When diet and exercise don’t seem to be enough to remove stubborn fat from your body, a treatment like liposuction can seem like the only option. At Grossman Dermatology in Santa Monica, CA we offer Smart Lipo: a safe and gentle liposuction treatment that reduces your recovery time and delivers results with minimal pain.
Smart Lipo
Smart Lipo is also known as laser-assisted liposuction. It is a simple procedure that provides you with the benefits of body contouring and skin rejuvenation. The procedure is performed using a liposuction cannula with a laser fiber inside and has been safely performed since 2006, when it was first approved by the FDA.
The cannula is small, so the procedure only requires a tiny incision that heals quickly without stitches. The laser fiber inside of the cannula heats the fat and liquifies it, making it easier for the cannula to remove the fat from the body. This laser fiber also provides benefits to the skin, helping it tighten after the procedure. The delicacy of the treatment and the size of the device makes removing small deposits of fat and fat from sensitive areas easier than with traditional liposuction.
How Does It Reduce Fat?
Fat reduction from Smart Lipo comes from the power of liposuction and laser therapy. The laser fiber heats the fat until it is liquified. This means that there is less tearing and pulling, making the removal of the fat painless and smooth. The small cannula removes the fat from the body through a needle that is no larger than the needle used for drawing blood.
The benefits of the procedure don’t stop at fat removal, either, as the laser fiber also stimulates collagen production. Increased collagen will tighten the skin over several months, reducing loose skin like a surgical lift. The laser also helps to cauterize the incision and coagulate blood to speed up the recovery process. You will heal quickly without the pain, bruising, or bleeding associated with traditional liposuction.
Where Can the Procedure Be Used?
Laser-assisted liposuction can help you remove inches of fat from your waist, abdominal area, flanks, and back. You can also treat submental fat deposited along the neck and chin that forms a “double chin.” This procedure can thin areas of your arms and thighs where fat is deposited, helping you achieve a lean and healthy body shape. The laser tightens the skin so you won’t have sagging or loose skin after the fat is removed.
Who Is a Good Candidate?
You are likely an ideal candidate if you are in good health and looking to remove stubborn deposits of fat from your body without diet and exercise. Men and women can benefit from the procedure, regardless of their age or skin tone. Compared to traditional liposuction, recovery time after the procedure is greatly reduced, and you may be able to return to work and activities the same day. Your skin will continue to tighten for several months after the procedure thanks to the laser.
The procedure is most effective for treating small deposits of fat, and treatment can be quick and simple if you have a low BMI, or body mass index. If you have a higher BMI, you may need some traditional liposuction under a general anesthetic before your laser lipolysis procedure. Mothers who have recently gone through childbirth are some of our more common patients, but if you plan to undergo laser lipolysis after pregnancy, you should wait at least six months after giving birth so your body can naturally stabilize. If you are still pregnant or nursing, we do not recommend the procedure.
How to Prepare for Your First Session
Before your first Smart Lipo session, you will have a consultation. During our consultation, we will determine if the procedure will be safe and provide you with maximum benefits. We will identify any medical conditions that could interfere in the safety of your procedure by asking you questions about your medical history. This may include recent surgeries, pre-existing conditions, and allergies. We may ask you questions about your lifestyle, like whether you smoke or take medications. If you have recently lost weight or gained weight, let us know during your consultation.
From the consultation, we will get a good idea of your medical history and help you have realistic expectations, including expected results, time frame, and recovery. Before your first session, you should eat well and avoid blood-thinning medications. Light exercise before your procedure is also helpful. If you can lose weight before the procedure, it will improve your results, but it is not necessary. If your BMI is higher than average, you may need to undergo traditional liposuction first.
Safety
Laser-assisted liposuction is a safe procedure using an FDA-approved device. The procedure has been used to satisfy patients for years, leaving them with great results and much less recovery time. The entire procedure is completed in our Santa Monica office, and you will not need to undergo hospitalization or overnight recovery.
During the procedure, fat is liquified before it is removed, so there is no physical trauma when removing the fat. You will not likely see bruising or bleeding after the treatment. The incision and cannula are smaller than what you would need for traditional liposuction, so even sensitive areas can be treated.
Key Benefits
The main reason for choosing Smart Lipo is also the main benefit: this procedure reduces fat from your body without exercise and dieting. It also has a reduced recovery time that can be immediate for many patients. You will not need a general anesthetic, pain medication, or days of bed rest. You will also have minimal damage to the tissue and skin thanks to the small needle used to perform the procedure.
If you do not have time to recover, or cannot afford to miss days of work after a liposuction procedure, laser-assisted liposuction is a good alternative. You will quickly notice your results after the procedure, while other body contouring treatments may require months before you reach your desired body shape.
Skin tightening can be a secondary benefit of the procedure. The laser fiber speeds up the healing process and creates collagen that will tighten the skin. After a traditional liposuction treatment, you would need a surgical lift procedure to tighten the loose skin, but with laser-assisted liposuction, loose skin is less of a worry. Your skin’s tightness will improve for several months following the procedure.
How Long Does the Procedure Take?
Laser lipolysis can take 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the amount of fat you want to be removed. During your consultation, we can give you an estimate of how long the procedure will take. You will experience minimal pain and may feel like you just went through a vigorous workout after the procedure. You will not need much time to recover and should be back on your feet immediately.
You will typically see results fat reduction results in a week and the results may improve for three to nine months following the procedure. Your skin will tighten after the procedure for up to six months as well, which helps to reduce any skin laxity without a surgical procedure like the tummy tuck. Some patients need a dressing for additional support and typically wear it for around two to eight weeks. In most cases, you will not need a dressing after the procedure.
What Will You Need to Do After the Procedure?
After the procedure, you will not have a complicated list of instructions to follow and can go about your daily life with minimal changes. Pain medication is generally not needed after Smart Lipo, and you will need little more than a day of rest before you are fully healed. You should maintain light exercise and proper diet after the procedure and should be able to resume an active lifestyle after one week. You should avoid pain killers that thin the blood, like aspirin and ibuprofen, after the procedure. Acetaminophen-based pain relievers like Tylenol are fine to take.
Are the Results Permanent?
The fat that is removed from the body during the procedure is permanently eliminated, resulting in permanent fat reduction. You should still maintain a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise after the procedure to enjoy lasting benefits. Other areas of the body can still become fat after the procedure, but since you will have fewer fat cells in the treated area, it is less likely that fat will be deposited there.
The tightening of the skin from the laser is long-lasting in many patients but depends on your skin condition. The laser rebuilds the skin’s elasticity by producing extra collagen, but this process only lasts about three to six months. After the collagen production slows down, the skin will age and become lax naturally once again.
What Makes Smart Lipo More Effective Than Traditional Liposuction?
Smart Lipo will give you comparable fat reduction results when compared to traditional liposuction, but laser-assisted liposuction also has many advantages. The procedure will cost less, and you will miss fewer days of work. You can treat more areas of the body with laser-assisted liposuction and remove small deposits of fat that are difficult to remove using traditional methods.
You can get back to your normal routine the same day or after only one or two days of rest. Laser-assisted liposuction can reduce the amount of time you need to recover because of the small cannula and minor incision needed. Laser lipolysis is minimally invasive and requires no general anesthetic or prescription medications.
The laser also helps coagulate the blood to speed up healing time. In addition to comparable fat reduction results, you will have the added benefit of increased skin elasticity and tightness without costly surgery. The laser fiber rejuvenates skin in the treated area, so it will not be loose or saggy after we remove the fat.
How Much Will It Cost?
Liposuction is an elective cosmetic surgery that is not typically covered by health insurance providers. For more information on the treatments that your health insurance plan covers, contact your provider. The procedure is affordable when compared to liposuction and surgical procedures, and it can also be more affordable than other body contouring treatments. The prices range because everyone’s experience is different. For your customized plan and an accurate price range, contact Grossman Dermatology for more information.
Discover Powerful Fat Reduction
If you are ready to discover the power of fat reduction with laser-assisted liposuction, Grossman Dermatology for an initial consultation today. The procedure will give you effective and permanent weight loss results and helps you heal more quickly and tighten your skin at the same time.
