What is Smart Lipo Laser?

I don't care for SmartLipo or laser lipolysis. I don't think it has any advantages over carefully performed liposculpture with the PALS (power assisted liposculpture) technique. It is advertised as "new liposuction" with unsubstantiated claims that it is superior to conventional liposuction. I have not seen one single solid study done in this country showing it is superior to conventional liposuction and has a lower complication rate. And it has dangers that are profound, unique to the laser and not found in conventional liposuction or PALS. Any small liposuction can be performed under local anesthesia with satisfactory patient comfort, so no advantage there. With laser lipo techniques, Laser energy is applied below the skin to melt fat. Everybody and their sister from every possible specialty is taking a course and then doing the laser lipo because it is "New" "Revolutionary" and patients who don't know better flock like moths to the light to seek wonder treatments. However laser can also melt nerve sheaths, made of sphingomyelin, a fatty compound. What are the long term effects on nerves? We now know know about the chronic pain disasters from ultrasound liposuction when the energy is applied for too long in one spot. Laser can burn the subdermal plexus, literally the blood supply to the skin. This can burn the skin, change its texture/color or make a hole. Are you better off having "laser liposuction" from somebody who took the course last weekend, or go to a board certified plastic surgeon with 20 years experience with various liposuction techniques? You decide that one. I have personally seen a patient on whom laser lipolysis was performed in the submental area with a full thickness burn to her face along the jawline. She will have a scar for life on her face. This would never have happened from submental liposuction under local anesthesia without the laser. I have seen another patient with terrible irregularities in the upper abdomen from laser lipolysis. So where is the greater safety profile? I know this will be an unpopular post, but I feel it my duty to give the other side to this marketing juggernaut.

With Smartlipo, a laser helps melt and loosen fat before removal. Traditional liposuction procedures require the surgeon to manually dislodge the fat, which can cause trauma to the surrounding tissues. The laser energy Smartlipo applies has also been shown to tighten nearby skin, creating an overall improvement in skin tone. For those reasons, Smartlipo is my preferred approach.

To understand laser lipo (smart lipo), you need to understand traditional lipo. Traditional lipo is a two-step process. The first step is the injection of "wetting solution" into the fat. The purpose of the wetting solution is to constrict blood vessels (to minimize blood loss), and to deliver anesthesia into the fat. If large amounts of anesthesia are injected into the fat, the procedure is called tumescent liposuction and it can be done with the patient wide awake. If low amounts of anesthesia are injected into the fat, the procedure is called superwet liposuction and it is done with the patient asleep. The anesthesia lingers after the surgery to provide pain relief. The second step of traditional liposuction is the removal of fat with suction tubes called cannulas. Laser lipo is an extra step added in between the two steps of traditional liposuction in which a specially designed laser fiber is passed through the fat layers and fired to destroy the fat cells using heat energy. It is claimed that this step can soften the fat layers to make suction of the fat easier, seal blood vessels to reduce blood loss, and shrink collagen near the skin surface to enhance skin shrinkage. Most surgeons who use these lasers doubt the first two claims, but find useful skin shrinkage in properly selected patients.

SmartLipo is laser assisted Liposuction. Its probably better to research
who is doing your procedure. Smart doctors have learned how to use
technology to get the desired result. We combine both technology now.
Liposuction using Smartlipo permanently destroys & removes the
treated fat cells. Adults do not
create new fat cells. One of my patients recently had SmartLipo
but had poor results and was burned! She said "I didn't know that my
cosmetic surgeon was not a Plastic Surgeon" We had to fix her abdomen
and other areas damaged by the laser. Cost should not be the only
criteria for selecting your Plastic Surgeon. Experience and training
matters a lot. Non Plastic surgeons (cosmetic surgeons) tend to charge
less than Plastic Surgeon. Below are other criteria to use when
selecting a Plastic surgeon.Questions to ask (Answering NO is a big red flag)1) Are you a plastic surgeon? (Do you know difference between cosmetic surgeon & plastic surgeon)2) Are you board certified in Plastic Surgery?3) Will the procedure be performed at a fully accredited procedure room or ambulatory surgery center4) Do you have hospital privilege to perform liposuction or SmartLipo? 5) Do you offer complication insurance (it does happen, it better to be safe)The
most important decision is to do your homework well. Any doctor can
offer SmartLipo. Its your duty to know who is doing your procedure. Its better to choose a Smart Doctor. Good
luck.

Smartlipo is a form of laser-assisted liposuction. The device melts the fat in the area, making it easier to remove with a cannula. The laser energy has also been found to boost collagen production, promoting skin retraction following surgery.

Smart Lipo is a laser that is made by the company Cynosure. There are different Smart Lipo machines on the market. The most recent version of the laser is the Smart Lipo Triplex which is considered their flagship. It consists of three different wavelength lasers all focusing on different elements. The 1064 wavelength focuses on red blood cells and helps with post operative bruising. The 1320 focuses mainly on water content and heats the tissue to assist in tightening the skin. The 1440 wavelength focuses on fat and helps to melt the fat. All three are used to create an end result of tighter skin and less fat in the regions the surgeon focuses on. It stimulates the collagen and cells in the skin to shrink and improve contour.

Smart lipo is performed with laser energy to melt away fat prior to aspiration.  An excellent modality.  Speak to a surgeon who performs all types of liposuction to understand all of your options. Raffy Karamanoukian Los Angeles

I agree with most other doctors answers here. While I do smart lipo and like many aspects about the laser it is not nearly as important as the judgement, skills and experience of the surgeon. I try to discourage patients from putting too much emphasis on the tool or technique rather than the trust in the surgeon. The smart lipo laser can help to loosen thongs up and emulsify fat as well as thermally help with skin tightening. But it is only a tool and I use it in specific ways on specific patients that may benefit from it. In the right hands it can make slight improvements on results. In the wrong hands it can be a disaster. Nothing replaces good technique and artistry....and that's the way it should be.

The only SmartLipo I would consider as representative of what SmartLipo can do in 2013 is the SmartlipoTriplex.  This machine controls the heat delivered under the skin, has a safety cut-off that prevents temperatures that could burn the skin, and has a 1440 wavelength that is a multiple more specific for fat melting than the previous 1064 and 1320. It is faster, goes through tissue in a non-traumatic way with a thin laser cannula, and can soften and break down fibrous or scarred fatty tissue very effectively.

In addition, unlike regular liposuction, and better than vaser ultrasonic liposuction, it tightens the skin. You don't get this effect unless you specifically heat the undersurface of the skin to 42-45 degrees Centigrade, but if you do, the skin objectively shrinks. This is great for the abdomen and upper arms, where loose skin after liposuction detracts from the result.

The disadvantage is that the technology is quite expensive.  I use both Vaser ultrasonic and Smartlipo Triplex.  I use the Vaser for large volume procedures in the surgery center, and the Smartlipo Triplex for office operating room procedures, completely under tumescent local anesthetic.

Patients come and go without ever being under general anesthesia. The recovery is rapid. There is going to be a tissue recovery phase that takes about the same time, several weeks to months, for any method.  When specific skin tightening with the application of heat is done with Smartlipo Triplex, this phase is prolonged.  The skin can get quite firm for several months, and there can be some lumpiness. This resolves and you get the benefit of skin tightening.

Ladies who have a lot of bulky abdominal fat and loose skin, but who do not want a tummy tuck, can have Smartlipo Triplex and have a nice result, with skin shrinkage. It's not a tummy tuck, but the fat is removed and a nice improvement is achieved without hanging skin in selected patients.

Smart Lipo is brand name of laser liposuction similar to what Kleenex is to tissue paper.

Let's review the terms that always make liposuction sound complicated.  Liposuction is performed with a fluid injected into the area of fat you want suctioned.  That fluid is called tumescent fluid.  Just about all liposuction is performed with tumescent fluid.  The purpose of the fluid is to numb up the area and allows the suctioning of fat to be performed safely. 

Traditional liposuction is performed with the surgeon suctioning the fat through a metal tube called a cannula.  The sugeon has to move the cannula back and forth to break up the fat.  The cannula is hollow and has holes that allow fat to be sucked into.  The cannula is connected to a device that creates suction (similar to a vaccum cleaner concept).  Superficial liposuction uses very small cannulas.  This allows the surgeon to remove fat close to the skin- in other words, more "superficial." 

Now on to other energy sources that help break up fat-  power assisted, ultrasound and finally laser.  Power assited is when the instrument itself moves and helps the surgeon break up fat.  Ultrasound liposuction has sound waves coming from the cannula to help break up fat.  That cannula can be solid (like the VASER instrument) or hollow.  A hollow cannula would allow fat to be suctioned during the ultrasound phase of the procedure.  Both the solid and hollow cannulas still require that the fat be suctioned out after the ultrasound phase.  Laser lipo has a few names that vary with the exact wavelength the laser, that is attached to the cannula, emits.  Smart Lipo has specefic wavelength or wavelengths, ProLipo has wavelengths that are similar.  Please note that there may be two different wavelength during the laser phase that go through the fiberoptic and into the fat and into the area.  One wavelength focuses on melting fat and the other wavelength focuses on tightening the tissue.    In addition to the laser phase of laser liposuction, there is always the additional phase that removes the fat.  Since the fat is melted, the idea is that the tube through which you remove it can be smaller.  Additional benefits of laser liposuction is that the tissue is potentially tightend after the fat is removed.  This potentially contours the area better.  Laser liposuction, as most liposuction, can be done while you are awake.  With liposuction done while you are awake, prepare that the procedure will take a little extra time to numb the area until the procedure can be done comfortably. 

 Please note that some doctors will claim their liposuction is "painless."  All liposuction can be painless while the tumescent fluid is still working.  When the numbing effect of tumescent fluid wears off, the area underwent liposuction can be a little uncomfortable.  In my practice the pain level is approximately 3 out of 10 with 10 being the most painful. 

SmartLipo and all the laser liposuctions (slimlipo, cool lipo, etc) all place a cannula under your skin and heat up the skin and fat to a very high temperature.  The cannula is brought up close to the skin in a superficial layer of fat to provide the claimed skin tightening result.  This can burn the skin and might cause it to contract or die.  The fat in the superficial layer is melted.  A cannula is then placed under the skin to suction out the melted fat.  The internal cooking may leave an uneven appearance to the treated areas since it is right under the skin.  I have seen many unhappy patients who have been treated using laser liposuction.  Fixing the burns and contour deformities can be very difficult if not impossible.  In my area not a single board certified plastic surgeon performs laser assisted liposuction even with all the marketing and hype.  Buyer beware.