Melting Away the Myths: What You Need to Know About SmartLipo

By Fernando G. Serra, MD., FACS –
In some cases, almost all the diet and workouts in the world can still leave you with parts of your body that maintain too much fat! In the event that this is the particular case with you, outpatient SmartLipo treatment may well be ideal for you. SmartLipo is a minimally invasive treatment capitalizing upon incredible advancements in medical technology. It’s now possible to improve your body shape and acquire a much more youthful appearance through SmartLipo liposuction treatment. SmartLipo uses improved laser technology to liquefy supplementary fat from your face and body, resulting in a significantly less invasive medical procedure. This laser technique guarantees excellent results in reshaping or restoring your body contour.
SmartLipo (aka Laser Lipolysis) is a procedure in which localized excess fat deposits are reduced surgically through means of a special laser housed within a small tube called a cannula. This procedure provides benefits on par with traditional liposuction, although it is usually suggested for smaller areas. In fact, this procedure is attaining popularity for use on the face, particularly as a way of re-defining the jaw line, and getting rid of the dreaded “second chin” that creeps up on many of us as we grow older.
During traditional liposuction, your cosmetic surgeon will make small incisions and insert a cannula into the areas of your body where you would like to remove excess fat. The cannula will then be used to break up the fat cells in each area by using a firm back and forth motion. Finally, the broken up cells are suctioned out. You would be under general anesthesia when traditional liposuction is performed, so there is no pain or discomfort until you wake up and begin recovery.
SmartLipo is very similar to traditional liposuction, but the cannula used is narrower, allowing smaller incisions. It has a laser inside it which emits energy into the targeted fat cells breaks them down. Without their cell walls to separate them, the fat takes on a liquid consistency, being easily drained from the body with particularly small incisions (1-2mm).
Pros and Cons of Each Method
The technique and instruments of traditional liposuction will usually be recommended if the patient has large areas of fat to eliminate. In these cases, excess skin may need to be removed and muscles tightened. This makes sense because the instrumentation is larger and can cover more ground, and these patients will already have incisions larger than those necessary for SmartLipo.
Although traditional liposuction has been around for many years and has a proven record of success, it is not the best option for some patients. As mentioned, it is more invasive than SmartLipo, leaving larger scars and requiring longer recovery periods.
When compared with traditional liposuction there are various advantages of using SmartLipo including:

No general anesthesia is necessary, eliminating the risks associated with that
The cannula is smaller which results in smaller incisions
There is little or no bleeding, as the laser seals blood vessels, preventing it
Tightens the skin surrounding the treatment area
There is minimum swelling and bruising, resulting in shorter downtime

In addition to these advantages, the laser energy from the laser will also heat up the layers of surrounding skin, which can produce a firming, tightening effect that traditional liposuction cannot. Other benefits that can be quite significant are improvements in cellulite and stretch marks, which typically are unresponsive to most treatments.
SmartLipo can get rid of accumulated excess fat deposits wherever they may occur on the body. With SmartLipo body sculpting treatment, it is likewise possible to greatly reduce the sagging of your skin and reclaim your young look. SmartLipo treatment procedure is suggested for those persons with good health conditions and average body weight, but with obstinate excess fat deposits in certain body areas. It helps in removing fat deposits that have shown resistance to exercise and dieting methods. Due to the fact the treatment is less invasive than prior versions of liposuction, it can be performed on more regions of the body, such as arms, breasts (male), buttocks, chin, face, and hips. As mentioned before SmartLipo is designed for removing smaller, more targeted areas of fat and may not be the best option when dealing with a larger trouble area.
While SmartLipo may be less invasive compared to standard liposuction, it’s nonetheless surgery. Consequently, it has the same risks as most surgical procedures, as well as a few specific to the method itself. The most typical dangers & complications:are bruising, infection, hematoma (pooling of blood underneath the skin), and scarring. Less frequent dangers are increased bleeding, shock, and burns of the skin or underlying tissues. Although these are especially rare with SmartLipo.
To learn more, visit Central Florida Plastic Surgery at www.drserra.com or call 352-259-0722 or 1-800 A NEW YOU.