Liposuction Vs. SmartLipo

Every year hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on perfecting how we look. Whether it is through beauty treatments or cosmetic surgery, the business of beauty has been hot since ancient times. One of the most popular cosmetic treatments is fat reduction, and two ways to reduce the amount of fat cells in your body immediately are liposuction and SmartLipo.

Liposuction

Procedure

Liposuction is a relatively simple process by which excess fat is surgically removed from your body in a five stage process. The first stage is the administration of the anesthetic. You have your choice between an IV or general anesthetic. After anesthetized an incision will be made and sterile, medicated liquids will be injected into the area that is going to be treated. This fluid helps to numb the area being treated and it also reduces bleeding. During stage three the cannula, a long, thin, hollow tube, is inserted into the incision and moved back and forth. This loosens up the fat, which is then vacuumed out of the body. The fourth stage is to remove the cannula and to stitch up the incisions. The final stage is recovery.

Ideal Candidates

The ideal candidates for liposuction include people who are within about 30 percent of their ideal weight and who are relatively healthy. If you smoke, you will need to stop a few months before requesting this surgery.

Areas of the Body That Can Be Treated

Liposuction can be used to remove fat from both small areas of the body and larger areas of the body. The size of the body area being treated will dictate what size of cannula that is used. Some of the body parts that you can treat with liposuction include: thighs, upper arm, calves, hips, back, ankles, buttocks, inner knees, abdomen, chest, waist and face.

Risks

Like all surgeries, liposuction has several risks. Some of the risks include pain, bleeding, anesthetic complications, fat clots, infections, uneven pigmentation, skin damage, nerve damage, skin rippling, loose skin and uneven contouring. Most of these risks can be minimized by using an experienced doctor that has the proper training.

SmartLipo

Procedures

SmartLipo is a new type of liposuction that uses a laser to help remove fat cells. This process uses a very small cannula with a diameter of between 1mm and 2mm that contains a laser fiber. As the cannula is inserted into the body the laser ruptures the fat cell and shrinks the collagen in your skin. The ruptured fat cells, as well as the medicated fluid that was injected at the beginning of the surgery, is then removed through the attached vacuum hose.

Advantages

SmartLipo has several advantages over regular liposuction. First of all you have fewer risks because you don’t need a general anesthetic for his procedure. Next this procedure produces less swelling, less bleeding and less bruising. SmartLipo also offers you a quicker recovery period.

Candidates

While ideal candidates for regular liposuction can be 30 percent over their ideal weight, ideal candidates for SmartLipo need to be closer to their ideal weight. They also will want to treat smaller areas of their body such as the face, neck, arms, knees, bra strap area, mons pubis and breasts.

Conclusion

When selecting a surgical procedure it is important that you do your homework. Research your options and doctors before making any plans. When selecting between SmartLipo and traditional liposuction keep in mind the size of the area you want to address, your medical history and how fast you want to recover.