Introduction:
Laser liposuction was developed as an alternative to the manual method used in tumescent and traditional liposuction. It was also developed to help cosmetic surgeons target specific body parts that were difficult to access with the more traditional methods, but are perfectly suited to laser body sculpting.
Laser liposuction, which is also known as liposculpture and laser lipolysis is somewhat different than traditional liposuction. In some techniques of laser liposuction, suction is used, while in others no actual suction is actually used. Instead of using the cannula to remove fatty deposits beneath the skin, the cannula actually houses a laser and the laser is used to literally melt the fat of the target area away.
Once the fat has been liquefied using laser liposuction, it is drained from the body using tiny incisions or gently suctioned away. The procedure is considered gentler than other liposuction techniques because of the smaller cannula used and because of the smaller size of the incisions. This also means less scarring. Because of the heat used in the laser liposuction procedure, the body naturally reacts by contracting the tissues near procedure which causes the skin to tighten and become smoother.
Goals/Purpose:
The purpose of this work is to present our results in 42 patients using a new liposuction device which combines two different laser beans of two different wave lengths in one single probe. The device uses 924 nm and 975 nm wavelengths to selectively target adipose and dermal tissue for the most efficient fat "melting" and skin tightening through laser-assisted lipolysis available today.
Methods/Technique:
We evaluated the results obtained in 42 patients who were treated in 69 body areas with the SlimLipo™ Laser liposuction device. All patients were operated from November 2010 to February 2011 and evaluated 90 days after the procedure. This is, according with the manufacturer, the “peak” moment of the “shrinking” of the skin.
Results/Complications:
Many of the risks of laser liposuction are those associated with any traditional suction procedure. However, the introduction of heat by the laser during liposuction poses some newer complications.
The main complication of laser liposuction is the burn, which occurs from the inside to outside and is always a third degree burn. The biggest difficulty is the early diagnosis if an area is being subjected to excessive heat. If you have redness or blisters the burn will appear in 10 days with a hard crust which should be debrided. The evolution in most cases is good, but it takes about 60 days for full healing. In selected cases surgical resection may be the treatment of choice.
In our series of 42 patients we had 4 burns (5,7%), two deep ones. In our opinion is a too high percentage once is a very serious complication.
Conclusion:
In our evaluation we can say that we achieved excellent results in areas such as upper and lower abdomen, knees, saddlebags, waist and flanks; moderate results in arms, bra-back superior and inferior, and poor results in thighs..
These devices operate in a very fine line between skin retraction and burns.
Even better results are not so different from the ones we achieved with the conventional technique. For this reason, in conclusion, we discourage the use of this equipment due to the high percentage of complications, not only in our hands but also in the international literature.
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