Santa Clara Dermatologists

Necessary to Be at Goal Weight Before Having Vaser Lipo?

I am 28 years old, 5'6" and 165 lbs. I am planning to have Vaser done soon,I hope. I would like to lose about 10 pounds to be at my goal weight. Will losing that weight before the procedure make my results better, or is it possible to have Vaser Lipo then lose the weight and have the same results? Would there be a difference?

I don't belive that patients need to be at a specific "goal weight" to get the best results from Vaser Liposuction. In your case,  I would do Vaser Liposuction and I feel that I could get a great result. Each patient is an individual and needs to be evaluated in person. There is an upper limit of 15 pounds of fat in one session that most surgeons abide by for patient safety and you are right at that limit. If a patient cannot lose anymore weight, we will divide the surgery into 2 sessions, 2 months apart to be safe

Michael Tomcik, MD

San Francisco Dermatologist

Will Vaser Lipo Tighten my Skin?

I am considering Vaser liposuction on abdomen and flanks in Houston. Will my skin really tighten up?

The heat generated by Vaser does tighten the skin more than traditional liposuction. More importantly, It is far less traumatic, because you are not "ripping the fat cells away from it's support tissue", patients have far less post operative pain and they can return to normal activities much sooner. Because all of the lasers used to melt the fat are not as selective as Vaser,  they can easily burn the skin and get uneven dimpling. Of course the skill of the surgeon is the most important factor in getting great results. The learning curve of lasers in liposuction is very steep and the downside has kept me from adopting  lasers in liposuction.

The cost of buying and maintaining the laser is 200% to 300% higher that Vaser and these costs are passed on to the patient

Michael Tomcik, MD

San Francisco Dermatologist

Vaser Lipo vs. Smart Lipo

Is Vaser Liposuction the same as Smart Lipo? I am 46 year old, and I want my stomach (upper and lower), flanks, and lower back done.

Vaser uses time tested Gentle ultrasonic sound waves to selectively break fat cell membrane and liquify the fat. It does not damage Red blood cells, nerves or Fibrous support tissue. I like to tell my patients to visualize fat cells as yellow grapes on a vine. The vine is the fibrous support tissue that contains the small artery and vein. When the vaser "breaks" the fat cell membrane and liquifies the fat, the fibrous tissue opens up, therefore there is minimal trauma to it. This allows much faster healing with less postoperative pain. In fact, 98% of our patient are able to return to work in 3 days.

Smart Lipo also breaks fat cells and melts fat using very hot laser light energy. It is not selective and it does burn nerves and fibrous tissue. I have used it on more that a dozen patients and I have not been as happy as I have with the vaser.

I agree that the skill of the surgeon is the most important factor in getting great results.

Michael Tomcik, MD

San Francisco Dermatologist