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The Technology

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Smart lipo laser technologies were developed in Europe and approved by the FDA in the United States in November of 2006. At this time, laser lipolysis became the cutting edge liposuction method for patients desiring precise, high-definition sculpting. By using the most technologically sophisticated tools in the cosmetic surgery industry today, Smart lipo has been able to provide patients with a safe and effective means of achieving a contoured.

Smart lipo is manufactured by Cynosure and utilizes medical-grade lasers to create a light beam powerful enough to rupture fat cells and then melt the fat without traumatizing nearby blood vessels, nerves, and other soft tissues. The laser functions at a specific frequency to produce the desired effects on the body. The sophisticated laser technologies are able to keep bleeding, swelling, and bruising to a minimum.

Laser Liposuction

Laser Liposuction

Laser lipolysis is a high-tech liposuction method that produces results superior to what’s possible using traditional liposuction techniques. Lasers are precise and safe, doing their work by emitting a powerful beam of light at fat cells, liquefying them before they are removed from the targeted area.

Liquefied fat cells can be suctioned out of the body using a cannula (hollow tube) with a tiny diameter. "The small size of the cannula, using during Smart lipo, means that no scars are left behind by the procedure, making it popular with both patients and surgeons" - said Dr. Payne founder of Texas Liposuction Specialty Clinic.

One of the major benefits of Smart lipo is that use of lasers help tighten up the skin tissues in the areas being treated. Loose, sagging skin can create bad results after liposuction surgery, but lasers can be used to help increase the elasticity of dermal tissues. At the end of the a Smart lipo procedure, the doctor points the laser beams at the skin tissues to encourage the development of renewed and healthy collagen. The skin tightens up in the weeks following the procedure, translating into a smooth, sculpted body contour.

Cost Calculator

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Are you a candidate?

Smart lipo patients

Good candidates should be non-smokers, in good general health and should be close to their ideal weight before the procedure.

Because liposuction is not for weight loss, patients should be seeking out the procedure to sculpt and contour the body, not to lose pounds. However, some areas of the body are particularly prone to storing fat and even dedicated diet and exercise programs may fail to get rid of these fatty deposits. Patients who would like to get rid of these deposits might be good candidates for Smart lipo.

More than one area of the body can be targeted during a single Smart lipo procedure. Laser lipolysis is appropriate for a variety of different areas of the body. If you’re interested in having more than one area treated, talk with your plastic surgeon.

The 10 Steps of Smart lipo

10 steps

1. Research

You’ll begin your Smart lipo journey by doing research to find a liposuction specialist in your city/area (NY, CO, GA, FL, etc), for example if you search liposuction Tampa - you will find Dr. Bassin a Smart Lipo Specialist in Tampa Florida. Each specialist will vary in terms of their experience performing liposuction surgery using Smart lipo. It’s important to look carefully at each plastic surgeons’ credentials. Find a surgeon you can trust by consulting with friends or family members and by doing research online. Once you’ve narrowed the search down to two or three board certified surgeons, it’s time to move on to Step 2.

10 steps

2. Schedule

Once you have your short list of board certified plastic surgeons who have a positive reputation for excellent results it’s time to schedule a consultation in their specialty clinic with each one of them to discuss your goals, options, surgical risks and benefits, and the costs involved with the procedure. During the consultation, you’ll learn more about how Smart lipo can help you achieve your goals, but you’ll also develop an opinion about which surgeon seems like the best choice for you. Choose a qualified surgeon who can best understand your goals. Then, you’re ready to move on to Step 3.

10 steps

3. Book

After your initial consultations with plastic surgeons in your area, it’s time to decide which one will perform your surgery. Schedule the surgery with the doctor of your choosing at a time when you can take an appropriate amount of time off from work for recovery.

10 steps

4. Bloodwork

When you book your appointment for surgery, the surgeon’s office will set up a time for you to get bloodwork done prior to the procedure. Follow the doctor’s instructions regarding lifestyle changes before the procedure such as getting enough exercise, eating healthy, limiting alcohol intake, or quitting smoking.

10 steps

5. Supplies

Before surgery, your doctor will prescribe different medications for use after the procedure. It’s likely that your plastic surgeon will prescribe both an antibiotic to prevent infection as well as a pain-killer for use during the first 24 to 48 hours following surgery. Get these prescriptions filled before your surgery date to make the recovery process easier. Ask your doctor if you’ll need other supplies following surgery and obtain those beforehand as well.

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6. Company

You’ll need to have a friend or family member drive you home after surgery. Bring someone you trust with you to help you get home and to take care of you for the first 24 hours after surgery.

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7. Rest

One of the most important things you can do after Smart lipo surgery to guarantee excellent results is rest. Over the first 48 hours, get plenty of sleep to encourage rapid healing.

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8. Light Exercise

After the first 48 hours of rest and subsequent healing, it’s important that you get some exercise every day to get the blood moving in your body. Do 1-2 miles/day of very light walking daily to ensure that the surgically altered tissues get plenty of blood-flow oxygen. Exercise will help your tissues spring back into position, it will lift your mood, and it will diminish discomfort throughout the body.

10 steps

9. Normal Exercise

Three weeks after surgery, you can go back to your normal exercise routine with your doctor’s permission.

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10. Photos

Three months after surgery, you’ll need to go back to the doctor for a follow-up appointment. At this appointment, your doctor will evaluate your progress toward healing and take post-operative photos so that you can see the dramatic results!

Planning and Consultation

Develop Realistic Expectations

You may have been considering Smart lipo for quite some time. Or, the idea may be completely new to you. Either way, there are certain steps involved in the process if you’re actually planning to go ahead with the procedure. First and foremost, you need to consider your own goals. What do you hope to accomplish through Smart lipo?

Having realistic expectations about the procedure is important. If your expectations are too high, you might be disappointed by the final results. Rather than put yourself through that sort of discouragement, it can pay to do some research on Smart lipo and look carefully at before-and-after photos of other patients who have had Liposuction done. By working hard to develop realistic expectations about what this procedure can and cannot do, you will be better equipped emotionally to deal with the surgery and you’ll be more likely to appreciate your final results.

Set up a few Initial Consultations

Of course, once you’ve got a better idea of what you hope to accomplish through Liposuction, you need to contact a surgeon and set up an initial consultation. The initial consultation is an important first meeting that gives the doctor and patient an opportunity to get to know each other better. It is wise to set up an initial consultation with several surgeons and then decide which one fits your needs best. Get several opinions regarding the best treatment for your situation and then decide which one makes sense to you. Numerous consultations with medical professionals will help you take a better decision.

Choosing the Right Surgeon for You

After you’ve tracked down several Smart lipo surgeons in your area, you can begin the process of narrowing down your options. Set up an initial consultation with the surgeons the area to find out which ones appeal to you the most. Make a list of questions to ask all of the prospective surgeons. This can help make the narrowing-down process simpler.

Choosing the right surgeon is one of the most important tasks that you’ll do in the Liposuction preparation process. A highly skilled, qualified, and experienced surgeon can ensure excellent results from the procedure. Though these professionals may charge more for their services, the extra cost is worth the while.

How does Smart lipo Work?

Smart lipo utilizes medical-grade lasers to create a light beam, powerful enough to rupture fat cells and then melt the fat without traumatizing the surrounding blood vessels, nerves, and other soft tissues.

As a form of Laser Liposuction, the principle behind Smart lipo is to melt the fat by the use of thermal and photomechanical effects. The laser probe works at different wavelengths (depending of the Smart lipo Machine). The combination of wavelengths is the key in liquefying the fat cells, help in coagulation, and promoting the posterior skin tightening. Bruising and blood vessel destruction is kept to a minimum.

Laser Liposuction Wavelengths

The combination of laser wavelengths is determined according to the objectives planed by the surgeon. A combination of (1064 nm) and  (1440 nm) laser light wavelengths is used to disrupt the adipose tissue (fat cells) with a minimal recovery time in mind. Another application is the simultaneous use of the 1064nm and the 1320nm wavelengths. This wavelength combination aids in the coagulation process and later tissue tightening.

Many surgeons recur to tumescent anesthesia. This provides them with an advantage later when performing the fat melting and its posterior extraction (suction). The tumescent swells the fat cells, facilitating the intervention. 

One of the major advantages is the disruption of fat cells with a microscopic cannula, which translates into minimal invasion, tinny incisions and almost not visible scars.

The liquefied fat cells are then extracted with the cannula using a mild suction. The extracted fat flows through a plastic hose and is captured in a plastic container.  The surgeon can estimate how much volume of fat has been extracted in (milliliters).