I'm confused on the different types of Liposuction available. Which type has the least downtime, side effects & fastest results?

There are quite a few methods of fat removal available and it all comes down to the skill and training of the individual doing it.  This means that you can often see a great job with a less effective method or a poor result with the best method.  I personally love the tumescent method and use SmartLipo along with it.  There are many interpretations of what is 'tumescent' but if you do it the right way it should be able to remove the fat with minimal bruising and essentially no down time.  My patients walk out of the OR and are able to do things like working within a day and have been known to walk on a treadmill that day or go out to dinner that evening.  Good luck!

Your question mixing modalities that are different and perhaps complimentary.  Not understanding the diferences can lead to unrealistic expectations.I think it is most clear to think in terms of non-invasive and invasive fat removal.Non-invasive modalities use some type of external energy such as temperature or radiofrequency to destroy fat cells.  Basically you go into a room, lie down and have an external device placed on or over you for a period of time and the enegery from the machine destroys fat cells.  These have no downtime (other than the time of the treatment which can be a couple of hours or more), minimal bruising, slow results and less effective fat removal.  CoolScuplting, Vanquish, Zerona, Zeltique all fall into this category.Invasive modalities are various types of liposuction.  Liposuction, as the name implies, physically removes the fat cells from the body by way of negative pressure (suction).  All liposuction is tumescent liposuction - the area to be treated is infused with a large volume of dilute local anesthetic and then a cannula attached to suction is used to remove the fat cells.  Sometimes energy is added to the cannula - mechanical energy, light (laser) enegry and/or sound (ultrasound) enegery.  Most of the liposuction devices that add enegery are marketed under a company name - SmartLipo, Slim lipo, Vaser, lipo, PALS, lipo.  None of these modalities have been shown to improve the results of liposuction - any claims that they do are simply marketing claims.  The use of enegry adds to the cost, can add to the risks, and does not add to the result.  There may be times when a competent liposuction surgeon may suggest the use of added enegery, particularly PALS or ultrasound, in order to make fat removal more efficient.  All liposuction has more downtime and potentially more bruising than any of the non-invasive modalities.  Liposuction is more effective at fat removal and the results are seem more quickly than with a non-invasive technique.  Fat cells that are destroyed or removed do not grow back.  However, fat cell destruction or removal in no way alters one's ability to gain or lose weight.

There are many different forms of liposuction that can be performed. I think that you can achieve equal results with almost any kind. In my opinion, the two with the least risks are traditional and PAL, and I have used them all.

If one technique was the best, we wouldn't offer others!  Each technique has its pluses and minuses.  There is never gain without pain or recovery. The non-invasive methods like Zerona have minimal results so if you have more than a drop of fat, don't waste your money. SmartLipo can be performed under local with oral sedation if the amounts to be treated are small and several sessions may be required. If you have larger bulges, then tumescent liposuction produces excellent results.  The reason you see so many variations is that they are all dependent on the purchase of very expensive technology and the manufacturers are all chasing the market with advertising campaigns.

It is understandable that you are confused by all the methods of removing fat. As companies develop a new technique, they market it heavily making all kinds of claims, most of which are not supportable. Of what you mentioned, there are some liposuction methods and some non-invasive methods. Zerona and CoolSculpting are methods of reducing fat non surgically. Both work quite well, though I prefer Zerona as it has no pain or other discomfort. They do require several sessions to work. They are also best for more generalized fat than local areas. As far as liposuction goes, the only place where there is any real advantage of one method over another is in the back where laser and ultrasonic methods may have a slight advantage. Otherwise any of the methods, traditional, laser, ultrasonic, water jet, is excellent for more localized areas as well as multiple areas. It really does not matter the technology used. What matters is the surgeon doing the procedure. I use traditional liposuction with the super wet method because there is less chance for burns, overresecting, lumps and irregularities or medication overdose. Almost all of my patients are back to normal activities within 1-2 days, and some on the afternoon of surgery. Make sure whomever you choose for this has many years of experience, is a board certified plastic surgeon (there are many non surgeons doing this procedure that has significant risks including death without knowledge of how to treat the problems if they arise) and that the procedure, if done with any sedation, is done in an accredited facility.