Since you are only doing your flanks, this is a relatively small area and degree of trauma you experience will be small as compared to say doing your whole abdomen plus flanks and back. With that said, to compare each, the Smartlipo procedure is the most well known and by that fact alone patients are attracted to that. Smartlipo, like all laser procedures is a 3 step process. If performed awake one must numb your first with a cannula that is pushed under the skin. Somewhat uncomfortable to occasional outright painful. Second laser of the tissue. A laser is excessively hot, vaporizing the tissue it touches and burning adjacent tissue. Finally, suction is done, typically with a sharp cannala, essentially a traditional liposuction to finish the procedure. Therefore you are literally burned then cut to extract your fat. The tissue damage is significant and the healing is prolonged, up to 3-6 months to see end results. Tickle is a much more comfortable numbing process. The rotating and vibrating cannula gently follows a path of least resistance in the tissue. Typically my patients feel only the vibration, some wetness from some of the fluid leaking out and an occasional pinch as the tissue swell with the numbing fluid. Once we numb you, we then change to a suction cannula that is smooth, non-cutting and runs cool. The rotation and vibration essentially liquify your fat and it is suctioned out. Overall, a very comfortable total process that is thorough and has minimal adjacent tissue damage. So your healing time is minimal with end results being seen in only 3-4 WEEKS, not months as is true with laser. Traditional lipo,to me, is just cutting and sucking. Usually performed with general anesthesia. I found it less accurate when it came to sculpting the tissue. More tissue damage, more downtime and longer to end results. Your scar tissue concern can be answered by the fact that the procedures that cause the most tissue damage will cause the most scarring, fairly self-explanatory. I take exception to those surgeons that tell you it doesn't matter the tool, it is only matter the expertise of the surgeon. My response to that is if you have two exceptional artists and you give one a paint roller and the other a fine 1/4 inch tapered paintbrush, who do you think will paint a better Mona Lisa?