Lifesculpt promises in 1 hour: extra swagger, self-confidence boost, newfound sex appeal

Expect an extra swagger in your step. A boost of self-confidence. Newfound sex appeal. It's time to put the bra bulge and muffin top on notice. You're as little as an hour away from a whole new you.

        --Product website for Lifesculpt laser liposuction

Until recently, new laser treatments were marketed only to doctors. None of us could come close to naming a laser skin device.

That all changed with the runaway success of the skin tightening device Thermage, and most recently SmartLipo. Smartlipo is a laser liposuction device that has patients calling doctors to get SmartLipo's version of fat removal.  We see this demand in terms of traffic in the RealSelf.com community.  Over 100,000 unique page views are generated on RealSelf.com each month by consumers researching SmartLipo.

Lifesculpt dreams of becoming the next SmartLipo

Rival laser device makers want to capture this consumer-driven word of mouth since no marketing method sells a device better to doctors then patients showing up for consultations asking for it by name.

The laser manufacturer Palomar is one such rival, and has revamped the marketing of their laser liposuction device called SlimLipo (which in the last 30 days was only viewed 3,500 times on RealSelf.com), to a new brand called Lifesculpt--not to be confused with the Lifestyle Lift, a highly popular facelift topic in the community.

Palomar describes Lifesculpt as a procedure that is less invasive than Liposuction.  Lifesculpt uses the SlimLipo laser body sculpting system to "melt" and liquefy fat that's removed via small incisions.

With a splashy website and lots of promises, can Lifesculpt become the next popular branded fat treatment? The answer likely relies upon consumer opinion, and thus, demand for the procedure.

Laser device name doesn't matter as much as the doctor

Joel Schlessinger, MD points out that laser devices are only as good as the operator. "The laser only melts the fat -that's all, but the art is which fat to suck and which not to suction. If your surgeon hasn't a clue as to the right way the areas need to look after the surgery, he or she can have a million dollar laser and you can end up having a disaster that will be impossible to recover from without a great deal of pain and effort and money."

13 Questions to ask a doctor about their latest laser lipo device

Dr. Robert Kotler, a facial plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills provides a list of questions you want to ask if you are considering having the procedure you just saw on the local news, Prime Time or 60 Minutes, or after your doctor says: “Try this, it’s brand new.”

1. How long has the procedure been performed in the U.S.?
2. Doctor, how long have you been performing it?
3. How many times have you performed the procedure?
4. What is the longest case follow- up you have had?
5. May I see before-and-after photos of typical results?
6. May I speak with a patient who had this performed recently?
7. May I know the name of the surgeon who originated the technique?
8. Which other cosmetic surgeons in this community perform the same procedure?
9. What are the possible complications, side effects, dissatisfactions?
10. Of these, which is the most common complication?
11. Which is the most serious?
12. If complications occur or I’m dissatisfied, how can this be corrected?
13. And are there additional costs for the correction?

As with any type of cosmetic treatment, deciding to go for it is a big decision.  Be sure you're doing your research, and get plenty of expert answers and tips about laser liposuction before jumping in head, or thigh, first.

Email to friend

Return to RealSelf blog