Smart liposuction - Liposuction Treatment

Smart liposuction
September 18, 2007
By Dr. Jay Adlersberg
7online.com

(New York-WABC, September 18, 2007) - Liposuction is the most popular form of plastic surgery in the United States, and now there's a procedure that's much faster, with a quicker recovery.
Seven's On Call with Dr. Jay Adlersberg.
Liposuction means sucking out excess fat that lies under the skin. The standard method uses what amounts to a powerful vacuum cleaner. Now, there's another way to do it that uses a laser to basically melt the fat and then remove it.

Jogging helps 49-year-old Nancy Kelley escape the pressures of everyday life. But after years of running, there was one problem she just couldn't shake.

"My son calls it a Santa Claus belly," she said.

Nancy's bulging belly led her to Dr. Roger Bassin, a plastic surgeon at the Bassin Center for Facial Plastic Surgery in Orlando, Fla., who offers a new kind of liposuction.

"Liposuction is really meant for body contouring," Dr. Bassin said. "It's meant for people who are typically healthy and who have trouble spots."

Smart Lipo is a high-tech alternative to regular liposuction that uses a laser to melt away fat. It takes about 45 minutes and uses a local anesthetic, so patients can stay awake the entire time.

Dr. Bassin begins by injecting the patient with liquid anesthetic. Then, he uses a laser to break up the excess fat.

"Everything the laser tip touches will literally melt the fat," he said.

While standard liposuction can leave patients with saggy pockets of skin, the heat from the laser shrinks skin around the affected area in six to nine months.

"It saves her a scar all the way across her tummy for a tummy tuck," Dr. Bassin said.

Once the fat has been fully liquified, Dr. Bassin simply sucks it out of the body.

After treatment, Nancy says she went down two dress sizes.

"This helps, and it also gives me incentive to keep going," she said.

Smart Lipo costs about $4,000 per area, but the results can last a lifetime. It does not cause bruising, and it only takes patients two days to a week to recover. Smart Lipo is also less risky than standard lipo, as patients don't need general anesthetic.

(Copyright 2007 WABC-TV)