Over the past 10 years, liposuction has remained one of the most common cosmetic procedures carried out by plastic surgeons. But patient expectations have changed as technologies have advanced.

Patients expect :

• Minimal or no downtime – “lunchtime” procedures
• Minimal or no post-procedure side effects (pain, bruising, swelling, etc.)
• Awake patients (clinic treatments)

Technological advancements :

• Expectation for technologies to offer a broader range of applications
• Small to large volume removal (increasingly obese population)
• Sculpting as opposed to debulking
• Improved skin tone/ tightening
• Fat viability for grafting procedures

I started researching the various advances in liposuction technology to find a device that can combine safe removal of fat and at the same time help improve skin laxity. Skin tightening is something that traditional liposuction does not do very well hence making it unsuitable for a significant number of patients.

I heard a talk by Dr Alfedo Hoyos, an eminent Plastic Surgeon from Bogota, Columbia, on the VASER liposuction last year at the London BODY Conference. I was impressed by the results he showed by surgeons from largely America and South America.

I started reading more into the science behind the VASER ultrasound technology and ended up trying it on a patient. I have come to the conclusion that this is the solution I have been searching for and that it will add tremendously to the success of my body contouring procedures. The main reasons are :

• Proven clinical effectiveness and safety – Hundreds of thousands of procedures performed with an outstanding safety profile
• Advanced technology with proven clinical efficacy
• Fat selective 
• Most versatile equipment in the marketplace – allows a wide range of applications
• Fast patient recovery
• Excellent  skin retraction
• Reduced blood loss
• Can be performed safely in-clinic under local anaesthesia
• Emulsified fat is viable and easy to re-inject in fat transfer cases
• Effective for stubborn areas like the back and male breast, and yet gentle enough for delicate areas like the neck, calves and ankles
• Smooth, predictable results
• Reduced need for re-treatments

I must not forget to mention that  VASER ultrasound emulsifies the fat before the actual suctioning process. This means that what has traditionally been a very tiring surgery for me has suddenly become much easier as the cannula glides through the fat like butter – a great Christmas present for myself.

Read more about the VASER lipo.