Laser or Traditional Liposuction for Belly Fat?

There are several things to consider to help decide what type of procedure may be best for you. These include the amount of fat and the quality or excess of any skin in the abdomen. Another concern for some patients is laxity or looseness of the underlying foundation or abdominal wall. Many times pregnancy can stretch out the support which leads to excess contour that can't be improved with liposuction. Many patients have some combination of skin, fat and underlying support problems... more

First, achieve your highest level of fitness and your healthiest, most stable lifestyle as regards diet, exercise, habits, and activity level. Next, look at your anatomy with your surgeon, meaning your muscle, fat and skin amount and quality. You should then decide what you are going to be happy with as a result. Do you want to remove stretch marks? Do you want tighter skin or just a less bulging contour? Are you accepting of scars? Once you know what your goals are, your surgery will... more

Many physicians do not see an advantage to laser liposuction, and many do. The more important question is if you are indeed a candidate for liposuction and/or abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) which might be needed for the muscle wall of the abdomen that bends forward too much from the prior pregnancies.

"Belly Fat" : I hear patients complain about this phenomenon everyday! Unfortunately, the definition from one pateint to the other varies. Some patients have excess skin, especially after having children and even after significant weight loss, others do indeed have excess fat or lipodystrophy, and others have a roundness to the abdomen due to rectus muscle separation. Many patients have one, all or a combination of the above findings...So, it is very important that you schedule a consu more

I realize there has been extensive media hype about "laser this" and "laser that", but I have yet to see any research or presentations that have shown a noticeable benefit from the laser liposuction techniques. Also, most surgeons who are experienced with the laser liposuction will follow the laser treatment with regular old liposuction. The reason for this is that the melted fat, if left behind, cause prolonged swelling. My best advice is to seek a board-certified... more

 The important thing is how experienced the surgeon is, not what type of machine he uses. Laser lipo holds no great advantage, over other methods and the surgeon has to pass the cost of the laser on to the patient. Make sure you don't need a full or partial tummy tuck as well.

Hi! 1)  In my opinion, laser liposuction does not offer any benefits at all. 2)  In New York City, we get very good results on women like you with tumescent ("traditional") liposuction of the upper and lower stomach.

The best thing you can do is get into the best shape possible. At 5'6" and 120 lbs. you seem to be there. Without examining you, it is difficult to give you advice as to which procedure is best. In general, however, you should focus on the surgeon doing the procedure rather than the technique employed to give you your desired result. Tummy tuck may also be a possibility if you have any skin excess. I suggest you find a local board-certified plastic surgeon and go in for a... more

There are many factors that would go into your decision of wether to have traditional vs. laser liposuction such as amount of fat and skin laxity etc. However the advantages of laser liposuction over traditional are less downtime and a quicker recovery, less trauma to the body, can be done without general anesthesia and you will get a skin tightening effect from the laser. To know what your best options are you should always have a consultation with your doctor.