New Laser Technology cuts out the fat without Surgery

Laser-assisted liposuction for a slimmer you (Credit: Jeff Hutton)

If you want to go in for liposuction but are scared about going under the knife, then here is a procedure that you may want to know about.

Laser-assisted liposuction combines the popular fat-removal method with the latest minimally invasive surgical technology. The technique has been popular in Europe and South America for nearly a decade. After gaining federal Food and Drug Administration approval last October, it grabbed media attention and a celebrity following. Though, there are several plastic surgeons who have reservations about this procedure.

How is laser-assisted liposuction different?
Conventional liposuction works by inserting a hollow tube, called a cannula, under the skin to vacuum isolated pockets of solid fat. Once removed, fat cells don't return to the treated area.

That suctioning process causes significant tissue trauma, leaving patients with bruising, pain and swelling that requires up to three weeks of recovery time. Some patients also experience scarring in areas where the cannula is inserted and saggy or dimpled skin where fat was removed.

Laser-assisted liposuction takes the method to the next level by melting the fat cells before removing them. For years, doctors and trained technicians have used lasers to remove unwanted hair, make broken capillaries disappear, resurface skin and remove brown spots on skin.

The laser heat and light dissolves the fat cells, while simultaneously cauterizing blood vessels and tissue, so there is little bleeding, swelling or bruising.

A laser-tipped fiber optic probe, roughly the thickness of a cocktail straw, is four-times thinner than a traditional liposuction cannula. The doctor inserts it under the skin using tiny incisions that heal without stitches. A tiny red light shines through the skin, so doctors can see the areas where the probe is placed.

In addition to melting the fat, the body's response to the thermal laser heat is stimulating production of collagen, a supportive connective tissue under the outermost layer of skin.

When collagen breaks down, it causes skin to slacken and wrinkles, lines and folds to appear. But when collagen grows, skin plumps up and looks smoother and tighter, and the area continues to see improvement over the following four to six months.

What is the response to this treatment?
Non-invasive fat removal methods, including laser lipo, were a hot topic at the annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in May. Suction-assisted liposuction remains the society's standard of care.

Among the concerns society members discussed were clinical reports showing laser-assisted liposuction results are not dramatically different from traditional liposuction and the procedure may present some risks to the liver and kidneys due to the way it releases free fatty acids when destroying the fat cells.

There is a lack of data on what could happen if a large amount of it were left in the body, but supporters point out that blood tests show the melted fat does not enter the bloodstream, or result in higher cholesterol levels.