuction has a significant drawback and that is the probe that is liquefying fat can also cause thermal injury to the skin that can result in burns and scars.

Laser Liposuction, Smart Liposuction, Vaser Lipo, and J-plasma

Laser liposuction, smart liposuction, Vaser lipo, and J-plasma all generate heat from a monopolar device.   Bodytite is a bipolar device that reduces the risk for thermal injury, but it is not a liposuction device.   Thermal injury plagues SmartLipo, Vaser Lipo, and J-plasma, and the burn scars from these two methods have no viable surgical treatment.

Power-Assisted Liposuction

In this method, the cannula is powered back and forth by an external source rather than by the surgeon’s arm. Systems are either electrically driven or gas-driven. This technology was developed to decrease physician fatigue and offers no other advantages over conventional liposuction.

Syringe Aspiration

This technique is effective for sensitive and smaller volume areas, such as the neck. It is commonly used for harvesting fat for transfer, as less mechanical damage to the fat cells allows for greater fat viability in its new location, such as the face. (See Facial Fat Grafting Procedure)

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