
Liposuction, one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures, has changed considerably over the past several years. Today, there are at least three different liposuction techniques in use:
- Traditional Tumescent techniques rely on the injection of a hemostatic and anesthetic solution in the fat tissue, in order to decrease blood loss, and to speed recovery.
- Ultrasonic liposuction relies on an ultrasonic probe, which literally melts the fats tissue prior to its removal with very thin instruments through tiny hidden incisions.
- Laser Liposuction has been over-hyped and has not lived up to the expectations. The use of laser liposuction, in several well controlled studies, has proven inferior to both traditional and ultrasonic liposuction and has an increased incidence of skin burns and deep scars. At a recent national plastic surgery meeting in Miami, all of the plastic surgeons who had tried Laser Liposuction had quickly abandoned it in favor of the ultrasonic technique.
Ultrasonic Liposuction remains the gold standard for this procedure, while traditional liposuction remains a very acceptable, time proven technique in the hands of trained plastic surgeons.