70%

435 reviews

Worth It Rating Our index shows the percentage of community members saying this was "Worth it". See cosmetic treatment rankings

Liposuction Cost ≈ $5,800 average cost

Write a review | Ask a Question

Is Laser Lipo Hype?

when reading about laser lipo answers by the doctors here (very interesting!) i see some doctors say laser lipo is just hype but others say it's really a great advance. How can I tell who to listen to? Are the one's saying laser lipo is great taking money from laser companies? Or are the other doctors trying to compete with inferior techology?

Lasers are beneficial, but may or may not give you the best results

Laser liposuction is here to stay. It will give nice results depending on whose hand is doing the procedure and their experience. It is nothing miraculous. Any new procedure will be hyped as a great new improvement but most are not any better than tried and true ones. Sure liposuction has went through so many changes over the years and many docs put their names behind new technologies and most were just hype. Laser lipo has went from Smart Lipo to many other names lipo etc. Even the newest... more

Doctor's Website

David Hansen, MD

Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon

All Hype

Yes, it is not so much what you use to remove the fat, but how you do it and how much and where. It is all technique not the machine. Laser lipo is a hype and gimmick of marketing and they have done a good job. Most surgeon, board certified plastic surgeons would agree that it is all hype. You should look to see who is saying that it is the next best thing since sliced bread. I would bet they are not board certified plastic surgeons.

Farbod Esmailian, MD

Orange County Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Pick a great surgeon, not a device!

Laser liposuction is just another tool that happens to be new and happens to be marketed very strongly right now. What matters is the skill of the surgeon. No device will make up for that. Do your research and find the best board-certified plastic surgeon who you feel comfortable with and let him do your liposuction as he sees fit. If he does a lot of liposuction and you like his results, then trust him and his technique.

Parham Ganchi, MD

Wayne Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Laser lipo is indeed hype

Laser liposuction has been promoted for several years now, yet there is not one scientific article demonstrating that it is more effective than liposuction alone. Lasers are used before or after liposuction to supposedly improve the results, but if you take the laser away you get the same results. Plus. the addition of laser increases costs and adds more potential side effectcs. So why do doctors advertise laser lipo?....simply to attract more patients. Is that the doctor you want performing lip more

William Coleman III, MD

Metairie Dermatologic Surgeon

Lipo not Laser

In my experience with the laser lipo system, I do not feel it offers an advantage for patients. The end result is the same as both laser, ultrasonic and traditional liposuction remove fat. But what it will cost a client is additional time in the operating room to implement the laser portion of the procedure. I don't feel that the advertised skin tightening is all that fantastic with either laser lipo or ultrasonic lipo. Best advice is to go to a doctor with experience in liposuction.... more

Christa L. Clark, MD

Folsom Plastic Surgeon

The surgeon, not the machine, is what matters most

Laser liposuction is simply another tool that surgeons now have at their disposal. In some patients, in may add a benefit, but in general it's the skill and judgement of your surgeon that matters most, not whether or not he uses a laser as part of his procedure. My recommendation is to pick your surgeon, not the technology-- this is your best chance at getting an outstanding result from your liposuction procedure. Good luck! Dr. S

Doctor's Website

Shahram Salemy, MD

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Yes.

Hi! In my opinion, laser lipo is a marketting gimmick. There is no evidence that it is better in any way than well tested, most commonly used tumescent liposuction.

George J. Beraka, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Laser lipo hype

Like I always say, it is not the size or shape of the want but the magician waving it. Laser lipo is one form of liposuction. Whether or not there is truly skin tightening more so than other techniques is to be seen from research. Until then I would just go with a doctor that good results no matter what technique that he/she uses.

Steven Wallach, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Laser Lipo

Find a qualified plastic surgeon That you trust then let him chose the instrument he likes to work with to do the job well. Laser is another gadget that the industry is pushing without real scientific evidence of it's superiority as compared to the traditional liposuction.

Farhad Rafizadeh, MD

Morristown Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

My experience with Laser Lipo is that it does have advantages

Laser liposuction is very new and not widely practiced yet. With any new medical technology there is usually a 5 year lag phase before any new procedure is widely accepted and practiced.When liposuction was introduced in the United States in 1982 articles appeared in some publications saying that it was dangerous and results were terrible. Today it is the most commonly performed plastic surgery procedure.Any surgical procedure depends on the skill of the surgeon, not the machine. You need... more

Brooke R. Seckel, MD

Boston Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Is Laser lipo hype?

There is no real way to answer this. As you can see, you will find varied opinions. Each surgeon will tell you what they think about the procedure. Some have biases because they own a laser iipolysis machine and others are biased because either they don't own the machine or they think that traditional liposuction is just as powerful a tool, or there isn't enough data to truly evaluate laser lipolysis. ALL of these opinions are valid. My advice is to go to a plastic surgeon to do this... more

Sirish Maddali, MD

Portland Plastic Surgeon

Laser, ultrasound, power assist, traditional, microcannula liposuction- so many choices

It is not the technique or the machine that makes the difference, but your choice of surgeon. Board certified plastic surgeons have the most experience with liposuction (or if you prefer other marketing terms such as liposculpture, body shaping , body contouring, liposelection, etc.). You can give a hammer and a nail to people with different backgrounds or training, but it will not guarantee you the same result. Laser companies are in the business to sell lasers. They make it sound so simple... more

George Marosan, MD

Bellevue Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Laser Lipo Hype

Laser lipo is certainly hyped and for good reason as many companies and doctors have a lot to gain from selling lasers. The magic bullet for any liposuction procedure is skin tightening. So far we still haven't something that can reliably shrink skin. Laser lipo does help reduce the swelling and can make your procedure more comfortable as can anesthesia or other technology such as Vaser or ultrasound. Remember it is your surgeon and not the device that is going to give you results. If... more

Charles Perry, MD

Sacramento Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Both kinds of liposuction are great

Both kinds of liposuction are great (traditional and laser). It all really depends on the patient and the areas to be treated. If you have a small area and which to not undergo anesthesia, then laser liposuction, such as Smartlipo MPX, is a good choice. If you want total body or large volume liposuction, then you should have traditional liposuction under general anesthesia. It is not really that one is better than the other, it is that each has its own indication.

Doctor's Website

David Shafer, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

You don't need a laser to do as good a liposuction as the traditional way.

The word laser sounds hi-tech and that is why it is a good marketing tool! The best liposuction takes place between the ears of an experienced liposuction surgeon. It's not about how you get the fat out--It's about how much you take and how much you leave behind.

Toby Mayer, MD

Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon

Beware of laser hype

Laser lipo hype is real and you need to understand where it comes from. The laser machine manufacturers are trying to sell there machines to any one who will buy them and many times it turns out that the machines are sold to providers who are getting into the cosmetic business for the first time. The companies promise training and great profit rewards because this is the "cutting edge". Plastic surgeons who are already experienced in liposuction techniques and how to get good... more

Marcus L. Peterson, MD

Saint George Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Lasers and lipo

The question of lasers with liposuction is one of the most confusing because there is so much marketing hype. Laser systems are expensive, so there is the built-in motivation to hype the benefits so as to recoup the investment. While some degree of tightening of the skin can be acheived, it is important to recognize that it is not a substitute for a tummy tuck. And there are other ways to acheive tightening such as Thermage with lipo. Several of the claims about laser lipo are demonstrably... more

Richard Baxter, MD

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Laser lipo hype

Hi Henri, Good question, but difficult to answer. Most surgeons who use laser lipo technology do not receive royalties and do believe that it is superior technology. Like with any other profession that uses high-tech equipment, there are those that like the latest and greatest and there are those that like tried and true. The best way for you to decide on a surgeon is really not what technology they use, but rather, their reputation and ability to demonstrate high quality, consistent... more

Elan B. Singer, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Laser Lipo is real

Any new technology or procedure goes thru its growing pains. Some may say it is hype because they don't have it. I would be interested in those who say this who do have the technology. We have had the SmartLipo for 2.5 years. We are on our 7th clinical IRB study and our 6th generation machine. Our data has been presented at most major and smaller plastic surgery meetings in the country. There are 2 published studies in and going into leading medical journals.

Barry E. DiBernardo, MD

Montclair Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Laser Lipo Hype

There are several new technologies that are being touted by the manufacturers as the next best thing for body sculpting. Less pain, less swelling, get back to work the same day, etc. There is always a lot of enthusiasm with any new product offering that then settles down once the true indications are known and the physicians move past the learning curve on the results produced. So far, many of the laser assisted liposuction techniques have made the traditional liposuction process a bit... more