Hi,
Up until recently, liposuction using super wet or tumescent anesthesia and small canulas was the "gold standard" by which you would measure all other alternatives.
In the past there has been external ultrasound, ultrasonic probes and non-surgical techniques such as mesotherapy. None of these methods produced results that were as good as small canula traditional liposuction alone. Traditional liposuction could remove the fatty tissue, sculpt the area and in most cases result in some skin contraction. However, it is a traumatic surgical procedure resulting in significant bruising, swelling and post op discomfort.
Three years ago the first laser assisted liposuction machine came on the market known as Smart Lipo that uses a 1064 wavelength platform. Results using this technique were impresive since the swelling and bruising were reduced. Skin contraction occurred.
More recently Palomar Medical introduced SlimLipo with a fat melting specific laser at 925 nm. The advantage of this machine is in the ease of use and the degree of fat melting and skin tightening at much lower energy levels thereby being a safer modality. This procedure can be performed under local anesthesia through very small incisions. There is minimal bruising, little swelling and very little discomfort when compared to traditional liposuction.
I am certain that new technology is being developed that will not even require an incision and use a differnt form of energy to melt the fat cells. At this time I would vote for the Slim Lipo technology as being the most effective.
