Differences between VASER Liposuction and Smart Lipo results
Both VASER Liposuction and Smart Lipo are popular methods of lipolysis to get rid of excess fat from a patient’s body and achieve a younger-looking, athletic figure. However, VASER Liposuction surpasses Smart Lipo in benefits, and any other FDA-approved, fat removing techniques available nowadays. This advance body contouring procedure “selectively” remove unwanted body fat. It uses minimally-invasive ultrasound technology to emulsify fat while leaving all other important tissues intact, resulting in significant desirable effects with minimal damage to surrounding tissues. Consequently, patients recover considerably quicker as they suffer reduced bleeding, bruising and swelling in the treated areas (1). The shorter recovery time needed for VASER Liposuction makes it more convenient and appealing to my patients, who may return to their work and regular activities as short as one week after surgery. Meanwhile, the recovery time expected for Smart Lipo and other liposuction methods exceeds the 2 weeks.
Smart Lipo uses heat energy from fibre-optic lasers to burn and melt the fat cells. The main difference between the two procedures is that Smart Lipo and traditional laser liposuction use very focused thermal energy to destroy the fat cells in the body. A laser liposuction probe only emits thermal energy at the end of the probe which causes an intense level of heat. As the laser is focused on one point only, it has a higher risk of burns the surrounding vital tissues may be burnt and subsequently injured by the intense heat. Laser liposuction poses the risk of 3rd-degree burns if the heat from the laser is not handled properly; these burns are painful and leave scars that are almost permanent. On the other hand, the VASER machine emits energy uniformly around the whole probe. This allows the VASER to emulsify the fat cells more efficiently than laser allowing plastic surgeons to take out more fat cells compared than with Smart Lipo. Moreover, due to the uniform energy distribution of VASER Liposuction, the procedure can tighten the skin and promote skin retraction better than laser liposuction (up to 53% more skin retraction with the VASER machine). There is less risk of skin burns with VASER Liposuction. This means the VASER can be used just under the skin to give the definition needed for VASER High-Definition.
Another reason why VASER Liposuction is superior to other lipolysis alternatives is the remarkable advantage of using the extracted excess of fat to transfer it to other specifics areas of the body such as buttocks and/or thighs. This process is called Fat Transfer Procedure or Fat Grafting. It’s important noticing that fat cells treated and removed during VASER Lipo procedures are typically of high quality –in contrast with the ones extracted via Smart Lipo- and are viable to re-introduce into the body. Unlike short lasting synthetic fillers, re-injecting your own fat may give you natural looking results that last longer, with no risk of rejection (2). This favorable possibility to accentuate and contour your body by using your own fat in a single procedure is definitely one big plus for VASER Lipo in comparison to Smart Lipo and any other liposuction procedures. Fat that is removed in laser liposuction cannot be re-used as the fat cells are destroyed by the heat from the laser.
References:
1Garcia, O., Jr., Nathan N. 2008. “Comparative Analysis of Blood Loss in Suction-Assisted Lipoplasty and Third-Generation Internal Ultrasound-Assisted Lipoplasty”. Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 28(4): 430-435
2Schafer, M.E. et al. “Acute Adipocyte Viability After Thrid-Generation Ulatrsound-Assisted Liposuction”. Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
