With the summer rapidly coming on us, less clothes and more time outdoors is iinevitable. This will have many worrying about the shape of their bodies. For some, they should have started much earlier, for others there are justa few problem areas. Whether it be a small stomach pooch, love handles, or some spot areas on the thighs, improving these areas would provide greater self -confidence not only through the summer but for the rest of the year as well.
For contouring the body, think liposuction. While most people know what liposuction is, today’s liposuction techniques are a significant step forward from the traditional ways of the past. Liposuction is no longer the physcial beating that many have seen on TV or the internet. The latest advance in liposuction is known as Smartlipo or laser liposuction. SmartLipo is a cutting-edge technique to significantly improve the safety and effectiveness of traditional liposuction. Routinely used in many areas of medicine and dentistry, laser technology is what sets SmartLipo apart from all other methods of liposuction.
Traditional liposuction uses a vacuum with a metal tube attached, which the plastic surgeon moves back and forth by hand. Because the human hand is not that precise, patients can sometimes get a lot of bleeding, swelling and trauma to the tissues. SmartLipo is different in that it uses a carefully calibrated laser to liquefy fat deposits in the top layers of the skin. The laser actually ruptures the fat cells, like a hot knife going through butter, and the resulting oily, liquid substance is then suctioned out through a tiny incision in the skin. The small laser can also seal blood vessels as it zaps fat, so there is less swelling, bleeding and bruising than with traditional liposuction….and less pain! Research has shown that little, if any, fat is reabsorbed back into the body. The more gentle technique of the SmartLipo procedure allows patients to recover faster and see the results they are looking for more quickly.
The heat from the laser also has another very valuable contribution to the final result – it helps tighten loose skin. The historical problem in traditional liposuction is that it relies on the patient having good, taut skin to begin with. Otherwise, removing fat will simply make skin looser and to sometimes ‘sag’ after the procedure . By heating the underside of the skin to temperatures of 45 degrees C (approximately 112 degrees F), the skin is made to shrink to some degree. This makes it possible for some people to successfully undergo liposuction today who may not have gotten good results in the past.
SmartLipo also makes it possible for many patients with smaller problem areas to require only a local anesthetic for the procedure. Traditional liposuction often requires general anesthesia. This makes it more practical for some people, as they can drive to and from the procedure, eliminating the transportation and care needs of a typical surgical operation.
Liposuction has a long history in plastic surgery of being a very good body contouring method for the right patient who is willing to undergo the recovery. Like most everything in life, liposuction has now gotten better….smarter if you will. SmartLipo is a technological advance for certain – but it is not a miracle. One still needs to have realistic expectations about what the procedure can and cannot do. But for smaller fatty deposits, or for someone who is fairly fit to being with, Smartlipo may be the simplest solution to regaining confidence with their body.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana