Pitfalls of Laser Liposuction

PITFALLS OF LASER LIPOSUCTION

 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 80 patients using two different laser liposuction devices which different wave lengths in one single probe. One device, the Palomar SlimLipo™ uses 924 nm and 975 nm wavelengths and the second, the Deka SmartLipo™ uses the 1064 nm wavelength, both aiming in the same target: shrink the skin!

Methods/Technique:

We evaluated the results obtained in these 80 patients who were treated with the SlimLipo™ and the SmartLipo™ Laser liposuction devices. All patients were operated from November 2010 to March 2013 and evaluated 90 days after the procedure. This is, according with the manufacturers, 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 180 days for full healing. In selected cases surgical resection may be the treatment of choice.

In our series of 80 patients we had 4 burns (5,7%), all with the SlimLipo™ liposuction device (total of 42 patients). None with the SmartLipo™ liposuction device (total of 38 patients).

In our opinion the disposable probe of the SlimLipo™ device is responsible for the high risk of burns, once there is no security mechanism to avoid the probe to go through the dermis. The SmartLipo™ optic fiber goes through a non-disposable probe and, if it touches the dermis the tip goes back through the cannula.

Conclusion:

In young patients without skin laxity Laser liposuction results, regardless of equipment used, are not different from those obtained with conventional liposuction.

We can say that both devices can achieve excellent results shrinking the skin, but the disposable probe of the SlimLipo™ device is responsible for a high risk of complications (burns).

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