Controversy of VASER Lipo

Like most issues in any discussion there are pluses and minuses. For me VASER is a weapon that in the wrong hands hurts more than it helps. Postop VASER complications are very very hard to fix if even able to fix them. So be very careful out there.

VASER has the potential to be very aggressive. for that reason when patients are treated poorly and this device is used for disfigurement is usually extreme.
There’s certainly no benefit in having power as distant devices when doing finesse work like revision work.
To me the equipment is in significant. The only thing that matters is the skill of the surgeon.
There are only two variables that determine liposuction results and I suggest patients focus on those two variables because they are the ones that make the difference. all other variables are insignificant.
The two variables that determine what results are going to look like our patient candidacy and the scale of the surgeon. What equipment is used, the use of compression garments a postoperative a massage or any other variable is Insignificant to the two primary variables that matter, Candidacy and skill of the surgeon.
Revision Liposuction is extremely difficult to do and many times more difficult than primary Liposuction.
Often improvements cannot be made or the potential for improvements is limited.
Results can easily be made worse in an attempt to improve the outcome.
The importance of provider selection is very important when it comes to Liposuction but it is extremely important when it comes to revision work.
I’ve seen lots of people have outcomes made worse in an attempt to improve poorly done liposuction results.
You didn’t include pictures so we can make an assessment.
Liposuction results are permanent and irreversible.
If the first treatment was aggressive is a chance of improving the outcome goes down precipitously.
Treatment options generally come down to revision liposuction, fat transfer, a combination of the two and occasionally cutting out the problematic area by converting the procedure to a skin tightening operation like a tummy tuck.
I suggest patients scheduled at a minimum of five in person consultations and consider rescheduling more for having regular Primary Liposuction.
During each consultation ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before and after pictures.
An experience provider should have no difficulty showing you at least 50 that’s a before and after pictures of commonly performed procedures like liposuction.
In reality I highly experienced surgeon that should have hundreds or even thousands of before and after pictures especially of how many areas like the abdomen.
Bring pictures of your own body and ask providers to show your previous patient who had similar body characteristics to your own in the before pictures.
These are the general recommendations I get for those seeking a primary Liposuction.
For revision work you’re not going to have providers have nearly as many before and after pictures of revision work because your vision work is not nearly as common as primary Liposuction.
Generally the best providers at revision work is going to be those who are the best at primary Liposuction.
The one difference is when fat transfer is needed to correct the outcome in which case you need to vett providers for fat transfer experience.
The time to be selective and focus on finding the right provider should be before the first procedure.
A substantial number of patients with poor Liposuction results are not candidate for any significant improvement.
You need to have a clear understanding of your candidacy for revision surgery.
Assessments are difficult and quality assessments can only be done by sufficiently experienced and talented providers.
For someone needing serious revision work five consultations may be totally insufficient to find the best provider.
When is out slow down and schedule more consultations.
If you try to focus on what’s the best equipment you’ll get lost by focusing on variables that are irrelevant and miss the variables that matter the most.
For example if you are under the belief that VASER is the way to go and the most talented Liposuction Revision specialist happens to live next door but it doesn’t use that device and you’ve completely missed the opportunity of finding the best provider.
Most plastic surgeons are not particularly good at Liposuction and mist plastic surgeons think they’re better at Liposuction then they actually are.
Define providers who have truly mastered this procedure takes significant work and effort. I personally do not believe you can properly vet providers or get a quality assessment by anything other than a thorough in person consultation.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom MD