What are the best alternatives to liposuction?

Many patients are confused about the term "Laser Liposuction" or "Laser-assisted Liposuction". It should be understood that these procedures are not really liposuction alternatives- they are liposuction. The laser is used to help melt the fat prior to performing a traditional-type liposuction procedure. It does make the fat removal easier and more consistent. There are claims that the laser helps to tighten skin, and this may be true but is unproven thus far.

Patients come to my office asking for laser liposuction with the notion that it is a non-invasive procedure. This is a misconception. I frequently perform laser-assisted liposuction with the 1320 nm laser (CoolLipo) but I clearly explain that this is simply an improvement to traditional tumescent liposuction surgery, not an alternative.With an experienced physician, laser-assisted liposuction produces excellent results and may in fact lead to easier recovery.

There are some procedres that are "coming down the pipe," but they are not FDA approved in the US.  As the previous person answered, Ultrashape is one, and Lysonix has a similar product.  Thes are external ultrasound devices that may perform some fat reduction.  It will not do the same as lipsocution in one setting, and probably will require several treatments.   Avoid mesotherapy of injection lipolysis because these products are not FDA approved either, and the scientific research on this topic is very thin to say the least.

The new Ultrashape treatments are completely non-invasive, do not require incisions, surgery or anesthesia and have no pain or downtime associated with them. Ultrashape is meant to treat problem areas like the lower belly or thighs and is not meant to replace large volume liposuction or to be used as a weight loss tool.

Ultrashape is pending FDA approval and therefore is not yet available in the USA. It does have Health Canada approval and is available in Canada as well as Mexico and many places in Europe.

This reply supposes that you have a reasonable diet and exercise regimen in place, and that your shape is "genetic" in origin. Liposuction is for healthy individuals who are weight appropriate, but continue to have problem areas. If this is not your description, you should consider other options first.

The best alternative to traditional liposuction is SmartLipo. This laser can be used on ALL areas prior to power-assisted liposuction. The results are much smoother than traditional liposuction with less risks and downtime. SmartLipo uses a laser to rupture the cell membranes of the fat cells, coagulate small blood vessels and tighten the skin. It uses a very tiny cannula that can reach places traditional liposuction couldn't safely treat. SmartLipo also has much fewer risks than VASER. VASER has a lot of complications (burns, uneven skin, dimpling) that aren't seen with SmartLipo. CoolLipo is another laser used for laser lipolysis but a huge patent infringement lawsuit has just been lodged against them by Cynosure. I don't know if they will be around very long. . .