Liposuction: Info, Prices, Photos, Reviews, Q&A

Liposuction is a unique procedure, and there really aren’t great alternatives to it. Keep in mind that liposuction can be done now using local anesthesia only which often allows for fewer potential side effects and a faster recovery.

However, if liposuction is not an option, you may want to consider Zeltiq, Zerona, or Thermage.

Zeltiq is currently seeking FDA approval in the US for fat reduction and seems to be the most promising out of the three. (Lawrence Osman, MD, Los Angeles Dermatologic Surgeon)

The best alternative to liposuction is to lose weight naturally with proper diet and exercise. If, despite this approach, you still have localized areas that are resistant to diet/exercise, then liposuction can help improve these small areas.

Other methods that claim to “dissolve” the fat with injections (mesotherapy) or through other means, simply do not work in a predictable manner.

These other methods may not be FDA approved and should be avoided. (William Bruno, MD, Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon)

Non-surgical alternatives to liposuction include a balanced low fat diet & a rigorous exercise program. Although many options are marketed, these have not been proven to work and can in some cases, be quite dangerous. Even with exercise & a low fat diet patients can have areas of fat that are just stubborn and do not melt off.

These areas are perfect for liposuction. (Pat Pazmino, MD, FACS, Miami Plastic Surgeon)

Diet, Exercise are the Non-Sugical Answers

Liposuction is a body contouring procedure. That means it helps slim down those problem bulges that persist after diet and exercise. Liposuction is not a weight reduction procedure. Diet and exercise is the first step.

Coolsculpting Treatment

This is your only safe, reliable alternative to liposuction. There are several types of liposuction. Tumescent, ultrasonic, laser assisted, etc. They are all surgical procedures that slim down the residual fatty areas after diet and exercise.

There are no reliable non-surgical alternatives to liposuction other than diet and exercise. Creams, injections (Mesotherapy), and radio frequency devices all are unpredictable and in most cases unproven. (James H. Schmidt, MD (retired), Sarasota Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction: Is there an alternative?

No one “wants” to do liposuction. If there is a nonsurgical way to lose fat, we would all prefer it. Of course, there is always diet and exercise. The medical noninvasive ways of fat removal – the noninvasive lasers which melt the fat away and the injections with mesotherapy are not good alternatives yet.

Why? They haven’t proven they have long lasting results. We doctors like science. When something works, you can prove it. Liposuction needs to have even fat removal. A big issue with injections and external techniques is when they work, they are not predictable and smooth.

Safety. I met a woman who had tried mesotherapy and ended up in the ICU in liver failure. Again, we like science. When something works, you can prove it. (Lauren Greenberg, MD, Palo Alto Plastic Surgeon)

If the goal is to rid of pot belly or love handles, there is so much one can do with diet and exercise. Tumescent liposuction allows for relatively quick gratification in minimizing fat deposits in the area treated.

However, liposuction does not replace weight loss as most people will not notice significant weight reduction a month after liposuction. There may be procedures that can augment liposuction but not necessarily replace tumescent liposuction in the near future, e.g. Liposonix, Ultraphase. (William Ting, MD, Bay Area Dermatologic Surgeon)

Liposuction Alternative

Good liposuction alternative

Easy answer – diet and exercise. Other forms of non invasive treatment or even injections are pure failures. Do not waste your $’s on these. Be careful out there. (Darryl J. Blinski, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)

A Good Liposuction Alternative

A weight reduction program combined with exercise under supervision if the problem is being over weight. Otherwise Liposuction is a good procedure for localized fat deposit removal providing the skin over the area is tight. (Ivan Thomas, MD, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction alternatives

The best alternatives to liposuction are diet and exercise. Once those have been maximized and you still have deposits of fat that won’t respond is an appropriate time to consider liposuction. (Sanjiv Kayastha, MD, Albany Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction is to improve body contour primarily

For what liposuction was originally used there is no alternative that will give you consistent results. There is a lot of technology out there that the promoters say will take care of a lot of problems but some are not sound ideas (Walter D. Gracia, MD, Fort Worth Plastic Surgeon)

Weight loss via exercise and diet are the best alternatives. In fact, to achieve the ideal surgical result, weight loss and exercise prior to a procedure will optimize the outcome. There are medical and surgical weight loss alternatives including prescription medications and gastric procedures, but these should be reserved as a last resort. (Jason Hess, MD, San Diego Plastic Surgeon)

The best alternative to liposuction is weight loss.

The best alternative to liposuction is weight loss, but losing weight doesn’t always guarantee that you lose the weight in the places that bother you. Where your body stores the fat and where your body breaks down fat to use as energy is largely genetically determined.

So, lose weight if you can, and if it doesn’t come off in the areas that bother you then liposuction is the only proven way to reduce those fat deposits. (Richard H. Fryer, MD, Salt Lake City Plastic Surgeon)

It really depends on what you are hoping for and your skin quality. If your skin qulaity is great and you do not have many stretch marks, then liposuction or ultrasound assisted liposuction or Zeltiq are all very good options.

I personally have not seen many qood results with laser lipo and will not do it myself. If you have many stretch marks, then a surgical excision will be needed. (Siamak Agha, MD, PhD, FACS, Orange County Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction works best

Liposuction, which involves inserting cannulas into specific areas in order to remove fat, is the best way to remove disproportionate fatty deposits with good overlying skin tone. Of course, diet and exercise can be similarly effective and is recommended to maintain and improve results.

Lasers, injections, external ultrasound, and other non-invasive treatments are not as effective as liposuction, and often times have good ads without true results. Skin tightening surgeries such as tummy tucks can provide better results if there is an overlying component of loose or sagging skin. (Hayley Brown, MD, FACS, Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon)

There is not a Liposuction Alternative

Currently there is no good alternative for liposuction. Liposuction is a very effective procedure that removes exercise and diet resistant fat deposits. Although, exercise and diet improve your look and the shape of your body overall ,it will help you very little with localized fat deposits such as love handles. (Jaime Perez, MD, Tampa Plastic Surgeon)

The best alternative to liposuction is healthy living including sensible eating and exercise. However, even with healthy living, you may have fatty deposits that you may want help from liposuction. The best alternative to traditional liposuction is laser liposuction including smartlipo. (Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS, West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon)

Noninvasive liposuction alternatives

Ideally the best way to lose fat is by exercise and diet. However, a noninvasive liposuction alternative for discrete areas Ie:love handles ,abdomen, and back that is gaining popularity is Zeltiq. In my practice patients have been very happy with their results.

It is very important to be evaluated to see if you are the right canidate with the right post procedure expectations. THe Zeltiq works by cooling the fat which ultimately causes cell death. Your body naturally absorbs this fat over a period of 2 months.

there isn’t any down time. Minimal side effects and minimal discomfort. It is an alternative to liposuction not necessarily a replacement. Surgical liposuction is still the gold standard. (Joanne Lopes, MD, Virginia Beach Plastic Surgeon)

In the strictest sense, there is no good alternative to liposuction that offers the same results. If you are looking to change the shape of your body in a significant way, only liposuction can provide reliable results.

If you’re not wanting to have surgery there are a couple of reasonable choices that can offer some improvement. Zerona is a non-surgical low level laser treatment that helps your body lose fat using natural processes.

there is no downtime, no recovery and no pain. In my practice patients have lost around 5 inches on average over a two week treatment period (six treatments). A similar treatment is the Lapex 2000 also called the lipo laser.

It uses the same laser technology but relies upon paddles that touch your skin to direct the laser right on the area you want treated. Zerona is used to treat the tummy, hips and flanks while Lapex is used to treat spot areas.

Both treatments can help reduce fat, but neither will give you a result like liposuction. (Adam Rubinstein, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)

There is no reliable and safe alternative to liposuction. The manufacturers of “non-invasive” fat reduction devices that promise to melt your fat by shining a “laser” or ultrasound on your skin have been disappointments and most patients feel they were a waste of their time and money (checkout the reviews here on RealSelf).

The good news is that for healthy patients, liposuction WORKS. In the hands of a well-trained surgeon certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery, it is a safe and reliable successful procedure with a very high rate of patient satisfaction. (Armando Soto, MD, FACS, Orlando Plastic Surgeon)

There really is no good alternative to liposuction. I see patients at their goal weight who have isolated stubborn areas that never go away with diet and exercise. (Steven Wallach, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)

Nothing better than a healthy diet and excercise. It is a good alternative to liposuction, good for your lifestyle, good for your heart, good for your health in general and you will feel good about yourself. (Samir Shureih, MD, Baltimore Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction is about body contouring, not weight loss. There is absolutely no way to spot reduce. And mesotherapy is a complete waste of money as it certainly does not work. (Howard T. Bellin, MD (retired), Manhattan Plastic Surgeon)

No alternative to liposuction at this time

Other than diet and exercise, there is no good alternative to liposuction at this point. There are many variations of standard liposuction, but what they all have in common is safe and reproducible results. The new, non-invasive treatments like mesotherapy and externally-applied energy cannot make this claim.

Many technologies hold promise for the future, so stay tuned! (Jeffrey Horowitz, MD, Bel Air Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction alternatives

Start with diet, exercise and lifestyle changes. We are currently seeing a tremendous amount of investigation in non-surgical fat contouring. Devices such as Zerona, Zeltiq are available now for appropriate patients. Consult a board certified plastic surgeon to see if you are a candidate for these nonsurgical approaches.

I would expect to see a number of these types of devices in the next couple of years. Remember, they are not a replacement for liposuction! (Jeffrey Kenkel, MD, Dallas Plastic Surgeon)

Ther are invasive alternatives to liposuction such as laser lipo, Vaser (ultrasound) lipo and BodyJet or Water Assisted lipo. You propbably are more interested in the non surgical alternatives such as Mesotherapy (bad idea though) vs the technologies such as Zerona, Zeltique, Trusculpt. (Barry E. DiBernardo, MD, Montclair Plastic Surgeon)

Other than liposuction, the only way to remove fat is to diet and exercise. Nothing in life is easy. Sometimes even diet does not give you the desired result, because as I have said before, lipo is best for removing excess lumps and bumps –not for weight loss. (William B. Rosenblatt, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)