Advantages & Disadvantages of SmartLipo Over Liposuction


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Advantages of SmartLipo over Liposuction?

  • No general anaesthetic is required
  • SmartLipo is much faster with an average time around 30-45 minutes for the procedure and does not require an overnight stay at a clinic. You may even be back at work the next day dependent upon your type of work and the area of your body that has received the procedure.
  • minimal scarring or no scarring at all occurs. Stiches aren't used due the small size of the cannula, the incisions are left open to drain away fluid and cannula are often inserted in skin folds or creases so that if there is scarring it is hidden
  • less bleeding occurs during SmartLipo and results with less bruising and discomfort following the procedure. Generally, there have been no significant clinical side effects reported unlike standard liposuction where side effects may occur and there is a longer recover time
  • the small size of the cannula also means that it is moved to different areas easily by the surgeon and can be moved closer to skin without disrupting non-target tissues such as the skin layers. Consequently, comparatively less swelling is reported using SmartLipo compared to traditional liposuction
  • the liquefied fat does not have to be suctioned away and this reduces trauma to the tissues resulting in quick recovery and less swelling and bruising post operatively. A clinical trial showed that the reduction of fat and skin tightening induced by SmartLipo was just the same when fat was not suctioned compared to when fat was suctioned away.
  • liposuction has been shown to leave you with loose sagging skin after large amounts of fat removal. SmartLipo may also tighten the skin and less sagging is noticeable after the procedure. However, if SmartLipo is used together with traditional liposuction studies have reported that skin tightening is improved by 57%

Disadvantages of SmartLipo over Liposuction

  • The major disadvantage of SmartLipo is that large areas of fat aren't removed compared to traditional liposuction. Therefore you won't see a huge weight loss after SmartLipo.
  • There is a newer technique emerging called VASER lipo, than can remove more fat than SmartLipo. VASER lipo uses ultrasound instead of laser lipolysis and is reportedly even faster than SmartLipo. However this procedure requires stitching of the insertions after the cannulae are removed and may be a more expensive option with prices starting from £2600 in 2012 in the UK.

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