There are various techniques for doing liposuction. Some techniques are no longer considered safe (Dry Technique), and some are recognized as world-wide standards of care (Tumescent Technique). The links above will take you to written discussions of the most popular and important of the liposuction techniques.The tumescent technique is a method that provides local anesthesia to large volumes of subcutaneous fat and thus permits liposuction totally by local anesthesia.The dry technique derived its name from the fact that it did not use injections of local anesthesia into the fat before liposuction.The wet technique required the injection of approximately 100 milliliters of local anesthesia containing epinephrine.The super wet technique requires the injection of a volume of dilute local anesthesia that is less than half the volume used for the tumescent technique.Ultrasonic Assisted Liposuction (UAL) requires the use of a large volume of tumescent fluid and uses either a metal probe or metal paddle to deliver ultrasonic energy and heat into subcutaneous fat.Vaser liposuction, also called LipoSelection, is another alternate technology to traditional liposuction. Vaser ultrasonic liposuction is still a process by which fatty deposits are removed from beneath the skin to improve the aesthetics of a particular body part.PAL devices use power supplied by an electric motor or compressed air to produce either a rapid in-and-out movement or a spinning rotation of an attached liposuction cannula.Laser Liposuction requires the use of tumescent fluid and uses a microcannula inserted through a small incision to deliver laser energy and heat into subcutanteous fat.Smart Lipo is actually where laser liposuction began. Brought to the marketplace by Cynosure, the SmartLipo system offers all the benefits of a high quality laser lipolysis system and the benefit of experience in the market.CoolLipo, like other laser lipo systems is a technology that uses laser wavelengths to dissolve fat and firm the skin. CoolLipo by CoolTouch, Inc. is designed specifically for smaller areas of treatment in the face, chin and neck areas.Cosmetic surgeons using ProLipo PLUS or laser Sciton are using laser liposuction for specific and precise contouring of the body. ProLipo PLUS can be used under local anesthetic and the use of the laser typically reduces bleeding and bruising.The LipoLite laser liposuction technique uses the 1064 nm wavelength to melt away and remove fat from beneath the skin. The tiny cannula and fiber optic laser make for minimal invasiveness during the procedure.LipoTherme by Osyris Medical is another well regarded laser lipolysis technology. The real difference that Osyris Medical has brought to the market is in their LipoControl technology, which is used in conjunction with their LipoTherme laser liposuction treatment.Water jet assisted liposuction is another method of liposuction being used by cosmetic surgeons today. Water jet assisted liposuction actually uses a slightly pressurized stream of saline to dislodge fat and simultaneously remove the cells. Instead of destroying fat cells, this type of liposuction loosens the fat cells to facilitate more gentle removal.
You are making the mistake many people do. You are investigating the liposuction technique rather than the surgeon doing the procedure. Almost any method, in the proper hands, can produce the same excellent results. The difference is in the surgeon doing the procedure. There are many minimally trained and experienced physicians (many not surgeons) doing liposuction. This can be very dangerous as liposuction is a complex procedure with significant risks of contour irregularity and even death. Pick a board certified plastic surgeon with training in liposuction and significant experience instead of worrying about the method used. The methods are marketed by the companies who make the equipment, but they sell the equipment to any physician who will ante up the cost. the physician then gets a crash course in how to use it, not the physiology of the physical changes that occur. No one can learn the complexities of this procedure in this short time.
