The difference between invasive and noninvasive laser liposuction is probably tough to discern for the common layperson researching ways to treat their stubborn fat.
For those in dire need of a quick-fix solution, liposuction provides the most effective short-term results, even in the face of several new procedures claiming to have the upper hand. Invasive, internal laser lipo falls under this category, using an enhanced variation of traditional liposuction to optimize body sculpting results while still removing large quantities of excess fat.
If you do not need such rapid results, or you simply loathe the idea of going under the knife, noninvasive, external laser lipolysis may instead be the treatment for you. This procedure requires no cutting, needles, or anesthesia, but instead melts your fat through lasers emitted by paddles carefully placed on your skin’s surface.
With invasive laser liposuction, your surgeon will use a cannula to suction the destroyed fat cells out of your body. In the case of the noninvasive laser lipo, your body naturally eliminates the damaged materials instead. How exactly does this work, and how can it possibly be that effective? Keep reading to find out.
Where Does the Fat Go After Laser Liposuction?
Different types of nonsurgical laser fat procedures use slightly different wavelengths and applicators; one element many of them share is the removal of dead fat through the lymphatic system. In essence, this means the body naturally burns it away as energy or processes it metabolically.
For slightly more detail on this matter, once the fat cells are “broken down,” they release water, free fatty acids, and glycerol. The water is seamlessly absorbed by the body, while the fatty acids are absorbed from the space between fat cells into the lymphatic system. From there, they are transferred to individual lymph nodes, further processed, and ultimately moved into the circulatory system to allow for processing by the liver. Once in the liver, these processed, free fatty acids will either be converted to triglycerides and returned to the blood or combined with oxygen to produce fuel burned by mitochondria.
The glycerol, meanwhile, is released into the brood through dilution. Once there, it will be diffused throughout the blood’s supply of water, ultimately being excreted from the body by urination. Some glycerol that does not go through this dilution will instead pass through the bloodstream and return to the liver, where it will be converted into glucose and burned as energy.
How Long Does it Take for the Fat to Leave My Body?
It will take up to three months for the free fatty acids to be eliminated from your body. The process described above explains why noninvasive, external fat-loss procedures generally require more time for results to become fully apparent. The glycerol disappears much more quickly, moving from the bloodstream to your urine in as little as half an hour.