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

Both traditional liposuction and Smart Lipo, if and when performed by properly trained board certified plastic surgeons are equally effective in achieving excellent body contouring results. The main difference is that Smart Lipo is laser assisted liposuction that is usually performed in an outpatient office setting under local anesthesia with oral sedation.

This procedure has the advantage of a quicker recovery with less postop discomfort compared to traditional liposuction. The overall clinical results, when performed by qualified and well trained surgeons are very similar but Smart Lipo does take longer because of the extra time spent lasering the deep fat, heating the blood vessels for less bruising and then finally heating the under skin to get a better tightening effect for certain areas where skin sagging might occur.

Some studies have shown Smart Lipo will achieve up to 19% more skin tightening compared to traditional liposuction. I would base your choice first upon the physician performing the procedure – his credentials, training, before/after pictures and your comfort level that you were given a thorough evaluation and assessment of both fatty deposits and degree of skin looseness.

The initial evaluation is the key to determine the final outcome and ultimately your level of satisfaction. If you are equally comfortable with both physicians and your BMI is below 30 (or close), I would lean towards Smart Lipo.

If you have a lot of fat to remove (that needs to be determined during the office evaluation), I would lean towards traditional liposuction because you have the ability to remove more fat and at the same time, I will have my patients stay overnight in a private room to get proper fluid hydration. (Lawrence Chang, MD, Wilmington Plastic Surgeon)

Smart lipo uses a very small tip to delivery the laser energy. Sometimes that can be advantageous in a small area while other times it can be quite tedious. Imagine painting a room with an artist’s fine paintbrush versus using a roller brush.

You might get alot of detail but it would take forever, right? Guess who pays for that? Also because it tends to be less of a surgical procedure, it can be performed by physicians other than surgeons.

The claims about skin contraction really are unproven are may be due to low level injury to the undersurface of the skin rather than an true selective outcome of the laser energy. (Otto Joseph Placik, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

Smartlipo is just one tool that is in a liposuction surgeon’s tool box. Smart Liposuction now consists of many components including tumescent anesthesia, microcannula liposuction, power assisted liposuction, aggressive liposuction, laser liposuction, compression and open drainage.

It is not the toys or the offices or the training that will give you the best results. It is the artistic eye of the surgeon who can sculpt and contour your body into the shape you want.

Look carefully at the surgeon’s pictures and reviews to make your choice. (Lawrence Broder, MD, Cedar Park Family Physician)

Smart lipo is amazing. It not only melts fat it also tightens the skin . This is able to be done because of the 1440 laser that is connected to the lipo cannula. Smart lipo safely heats up the skin to create over a period of three months the shrink wrap effect.

Traditional liposuction can not tighten redundant skin , like smart lipo can . Also always remember the importance of seeking out a board certified plastic surgeon before any cosmetic surgery . Skill and a great team can certainly ensure for a good experience and even better result.. (James Fernau, MD, FACS, Pittsburgh Plastic Surgeon)

Smart lipo is not proven to work at all, maybe harmful

At least at this point, SmartLipo is nothing more than a smart brand name. There is emerging market of laser assisted liposuction and it is currently under investigation. There is at least some concern than laser energy can release some potentially harmful products into the blood stream.

It appears to be no better than currently time-proven liposuction or ultrasonic liposuction procedures. These have been used for years with minimal complications. (Gregory Turowski, MD, PhD, FACS, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

Smart Lipo Triplex

Some plastic surgeons think Smart Lipo does not work. Reason is that the initial wavelengths for the laser were not effective so in the respect they were right. However, since the release of the 1440 wavelength by the maker of Smart Lipo: Cynosure ( we were involved in the research) it has vastly improved results.

This is what is referred to as the Smart Lipo Triplex and what most patients are having now days when discussing Smart Lipo. It melts fat real well with minimal bruising and downtime. Remember always that the end result depends on the operator not the machine.

This is why its called laser-assisted liposuction. The second reason some doctors are against it, is the cost of the machine that is in the range of $180.000-200.000. (Spero Theodorou, MD, New York Physician)

It depends on the surgeon you choose

There are many options to choose from when it comes to liposuction. You have smart lipo, vaser lipo, radio frequency liposuction, water assisted lipo, and the list goes on. What patients need to understand is that the result from liposuction is not due to the device that is used to melt or remove the fat.

Results are obtained depending on the technique and experience of the doctor. All those are instruments that help to facilitate remove the fat but at the end, it is the hands of the surgeon that makes the difference in the liposuction result. (Cesar Velilla, MD, Miami Internist)

SmartLipo vs Traditional Liposuction

“If all you have is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail”! If a surgeon only does traditional or tumescent liposuction, then oftentimes he/she is prejudiced toward that procedure and will negate any references to other techniques as “not proven” or unsubstantiated, or the other surgeon has a “vested” interest.

I have no financial stakes in any complany providing laser assisted lipo equipment. I do not take honorariums from such companies. I do, however, evaluate newer techniques and technologies and will apply them if I can see an advantage to the patient.

Any new technology must be compared to the “gold standard” – in this case traditional or tumescent liposuction. I do perform these techniques when necessary. I have used SmartLipo extensively, and have evaluated SlimLipo and ProLipo (these are all laser assisted liposuction/liposculpture technologies).

These technologies do have a role. They are just tools in the armamentariuum of the plastic surgeon specializing in body contouring. The more tools that one has, the surgeon can apply the one that is best for his patient.

Traditional and laser assisted techniques each have their roles. If a patient has a limited area of lipodystrophy (abnormal distribution of fat in an area that is resistant to change with dieting and exercise), and if the patient is close to their ideal weight, then I would recommend the laser assisted techniques.

They can be done under local anesthesia, with minimal sedation, and they do work! There definitely is some tightening of the skin as well. This has been especially demonstrated by patients of mine that have had excess skin of the neck and very little fat, but with laserassisted techniques the skin has been tightened.

The down time is less, there is less pain and swelling than traditional techniques. In the final analysis, you want the surgeon to do what he/she feels comfortable in doing and that achieve your desired results.

Laser assisted liposculpture is NOT for everyone or every case and it needs to be individualized. Get a second por even third opinion, but fo with the surgeon with whom your gut tells you is best for you.

There is a lot of hype with newer technologies, lasers included. Go to a board certified plastic surgeon with experience in body contouring and mulktiple modalities of treatment. (Theodore Katz, MD, FACS, Philadelphia Plastic Surgeon)

Smartlipo Is Excellent Option

There isn’t a “best” liposuction technique. And, there are many opinions about the importance and effectiveness of the different tools used to perform liposuction.

Like any operation, some surgeons are simply better at performing the operation than others. The most important factor in making choice about liposuction, in my opinion, is who is doing it. Every liposuction surgeon has their favorite tools for doing their job.

And while liposuction is performed by multiple different specialties, the discussion can quickly devolve into a politics and religion, when it should be based on skill, training, experience, and results. As with all cosmetic procedures, the best results occur when you find a surgeon with extensive experience performing the procedure you desire.

Take a look at their actual work in their before-and-after photo gallery. That being said, I personally believe Smartlipo laser liposuction offers unique benefits for carefully selected patients. The addition of laser energy used during the procedure partially melts fat before it is suctioned for a more uniform resection, it coagulates to reduce bleeding and resulting swelling shortening recovery times, and it helps tighten skin in the treatment area by contracting and triggering the creation of collagen.

Liposuction has evolved over the years and with these newer techniques, results achieved can be better than ever. (Kevin M. Johnson, MD, FACS, Spokane General Surgeon)

Expert or lease holder ?

People practicing proprietary techniques such as Smart Lipo are lease holders. They have leased or bought a machine from a company. There are extravagant claims about the effectiveness about this technique (skin tightening, less recovery, greater fat removal).

I have reviewed the data of skin tightening with representatives of the company, and remain thoroughly unconvinced of unpublished “studies” performed by doctors with a financial relationship with the company. I challenge doctors who are touting a procedure on this forum to indicate their financial interest in the company they are touting.

That is the requirement of the ASPS and ASAPS before presenting material. That way patients will know they are hearing an opinion from a doctor who has a financial interest in the company, and make their decisions accordingly.

Many of the physicians doing research for laser companies have received honorariums for speaking, subsidized rates on the machines they use, and have received patient referrals from the company. Objective studies or hype? You decide. (Brent Moelleken, MD, Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon)

SmartLipo allows for more complete fat removal in addition to producing a subsequent skin firming at the treated areas. Patients generally experience less swelling and bruising than with traditional liposuction thus allowing for faster recovery times.

When choosing what type of liposuction procedure will meet your needs and expectations, might I also suggest consulting with board-certified plastic surgeon. (Vu Ho, MD, Plano Facial Plastic Surgeon)

What type of liposuction gives the best results?

The answer is NONE. The key to an excellent liposuction result is an experienced surgeon with an artistic eye who knows how to make whatever equipment he/she happens to be using produce the desired results.

Excellent results and horrible results are achieved with all types of liposuction. Buying a smart lipo machine doesn’t turn a bad liposuction surgeon into a good one any more than buying a professional set of golf club turns a poor golfer into the Golden Bear. (Marco A. Pelosi III, MD, Jersey City OB/GYN)