Does Vaser lipo compromise the results and longevity of a BBL?

Hello and thank you for the question. I am a board certified plastic surgeon in practice for the last 24 years. I currently perform over 75 BBL surgeries per year. Over the last two years, I exclusively do Vaser based liposuction. Vaser liposuction allows for better harvesting of the fat, less lumpiness, less irregularity less bleeding and surprisingly less pain. It does add somewhat to the cost of the procedure and the time that the surgery takes, however those are worthwhile tradeoffs for the benefits of the procedure. Vaser liposuction is especially helpful in correcting previous liposuction cases involving lumpiness and scar tissue, called fibrosis. Every bbl procedure involves some loss of the fat that's injected. In my experience that averages around 25%. Compared to BBL procedures in the past that I performed without the Vaser the amount of fat loss overtime is about the same. It is important to remember that Vaser is not a laser. Laser liposuction does not have the same results and I would not recommend performing that specific procedure as laser liposuction has questionable benefits and significant risk in my opinion. The exact tool that is used in surgery is not as important as a person doing the procedure. There are plenty of well qualified plastic surgeons who do not use the Vaser who have excellent overall results. It's important to focus on the specific outcomes of a given surgeon versus what brand tool they use. This is especially true in liposuction which remains the most user dependent outcome of any surgical procedure done in plastic surgery. Liposuction remains one of the most poorly understood surgical procedure in plastic surgery even when discussed with other healthcare professionals. The reason for this is that liposuction is the only procedure we do that is blind. You're making a small incision in the skin, placing a long metal tube under the skin and you're passing that back and forth in the soft tissues, blindly. If you don't know what you're doing, It's easy to get into trouble injecting the fat in the wrong layer, putting it in muscle or injuring internal organs. You should seek consultations with several board certified plastic surgeons in your area who specialize in bbl surgery and take the time to review their before and after results ( that are not photoshopped ). As always, it is best to be healthy, non-smoking and make sure any health conditions are being treated and managed by your primary care physician. Best to you.

VASER induces, ultrasound, energy. There’s no heat involved in the process there’s not enough the fat. The ultrasound energy breaks apart, the parenchymal structure between fat cells.
There are studies that show that using VASER does not compromise fat grafting survival.
I personally do not use VASER though the device is very popular with a lot of plastic surgeons who do a lot of Liposuction. VASER is not good or bad. It’s just another tool that can be used in Liposuction. The device has potential advantages and potential disadvantages.
In the end, I suggest you focus your efforts on provider selection since that is the one variable you have control over, and it’s the variable that has the greatest impact on your potential result.
Delivering consistent quality, liposuction and fat, transfer results cause more difficult than most people realize. The number of plastic surgeons who mastered this procedure are in a small minority. Considering how much variation there is in skill and experience when it comes to Liposuction and fat transfer among plastic surgeons patient should be more selective than they may think it’s necessary when it comes to vetting providers, and provider selection.
I suggest patients consider having multiple in person, consultations before scheduling, permanent, irreversible body contouring procedures.
During each consultation, ask each provider to open up their portfolio and show you their entire collection of before, and after pictures of previous patient who had similar body characteristics to your own. An experienced plastic surgeon should have no difficulty showing you the before and after pictures of at least 50 previous patients Being shown at a handful of pre-selected images, representing the best results of a providers career is insufficient to get a clear understanding of what average results look like in the hands of each provider or how many of these procedures they’ve actually done. For fat transfer recognize that early results can look very impressive, but do not represent long-term results. After pictures should be taken a minimum of 3 to 6 months from the date of surgery. Always confirm when after pictures were taken and don’t assume that after pictures are necessarily long-term final results.
There’s no correct number of consultations needed to find the right provider. The more consultations, you have the more likely you are to find the best provider. Considering how much variation there is a Liposuction and fat transfer skills I suggest patients consider having at least five consultations before choosing a provider.
When in doubt, slow down and schedule more consultations. Poorly done, Liposuction can leave people disfigured, and it’s very difficult to improve and poorly done Liposuction results.
Best,
Mats Hagstrom, MD