VASER Liposelection Vs Liposuction or Laser Lipo

Hi there-
It is first important to realize that all of these devices will require you to undergo a liposuction procedure. The only difference is the approach to the treatment of the fat prior to its removal.
Because they all involve liposuction, and this is in fact a surgical procedure, it is very important that you "do your homework" and find a surgeon certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery who has the years of training in liposuction necessary to give you the safe experience and superior outcome you deserve and desire. With the amazing number of machines now available to remove your fat, there has also come a equally impressive number of providers marketing themselves as "liposuction experts" (who completed a few days of training by the salesman for the device), promising that because they use one device or another that you will achieve a superior result.
This is not unlike someone saying to you that because they have access to Tony Stewart's racing car that you will be able to win this weekend's race and make a million dollars. Tony Stewart wins races because he is a great racing car driver AND he has a great car....This is no different... Getting the best outcome from a body contouring procedure depends most on finding a well-qualified and experienced surgeon, and much less on the device used. So please be careful.
Most of these people are so aggressive in their marketing of these questionable devices because they are, in fact, not trained plastic surgeons but rather are either not physicians at all, or they are doctors with core training which would not have prepared them to do liposuction. You may have read recently about a death in my home state of Florida after a healthy 40ish year old mother had liposuction performed be a rehabilitation medicine doctor. Amazingly, I know of eye doctors doing liposuction as well.
The device used can affect the overall experience, however.
Despite the claims of the manufacturer and the practitioners who plunked down the large sum the device costs, Smartlipo has never been proven to shrink skin better than tumescent liposuction. SmartLipo, SlimLipo, Coolipo all use a laser to destroy the fat cells, allowing them to be removed by liposuction. My problem with these is that, first of all, as a scientist and doctor I am offended when false claims of benefit are made, and that because the lasers will burn whatever you point them at, I worry that your nerves, blood vessels, muscles, and skin may be injured by the laser. Bottom line (and in my opinion)- there is no benefit to these devices, they are expensive (meaning that the cost to you, the patient, will be higher as well), and the risks are higher.
Tumescent liposuction is the gold standard to which all other techniques must be compared. It has been proven to be safe and effective over many years (provided that it is performed by a well-trained surgeon). It involves the injection of a fluid into the fatty tissue layer that causes blood vessels to shrink and the fat to expand, making it easier to remove and lowering the risk of a complication.
VASER lipo involves an additional step, in which the fat (after injection of fluid but before suction is applied) is treated with ultrasound energy. Unlike the laser filaments used in SmartLipo and the other devices mentioned above, the VASER probe is blunt and the ultrasound energy it uses is much more specific for fat, so that the risk of injury to the blood vessels and nerves, as well as the muscles and skin are much lower. This is seen in the patient experience of reduced swelling and bruising.
Each time a new (revolutionary!) liposuction machine comes out, I think the most important questions to ask are not "Does it work?", but rather, "Does it work better than what is already available, is it less expensive (not more), and is it safer than what is already available?"
The VASER (in my opinion) passes this test, while the laser based devices do not.
Please know that I have no financial relationship with any of these companies and have personally tried each of the discussed technologies myself on patients.

Hi, Vaser (Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Resonance) is an alternative technique to the traditional liposuction methods and has less risks than the latter. I believe it is easier to sculpt and contour the body. But generally speaking, the device or brand is just an equipment and the most important part of your surgery is your doctor's experience. Seek out Board Certified Plastic Surgeons with a great deal of experience for best results. Those plastic surgeons that have specialized in fat removal and cosmetic surgery, such as the surgeons at Pacific Center for Plastic Surgery, are a great fit for your liposuction needs. Best of luck! #RealSelf100

Vaser is a different name for Ultrasonic liposuction with is a fairly old technology.  Technology has been applied to liposuction to improve the procedure.  Laser liposuction is the newest form of liposuction where laser energy is applied to the fat and skin before it is removed.In my opinion, laser liposuction results in less pain, swelling and bruising for my patients.  There is a shorter recovery when laser is used.  I find this is the main benefit.  In addtition, we do see some skin tightening effect from the laser energy as well.   These benefits make it my choice when performing liposuction.In an experienced and skilled surgeon, all techniques will give similar results.  But I feel that the patient experience with laser liposuction makes it worth using this technology.Aloha,Shim Ching, MD

Vaser is one brand name for ultrasonic-assisted lipoplasty (UAL), just as SmartLipo is one brand name for laser-assisted liposuction (or lipoplasty). Liposuction is a general term that applies to the basic procedure that has been around for over 25 years. Though "liposuction" describes a fat-removal operation understood by the public, the marketing geniuses among liposuction doctors and the companies that sell liposuction machines want you to buy a "BMW, the ultimate driving machine," not just a car. Or "STP, the racer's edge," not just motor oil. So we now have "Vaser Liposelection," "SmartLipo," and "BodyJet water-assisted liposuction."

The thing is, these techniques ARE actually advances over "regular" liposuction, but because they have these clever names (notice the judicious use of capital letters), the natural scientist and cynic in me make me apologetic for the fact that they can't seem to be content to be just be better than the standard or regular old liposuction techniques. The good news is that they are (better than plain old liposuction); the bad news is that any surgeon with one of these machines still needs to be able to sculpt fatty tissues with training, experience, and excellent technical skill.

Thus, as with so many things, selection of surgeon is MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than the machine or process he or she uses. There is no substitute for these factors, as no SmartLipo machine will make a lousy surgeon magically into a good one! Example: Michaelangelo was a superb sculptor with basic hand tools; imagine how much better he might have been had he been able to use power tools. But give power sculpting tools to the sculptor down the street, and there is no magic transformation to Michaelangelo!

Look for a well-trained, experienced, board-certified (American Board of Plastic Surgery) plastic surgeon for advice about liposuction, and don't be suckered-in by "special" techniques or marketing terms. BTW, I have used Vaser since it came out in 2002, and Lysonix ultrasonic liposuction prior to that. SmartLipo works well, but is really best for small areas, Water-assisted lipo is fairly new, but may be promising. I can't say that it will be better than existing state-of-the-art techniques, but time will tell.

Liposuction is a general term used to describe suction-assisted removal of excessive fat deposits. A number of different devices have been introduced over the years to aid in this suction-assisted removal of fat. These devices have included various different sizes and shapes of cannulas, as well as reciprocating cannulas. More recently, in the late 1990’s, ultrasound-assisted liposuction became very popular. Unfortunately, there were problems associated with this type of liposuction, largely related to burns from the “inside out”. Sound Surgical, Inc. refined the ultrasound delivery system to specifically target and emulsify fat, minimizing the risk of damage to tissue and occurrence of burns. They refer to this specific targeting of fat cells as “liposelection” with their VASER (Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Residence) system. Next, laser applications in liposuction surgery entered the market. The earlier long wave-length laser applications such as Irdium were applied externally with the intention of emulsifying fat through the skin. Lasting improvements with this type of laser have not been clearly established. SmartLipo refers to the use of an internal laser for liposuction in a manner similar to that of the VASER technology, with the goal of specifically targeting and emulsifying fat cells. While this technique was very sexy when it first was released, the hopes that laser alone could remove the fat were not realized. In my practice, I use a combination of Tumescent liposuction technique with the assistance of VASER liposelection for the most consistent, even, natural-looking results with minimal post-op pain, bruising or swelling.  

The short answer to your question is that all Liposuction procedures are variations of the same basic idea: the area receiving Lipo is filled with "tumescent" fluid which also numbs that area after which the surgeon will insert a small cannula to remove the fat.
Vaser and laser liposuction techniques involve  the use of an ultrasound or laser device to "assist" with the breakdown of the fat and removal.  With laser there is also the suggestion that the overlying skin will tighten more effectively.
The truth is that the skill and experience of the surgeon are far more important.  Also, it's important to ask whether the surgeon specializes in liposuction procedures and what percent of his/her practice is devoted to this.  If he/she only does the procedure occasionally, chances are you will get better results with someone who does it much more frequently.
Hope this helps.

The following is my personal opinion:
I have used vaser since 2004 when it first became available. It has allowed me to contour areas during procedures that the other 2 methods do not allow. Why? Because Vaser is selective for fat cells and leaves vessels and nerves and lymphatics for the most part undamaged IF the Vaser is used properly!
Simply speaking:
1. Infuse an adrenaline containing solution into the fat
2. Let it sit for a minimum of 10 minutes!
3. Insert titanium probe that vibrates at around 40,000 times a second to create ultrasonic waves that are maximally absorbed by the fat and separate the cells from each other.
4. Use Vaser's Ventex cannulas which do not tear the tissues in order to suck out the emulsified fat liquid created by #3.
5. Place patient in a compression garment.
Other methods can rip and tear vessels and nerves and soft tissues, and in the case of Smart Lipo, burn them as well. The fat from Vaser Lipo Selection is very suitable for Brazilian Butt lift - the injection of the strained fat into the buttock muscles for excellent long term augmentation!

All modern liposuction methods use a swelling (Tumescent) fluid solution to reduce bleeding and increase accuracy in liposuction.
Where VASER liposelection and SmartLipo differ is in the way they treat the fat before it is removed by vacuum.
In the case of various lasers, they literally destroy fat by heating it, the intent being to cause some skin shrinkage at the same time (although there no scientific studies out there that can prove a supremacy of these techniques in this regard to other liposuction method). An additional issue with heat is that it may destroy not only fat but nerves as well, causing more prolonged numbness according to some.
The VASER uses ultrasound waves to preferentially shake fat cells and cause their rupture while sparing nerves and blood vessels. As such it is associated with less swelling, numbness and bruising.
When the phase of fat treatment is completed, in both these techniques the loose fat is removed by liposuction thereby producing the sculpted look the surgeon planned.
Good Luck.
Peter A Aldea, MD

Vaser liposelection uses ultrasound energy to melt the fat prior to suctioning, while laser assisted liposuction (such as Smart Lipo or Slim Lipo) uses different types of lasers (such as ND yAG for Smart Lipo) to melt the fat. All these options may produce better skin tightening than traditional liposuction.

Ultrasound assisted liposuction came out in the 1990's. There were potential problems with the earlier equipment (burns, nerve issues, etc) and many plastic surgeons, myself included, were reluctant to use it. Sound Surgical, a Colorado company, completely redesigned their equipment from the ground up virtually eliminating the problems that existed before. Even the suctioning system to aspirate the emulsified fat is different. They called the system Vaser (Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Resonance) and coined the term Liposelection since their ultrasound delivery system specifically targets fat to emulsify it. I started using Vaser shortly after it was introduced and never turned back. It is a much gentler procedure so there is less pain-bruising-swelling. I rarely see any surface irregularities anymore. Bottom line --> Patients are very happy. Sound Surgical has taken ultrasound assisted liposuction into the 21st century.