One of the basic principles of liposuction is that after fat is removed, you need less skin. In other words, skin must shrink down due to less fat underneath it after surgery. A good result is often very dependent on that happening. And how well it happens has a lot to do with the natural elasticity, or lack thereof, in one’s skin over the treated area. How the skin shrinks and adapts after liposuction surgery is one of the most variable factors in the whole procedure…and the plastic surgeon historically has little to no control over it. (although how much fat is removed is under the surgeon’s control)
Being able to help or improve how the skin shrinks after liposuction is one of the most appealing factors to me about Smartlipo. While liposuction has a long history of working fairly well, skin shrinkage and adaptation can be unpredictable. The heat generated from the melting of the fat by the laser’s energy, and the heat temporarily retained by the liquefied lipids, definitely has a favorable effect on causing dermal collagen contraction of the skin. Evidence is now being to appear that supports this potential laser lipolysis contention.
In a randomized, blinded study reported at the recent American Society of Laser Medicine annual meeting, Barry DiBernardo, M.D., Medical Director of New Jersey Plastic Surgery, compared Smartlipo MPX workstation against traditional liposuction for its ability to improve skin elasticity and tighten tissue. A total of 10 women received a single treatment with liposuction on one side of the abdomen and the dual-wavelength Smartlipo MPX on the other. Skin shrinkage was evaluated through photographic imaging and measurements using an elasticity device. These measurements were taken before surgery and at one and three months after liposuction surgery.
At one and three months, skin treated with Smartlipo MPX demonstrated a statistically significant change in skin shrinkage than skin treated with liposuction only, Dr. DiBernardo reported. Of the nine patients that were fully evaluated, eight, or 89%, had an average of 54% greater shrinkage at three months on the Smartlipo MPX side than the liposuction side. The study also showed a statistically significant difference in skin tightening. At three months, the average improvement in skin tightening was 62% with Smartlipo MPX compared with a 5% improvement on the side treated with traditional liposuction.
This is the first study that I have seen in my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice that supports the benefits of the heat generated by Smartlipo treatments. During the procedure, one can feel the tremendous heat on the outside of the skin as the treatment progresses. Temperatures up to 42 degrees C are created which understandably has an effect on the collagen structure of the skin. Traditional liposuction may traumatize the skin but really has no beneficial influence on how the skin will shrink and adapt other than scar contracture.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana