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

There are a lot of alternatives to liposuction on the market.

The truth is that these alternatives are generally very expensive, have big promises, and deliver underwhelming results. While there are some technologies that do work, they offer small results compared to what you would get with liposuction.

Consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon will help direct you as to which treatment is best for you. (Tyler Angelos, MD, Columbus Plastic Surgeon)

The “non-invasive” cheaper alternatives simply do not work. There are lots of advertisements on TV and internet promising as good results as liposuction, but sadly, they don’t do anything but thin your wallet.

Scientific studies on products like fat busting pills, creams and devices have disproven these claims. There are new ultrasonic devices that are applied externally to small areas of the body needing contour, but fat reduction and contour improvement are minimal, and they require multiple sessions, and can cost as much as surgical liposuction.

So sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but good old fashioned diet and exercise is an excellent and cheaper alternative! (Robert M. Tornambe, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction alternatives – some work, some don’t

Liposuction is still the gold-standard for fat removal. Whether tumescent, ultrasonic, laser assisted etc., liposuction gurantees that, at the end of the procedure, the removed fat is in a container and so can be seen and measured.

No non-surgical technique can promise that. There are several non-invasive procedures that claim to reduce unwanted fat. Most of these devices only manipulate the fat cells, not destroy them, and so give a temporary result that disappears soon after the treatments stop.

Others, such as UltraShape and Liposonix, use ultrasound waves to actually destroy fat cells without surgery and have scientific data to back these claims. We have used UltraShape in our clinic in Canada (where it is approved) since 2007 with very good, consistent results.

Chin Lipo Alternative Before And After Photos

Generally, we only offer this treatment to patients who refuse to have lipo or any other surgery as we feel that it is the best non-surgical alternative for fat reduction. These patients lose nearly two inches, on average, after three treatments with UltraShape.

UltraShape will never replace lipo nor be as predictable. However, this procedure is an alternative for patients who do not want lipo or its side effects.(Arie Benchetrit, MD, Montreal Plastic Surgeon)

No Downtime, But Less Dramatic Results

Many of the patients I see at my practice ask about alternatives to surgical liposuction. Nonsurgical fat reduction procedures are available and, for some patients, can be excellent options. Treatments such as CoolSculpting and ZERONA are noninvasive, for example, and patients can typically resume their normal activities immediately after a treatment session.

Cool Tech Lipo

Just remember that these treatments cannot match the dramatic results achieved by liposuction. Yes, it is more costly and requires more downtime, but it remains the most effective way to reshape areas with stubborn fat. (Arthur M. Cambeiro, MD, Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction is not a cure-all

This reply supposes that you have a reasonable diet and exercise regimen in place, and that your shape is “genetic” in origin. Liposuction is for healthy individuals who are weight appropriate, but continue to have problem areas.

If this is not your description, you should consider other options first. (William R. Burden, MD, FACS, Destin Plastic Surgeon)

Body contouring has changed dramatically in the last 20 years, and procedures are now not only more effective but also much safer. In addition, more and more patients are seeking procedures which will help them achieve their ideal body contour but with minimal downtime.

Coolsculpting Lipo Photo

Liposuction itself has evolved from the use of large-bore cannulas connected to a vacuum source to the current use of lasers and VASER’s. While the VASER is simply a refinement of earlier Ultrasonic liposuction, it represents a huge step forward in that it safely and effectively melts fat and reshapes contour with less downtime and more control than conventional liposuction.

I have had many patients that have not achieved the results they were looking for with non surgical methods. I find that talking to a patient while they are comfortably undergoing Liposuction is so straightforward and predictable that I am biased…. I admit! So my position is that liposuction is much more favorable. Having said that, I think you should look at honest reviews for CoolSculpting which is a popular non invasive form of liposuction.

I think you should contact a physician’s office that does both procedures and eventually get a consultation. (Paul C. Dillon, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

Coolsculpting Liposuction Of Belly Fat

There are indeed nice alternatives that are non-invasive for liposuction. Perhaps the most popular is Coolsculpting. In some instances, a well designed liposuction can provide excellent result with very little downtime, very little pain, very little risk and a very beneficial cost benefit ratio. (Leo McCafferty, MD, Pittsburgh Plastic Surgeon)

Alternatives to liposuction in my NYC practice: ThermiTight, CoolSculpting, SculpSure, UltraShape

Every patient in my NYC practice desiring body contouring is examined by me and after I listen to their history we create a plan customized for their body. Neither liposuction, nor the non-invasive procedures, are a replacement for diet and exercise, and none of them provide good results in those patients that do not have focal areas of increased adipose tissue but are more generally overweight from one body site extending right into the adjacent areas.

Coolsculpting Liposuction

CoolSculpting has proven itself as a very effective procedure with a high patient satisfaction rating and safe procedure in my practice. The anatomical areas are carefully evaluated for the correct fit and number of applicators and patients are then given a quote to the precise cost and time involved.

Some procedures are all done the same day whereas some patients break it up into two sessions. CoolSculpting which freezes the fat, can often be repeated in two months, one or two more times if needed.

It does involve the care of knowing how to sculpt with the applicators and not simply applying one on the upper and one on the lower abdomen, and some patients need two, not one, applicator per flank (love handles).

There are risks with all procedures and these are discussed in advance with my patients. (Ronald Shelton, MD, Manhattan Dermatologic Surgeon)

Lipo alternatives

Depending on the area and fat amount, some alternatives from liposuction may or not give you the result you are looking for. Some of the non invasive also may require several treatments on the same area to see the result you are looking for.

This can become expensive. In this sense doing the liposuction will be better cost effective to get the result you are looking for. Cons will be recovery and of course it is a surgery which can also have some other factors to consider. (Roberto Gonzalez, MD, Scottsdale Plastic Surgeon)

Fortunately there are many non-surgical options for patients that are candidates. One of the most popular and proven methods for non-surgical fat removal is CoolSculpting and the new CoolAdvantage option.

While liposuction may be better depending on your specific needs and goals, non-surgical methods such as CoolSculpting offer alternatives for certain candidates.

How To Choose Between Liposuction And CoolSculpting

It’s best to seek the advice of a plastic surgeon who has experience with both options. Learning what is best for your individual needs is the key to getting the optimal results for your particular situation. (Reps B. Sundin, MD, Washington DC Plastic Surgeon)

It is fine not to be interested in the full liposuction procedure, but it is also important to know what you want to achieve.

The first thing to remember is that neither liposuction nor its alternatives is a method of weight loss. Only true dieting and exercise can accomplish that. However, for localized collections of fat, liposuction is the most effective approach.

Small areas can be done under local, but most people have three to four areas that bother them and in order to do justice to the procedure, some light anesthesia is required. There is discomfort postop, and there is some recovery time.

Non Surgical Chin Lipo

In an average patient with three or four areas and a modest amount of localized fat, four days should be enough for recovery.

For large volume liposuction, a week is a minimum. In terms of alternatives, for small amounts of localized fat, there are other modalities, like Cool Sculpting procedures, where cooling is applied to an area of fat that can be drawn into two cooling plates.

However, this will only get rid of about 22% of the involved fat and, although it can be repeated, repeating it over and over and over can be quite expensive.

The advantage is that there is no down time and no anesthesia, but in terms of achieving the result of a one-staged liposuction, it will probably take four or five Cool Sculpting approaches.

If you have just a tiny bit of fat that you want to get rid of, the Cool Sculpting approaches are excellent. In addition, there are external energy treatments that can also remove very small amounts of fat, so, be honest with what you want, what you have, what you need, and what you are willing to put up with. (Richard A. D’Amico, MD, FACS, Englewood Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction surgery is the gold standard for achieving the best and most transformative results in body contouring. It not only allows for the greatest change in the reduction of fat from areas of fat excess, but it also allows for the utilization of the same suctioned fat as fat grafts to areas that need more volume.

Non-invasive and minimally invasive techniques of fat reduction do exist and include Coolsculpting (fat reduction by “freezing”), ThermiTight (fat reduction and skin tightening by radiofrequency energy), Ultherapy (fat reduction and skin tightening by ultrasound energy), and Kybella (deoxycholic acid) injections to reduce the “double chin”.

Of these, Coolsculpting is perhaps the most popular and most effective non-surgical method of fat reduction of different areas of the body and neck (Paul Fortes, MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)

The Pros/Cons of lipo alternatives

Alternatives to liposuction are minimally invasive techniques or non-invasive techniques. Both will destroy fat without the need for surgery but the fat is not removed by the surgeon all at once. Instead, the destroyed fat is removed by the body’s natural processes for removing dead cells.

Sculpture Lipo

This is obviously a much more gradual process and the exact mechanisms are not fully understood. As such, these techniques are not really used for weight loss, but more to sculpt the body.

Lets review some of the pros and cons:

Pros of the alternatives to liposuction:

• less risk and minimal to no down time (recovery time) since you will not be having surgery
• the procedure is much quicker to perform in the office-usually much less cost per treatment

Cons of alternatives to liposuction:

• less significant change in body shape
• may require repeat procedures
• may take months before you see the full results
• ideal candidates should be targeting the final bits of stubborn fat that have not gone away despite proper diet and exercise. (Hooman Khorasani, MD, New York Dermatologic Surgeon)

Alternatives to traditional liposuction

If the cost, pain, and recovery time after liposuction are a concern, there are three alternatives worth considering. The first two are CoolSculpting and Sculpsure. These two techniques use a device to eliminate fat in the treated area.

The first uses cold technology, and the latter uses a laser. Neither are invasive, and pain and recovery are very manageable. However, the amount of fat removed by each in a single treatment is much less than what can be removed in a single session of liposuction.

To get best results, multiple sessions are often needed. In the end, the cost may not be all that much different. The third option to consider is the technique of liposuction. Liposuction can be performed with sedation or under local anesthesia only, and it can be done with traditional instruments or microcannulas.

When microcannulas are used and a limited number of areas are treated at once, there is not a very long recovery. Most patients are able to return to work in 2 days and only have to wear a compression garment for a few days. (Lawrence Osman, MD, Los Angeles Dermatologic Surgeon)