Vaser is a third generation ultrasonic device. There are other ultrasonic liposuction devices on the marekt, but this is strictly a solid bore cannula system to which requires two steps. One, you have to do the emulsification with the Vaser probe, and this is followed by aspiration. It's a slight see change in terms of how we think of things with liposuction. We try to do the majority of the work of the debulking by using the Vaser solid proble in order to literally shake the fat off of the surrounding tissue and then gently aspirate it with our suction cannulas. The recovery period is similar to standard liposuction. You can expect bruising and swelling anywhere from one to two weeks. The swelling component, after the first month, about 50% of the swelling is gone. After three months, 85% of swelling is gone. It takes a full year for full final results.

What this means is, when you wake up in the morning and get started, you're going to feel it nice and flat. If you had not had liposuction, usually people feel a little more full by 5 p.m. After you've had liposuction, you have that full 5 p.m. feeling much earlier during the day. We help manage this with compression garments generally for for to six weeks afterwards and some people don't even use them. It really makes very little difference on the final result. The analogy that I like to use for my patients is if you wear the garments, it's the difference between walking and let's say running to a location. You're going to get to your location. You just might get there a little quicker with the compression garments. Vaser is extremely useful for men who have more fibrous, fatty areas on the flanks. I use it in combination with some excisional procedures for male gynecomastia.

The Ins and Outs of Vaser Liposuction: How Is It Done and What Is Recovery Like?

Dr. Stephen Chen introduces Vaser, a laser liposuction option.