Liposuction is one of the most preferred cosmetic procedures to date. During 2018 in the United States alone, there were more than 260,000 liposuctions performed. Increasing numbers of men and women have been looking for help fine-tuning their bodies, and liposuction has proven to be one of the most promising, cost-effective, efficient procedures for fat loss.
Liposuction is a body sculpting and molding procedure meant to fine-tune your image and get rid of the annoying excess fat in certain areas of the body. The treatment targets the excess fat by killing and removing the dead, fatty deposits through a small incision using a cannula to suck the material out. Traditional liposuction tends to use a solution to break down the fat before removal.
To best prepare for a liposuction procedure, we recommend that you focus your energy on clean eating and regular exercise for one to two months to be in the best shape possible at the time of the procedure. Liposuction is not meant to be a fat-loss procedure but instead is intended to mold your body to the desired figure.
Throughout the years, liposuction has evolved to becoming faster and more efficient. A litany of new procedures have recently emerged, all claiming to have a one-up over each other, whether they be invasive or not. Although each new process really does have unique benefits, the one new procedure that can match the efficiency of liposuction is laser liposuction.
Laser liposuction uses heat emitted from concentrated lasers to melt and dissolve the fat below the skin. Later, this fat is removed using a cannula, just as in traditional liposuction. One of the significant benefits of laser liposuction is the limited time the procedure takes and a quicker recovery for the patient.
Note that in this article, the laser liposuction we reference is the invasive variation, albeit minimally invasive. Other completely noninvasive procedures that involve panels placed on top of the skin may label themselves as laser lipo, but in reality, these are entirely different.
Differences Between Laser Lipo and Traditional Liposuction?
Both procedures are very efficient and deliver dependable results, yet there are still some differences that we want to point out.
- Procedure: The most apparent difference is the use of laser heat in laser lipo, which not only helps melt the fat but also makes it easier to manipulate and, therefore, easier to remove. Unlike regular liposuction, which breaks down the fat in a more violent manner, with laser lipo, there is less bruising and pain. Some versions of traditional liposuction remove the fat right away through vigorous cannula motions, whereas other versions use a saline solution mixed with an anesthetic (tumescent liposuction) to break the fat down.
- Extra Benefits: Laser liposuction has the distinct benefit, thanks to the heat emitted by the lasers, of also helping to tighten the skin while it melts the fat. In regular liposuction, there is no skin tightening at all, unless combined with a separate procedure.
- Recovery: The recovery time is drastically shorter and smoother with laser lipo because it is less invasive in targeting the fatty deposits. Patients who undergo laser lipo typically take five to seven days to recover, while traditional liposuction usually comes with about two weeks of recovery time.