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Liposuction Vs. SmartLipo ~ Which is Better?

I have been to two doctors, one wants to do smart lipo and one is a plastic surgeon and said smart lipo is not as good and performs only traditional liposuctions. How can I decide which is the best choice?

Asked 40 months ago by dscheffter in melbourne, florids

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Liposuction

Having performed both procedures. I truely feel that Smart Lipo Triplex is vastly superior. The procedure takes longer but, is done under local anethesia. The laser under the skin does tighten the skin. The laser into the fat melts the fat allowing more to be removed for better sculpting. The built in heat control make the procedure extremely safe

Doctor's Website

David A. Bray, Sr., MD

Los Angeles Facial Plastic Surgeon

Smart Lipo vs Traditional Liposuction - What is best?

As with many of these questions and topics there are usually no easy and simple answers. First it is important to understand the differences. The biggest differentiating factor is that SmartLipo uses a high energy laser to emulsify or destroy fat cells. Then the lipid that is released from the cell is reabsorbed or can be removed with a special suction cannula. Traditional liposuction works by applying suction to a hollow metal cannula or tube which pulls the fat into the tube and the sharp... more

Doctor's Website

Braden Stridde, MD

Federal Way Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Is Smart Lipo better than Liposuction?

Hi there- Your outcome and safety depend on finding a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon- NOT on the machine used... There is an abundance of information on this question already available on RealSelf, and I highly recommend you read as much of it as you can. A pattern will quickly appear to you. In general, you should be very worried when any professional spends their time and energy telling you why the machine they are going to use is so important to your outcome. Think about how silly this is.. more

Armando Soto, MD

Orlando Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Wow, lots of different ideas, but what are the facts?

#1 - Tumescent anesthesia - describes the infiltration of fluid into the area to be suctioned. The fluid has a local anesthetic as well as adrenaline to reduce bleeding and prolong the anesthetic effect. Almost everyone is using tumescent anesthesia, whether you are a plastic surgeon or not. Whether you do it under general anesthesia or not is unimportant. Many doctors choose to perform it under general anesthesia because it hurts to inject the large volume of tumescent fluid. Some doctors... more

Robert M. Freund, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Tumescent Liposculpture with Microcanulas will beat them any day of the week!

Dear dscheffter, Any doctor can be good at any procedure if they do enough of them. Tumescent liposculpture with microcanulas is the golden standard now days. Smart lipo can do fine but can also cause some unwanted puckering of the skin or permanent nerve or skin damage. The amount of skin contraction from the microcanulas verses laser liposuction would be a good study to see if there is one which is better than the other. I suspect not. Traditional liposuction with the medium to... more

David Hansen, MD

Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon

Find a plastic surgeon who does both....

One can imagine that if you only have one technique to offer, then you might advertise it as best. The docs (often not plastic surgeons) who offer smartlipo and tell you to "make sure you are having tumescent lipo done" are clearly missing the point here. How can the dermatologist who answered this thread say that smartlipo is the better procedure? Some people are going to benefit from Smartlipo and some people are going to benefit from traditional liposuction. You need to find a... more

Evan Sorokin, MD

Cherry Hill Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Liposuction vs SmartLipo - Facts vs Fiction

Since Drs. Illouz and Fornier first brought liposuction to the United States in 1982, when I was beginning my residency, there has been really only two game changing developments in the use of liposuction. The first was the addition of Tumescent fluid dilution, a very dilute concentration of Lidocaine and Adrenaline in a saline solution to expand the area to be treated. This dramatically diminished bleeding, the need for extensive fluid replacement, and for patients to donate their own... more

Doctor's Website

William F. DeLuca Jr, MD

Albany Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Smart lipo is all marketing

Liposuction has become mainstream and is one of the most common procedures Plastic Surgeons do. "Smart Lipo" is a new gimic to allow more advertising and promotion. The most important thing is the skill of the surgeon, not the machine they use. My liposuction machine has been working for years and is great. I went to the exhibition of the "Smart Lipo" machine only to find out that I would need to spend over $140,000 to get a machine to replace one that is working well.... more

William B. Rosenblatt, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Smart Lipo: The Newest Device Is Not Always Best

The explosion in medical aesthetic technology has resulted in a market that is literally flooded with new products, devices and procedures, like Smart Lipo, all claiming to be the ‘latest and greatest’ or the ‘next big thing’. A great deal of dedication (and caution!) is required to sort through all of the new (and often not-so-new) technology which is marketed simultaneously to aesthetic professionals and to the public. I have not seen a single study that shows... more

Michael Law, MD

Raleigh-Durham Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Talk to several patients

A common question is which is better - traditional liposuction or smart liposuction. If fact, both procedures are good - it all depends on the desired results, patient's body composition, and the skill and experience of the surgeon. My recommendation is to go to a few consultations and ask to talk to former patients who have undergone either of the procedures. David Shafer, MD New York City

Doctor's Website

David Shafer, MD

New York Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Expert or lease holder ?

People practicing proprietary techniques such as Smart Lipo are lease holders. They have leased or bought a machine from a company. There are extravagant claims about the effectiveness about this technique (skin tightening, less recovery, greater fat removal). I have reviewed the data of skin tightening with representatives of the company, and remain thoroughly unconvinced of unpublished "studies" performed by doctors with a financial relationship with the company. I... more

Brent Moelleken, MD

Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Smartlipo versus traditional liposuction

We have been using the Smartlipo technique for the past three years and are very impressed with the results. So much so that now even patients who could benefit from traditional liposuction will opt to do the Smartlipo in order to be able to return to regular activities more quickly. The compressive garment needs to be worn for 4 weeks for a traditional liposuction versus only 2 weeks for Smartlipo

V. William Papanastasiou, MD

Montreal Plastic Surgeon

Smartlipo vs. Traditional Liposuction

The choice between smartlipo and traditional liposuction depends on your objectives. Smartlipo is for: Patients who have had a liposuction and need one or more isolated areas improved in a cost effective and convenient manner. Patients who are younger and more active who desire to avoid the downtime of a traditional liposuction. Patients who seek natural looking results from a local anesthesia procedure. However, if the goal is to remove substantial fat deposits or... more

Kris M. Reddy, MD

West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS

There are no documented benefits of SmartLipo for liposuction.

Hi. Tumescent liposuction has by far the best track record for safety and excellent results. In New York City, that's what the expert plastic surgeons use. SmartLipo is mostly about marketing with no evidence.

George J. Beraka, MD

Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Smart Lipo vs traditional Liposuction

Smart lipo uses a very small tip to delivery the laser energy. Sometimes that can be advantageous in a small area while other times it can be quite tedious. Imagine painting a room with an artist's fine paintbrush versus using a roller brush. You might get alot of detail but it would take forever, right? Guess who pays for that? Also because it tends to be less of a surgical procedure, it can be performed by physicians other than surgeons. The claims about skin contraction really are... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Smart lipo is not proven to work at all, maybe harmful

At least at this point, SmartLipo is nothing more than a smart brand name. There is emerging market of laser assisted liposuction and it is currently under investigation. There is at least some concern than laser energy can release some potentially harmful products into the blood stream. It appears to be no better than currently time-proven liposuction or ultrasonic liposuction procedures. These have been used for years with minimal complications

Gregory Turowski, MD, PhD

Chicago Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Don't go to a doctor who is not board certified in Plastic Surgery.

Any doctor can legally do any procedure in his or her office. Hospitals will generally limit privleges to procedures that the doctor has been trained to do. Only Plastic surgeons have adequate training to assess and treat all areas. They are also more able to treat any complications adequately. If in doubt ask if the doctor can do liposuction in a hospital.

Rodney A. Green, MD

Cleveland Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Either can work well, but it depends on the surgeon

Smart lipo is simply a relatively new technology in which laser heat is applied to the fat, blood vessels, and the undersurface of the skin in combination with traditional liposuction techniques. The idea is that it can cut down on bruising, perhaps create a more even and symmetrical final result, and tighten the skin. In some circumstances, it can be performed without a general anesthetic or even IV sedation, and for this reason, many practitioners who are not Plastic Surgeons (ie... more

Shahram Salemy, MD

Seattle Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

Smart Lipo vs. Traditional Lipo

There are some similarities and some differences between Smartlipo and traditional liposuction. Traditional liposuction is typically used for larger areas where alot of volume needs to be removed. Smartlipo is typically better for more concentrated areas of fat however the benefits of smartlipo compared to traditional liposuction are with Smartlipo no general anesthesia is required and can be done under local anesthesia. My patients often drive themselves to and from the procedure. With... more

Jennifer S. Landy MD

Tampa Ophthalmologist

Liposuction vs. Smart Lipo

Thankfully, there are many options available for liposuction. Although tumescent liposuction is tried and true, some patients may require additional procedures with laser energy or ultrasound energy to emulsify and destroy fat cells during the procedure. I employ all three methods in my practice based on individual characteristics. All three procedures can acheive outstanding results.

Raffy Karamanoukian, MD

Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon

Not sure SmartLipo has advantages

Now that most practitioners are ending the "SmartLipo" procedure with regular old lipo to remove the liquified fat, I'm trying to figure out why that's better than just doing standard tumescent lipo to begin with. I have yet to see convincing photographic results to show that SmartLipo produces more favorable skin tightening tahn standard lipo. Without doubt, the technique has been insanely marketed and hyped up before there has been any meaniingful data to support the claims. In... more

John LoMonaco, MD

Houston Plastic Surgeon

ASPS

High technology offers advantages

We currently perform SmartLipo, Vaser Lipo and Tumcescent Lipo, none of which require general anesthesia. As you see from reading some of the responses if someone does not have the technology they will call it a gimmick and others tell you to see specialists such as themselves for procedures because they are better. Biased physicians who do not answer your questions should be avoided. SmartLipo and now about six other brands of Lipolysis lasers do have advantages in doing small fat... more

Richard Gentile, MD

Cleveland Facial Plastic Surgeon

Results depend more on surgeon than liposuction type

As previous surgeons have noted, studies have been performed comparing the two techniques. One study compared patients who had "smart" liposuction done on one side, and traditional liposuction done on the other by the same surgeon. There was no appreciable difference in the results. More important is your surgeon's experience with the technique.

James C. Grotting, MD

Birmingham Plastic Surgeon

ASAPS ASPS

Smart Lipo is part gimmick.

Hello, In the last year I worked with a marketing group and did about 150 Smart Lipo procedures. I have done "regular" tumescent lipo for over ten years. The difference is pretty small in the average patient, but the cost difference can be substantial. It may work better than "regular" lipo in redos or in "Lipo only" gynecomastia reductions. Be careful in trying to compare here.

John P. Di Saia, MD

Orange Plastic Surgeon

Bravo to the previous posts!

I agree with almost all of the previous posts and would summarize as follows: The physician performing the procedure is more important than the technology behind the surgeon. Whether you burn/ damage the fat with a laser before removing it or simply remove it does not matter a bit in my mind. Either procedure requires a significant amount of artistry and experience to do well. Most physicians (but not all) currently using the smartlipo are nonsurgeons. They were sold the smartlipo machine... more