Liposuction - A Short History of Fat Removal

We tend to think of liposuction and high-tech variations like Vaser Lipo and Smart Lipo as mere modern discoveries in the field of cosmetic surgery. This may be true, but the concept of removing fat from the body is not new. In fact, the choice of fat removal surgery has been practiced since the nineteenth century, most commonly in the form of stomach tuck. The concept is a very simple one - the skin is cut, the fat is removed and the skin is repositioned on the incised side. Belly tuck is a popular and popular cosmetic surgery procedure that tightens muscles and abdominal muscles that have been stretched beyond their capacity to return to normal, due to weight gain, weight loss or pregnancy. The advantage of the stomach tuck over traditional liposuction and newer variants like Vaser Lipo is that a much larger amount of fat can be released this way and it's easy for the surgeon to see what he's doing. Simultaneous skin tightening is achieved by removing any loose skin and a very effective immediate solution is achieved. However, the drawback when compared to traditional liposuction or advanced techniques such as Vaser Lipo is that abdominal tuck is performed under general anesthesia and rest periods, recovery and healing are required. There is potential for infection and there is a very significant scar that may remain.

As an alternative to drastic measures for fat removal, the first liposuction procedure was performed in the early 1980s. With liposuction, a small incision is made into the skin and the fat is inhaled with special tools. However, the downside to this method is that traditional liposuction can produce deep fat but not superficial fat, due to the risk of excessive bleeding and damage to the skin.

In the 1990s, researchers developed methods to address superficial fat that traditional liposuction could not remove. Different techniques are used, including heating the surface of the skin in an attempt to emulsify the superficial fats below. Various forms of energy are also being tried, such as ultrasounds, lasers and radio frequencies. Unfortunately, the method of fat reduction is unsatisfactory due to the fact that the more energy consumed under the skin, the greater the risk of damaging or burning the skin.

In 2000, Smart Lipo was created. With this liposuction method, a small incision is made under the local anesthetic, where the fat is emitted using a laser. The fat cells break down, the fat melts and the cells are released by the body. Early machines proved to be effective in dealing with small areas of fat, but not so well where larger areas were treated. In 2008, more powerful machines with multiple lasers were used to allow larger areas of fat to be treated. About the same time Vaser Lipo was created and this technique uses ultrasound energy focused on emulsifying fat cells. Vaser Lipo has been found to be extremely safe as it has no effect on the veins, nerves or tissues around it. The result is faster healing and smoother results.

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