Liposuction continues to be one of the world’s most popular cosmetic procedures. VASER Lipo vs Lipo is a common question. Which is better? In the United States alone, liposuction is among the top five cosmetic procedures, along with facelifts, breast augmentation, nose surgery, and eyelid surgery.
The doctor orders liposuction when you have stubborn pockets of fat that do not respond to diet and exercise. With a single liposuction procedure, your favorite body parts become slimmer and more proportional to the rest of your body.
It is not well-known that there are different types of liposuction. This post is about one of the most advanced forms of lipo called VASER.
The term VASER stands for Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Resonance. Put simply, the technique involves using sound energy to break up stubborn fat. The results leave the body slimmer and the skin tighter.
To understand why VASER is the bee’s knees, it helps to learn more about traditional liposuction so that you can determine how the two forms are different. Once you see that VASER can give you everything you want for your aging body, you’ll soon be clamoring to schedule an appointment for this amazing aesthetic technique.
Here is all you need to know about VASER liposuction, one of the most technologically advanced cosmetic procedures on the market.
What Makes VASER lipo vs Lipo Important?
VASER liposuction was developed by Doctor Alfredo Hoyos from Bogota, Columbia who sought a way to improve body contouring based on traditional liposuction techniques. Few people know that traditional liposuction has been in use since the mid-70s. Doctor Hoyos expanded on the technology. VASER has been employed on cosmetic surgery patients for around 15 years but is only now gaining worldwide popularity.
VASER is a type of liposuction that is performed under general anesthesia. The procedure takes around two hours, depending on the size of the treatment area. Like traditional liposuction, the procedure removes unwanted fat from the body.
The most common areas for VASER to be performed include the neck and chin, the underside of the arms, chest, back, flanks, buttocks, hips, tummy, thighs, knees, and ankles.
Before the procedure, the cosmetic surgeon marks the treatment areas of your body with a marker. These lines indicate where the technique will be employed. You will then be seen by an anesthetist, who will discuss the type of anesthesia to be used. In most cases, you will be placed under general anesthesia. However, local anesthetic and mild sedation are sometimes employed for smaller areas.
During the procedure, a tumescent saline solution is inserted under the skin through a tiny incision. The solution serves three primary purposes. The first is that it numbs the area. The second is that it prevents excess bleeding. The third reason for the solution is to break down fat cells for easier removal.
Once the solution has performed the necessary tasks, a small probe is inserted into the incision. The probe emits ultrasound waves that break down and further liquify fat cells. The liquified fat is then gently sucked out using a small needle.
Traditional Lipo vs VASER – What’s the Difference?
If you are familiar with traditional liposuction, you may think that both techniques sound oddly similar. You would be correct. However, there are distinct differences that make VASER highly sought after for those who would otherwise choose traditional liposuction for a slimmed-down makeover.
Removes Stubborn Fat with Less Effort
This may not be a selling point for you, but VASER liposuction is much easier on the cosmetic surgeon. Traditional liposuction also involves a tumescent fluid for the same purposes. Unlike VASER, instead of a probe being inserted into the tiny incision, a cannula is inserted.
A cannula is a thin metal rod. This rod is connected to a vacuum suction device. Even though the tumescent fluid helps to break up fat somewhat, thick clumps of fat will still remain. The cannula is used during traditional liposuction to break up fat further before it can be removed. The cosmetic surgeon must move the cannula back and forth vigorously to accomplish this. This back-and-forth motion liquifies the fat that clings to the inner surface of the skin. Imagine a can of Crisco and the butter knife you might use to scoop the fat from the sides. The cannula is used kind of like that. This is tough on the cosmetic surgeon.
With VASER, ultrasound energy does the work of breaking down the fat. This makes the cosmetic surgeon much less fatigued, which is also safer for the patient.
Less Blood Loss and Bruising
Speaking of safety, VASER liposuction is considered safer than traditional lipo. All that vigorous movement with the cannula can be tough on the body. If you have ever seen video of liposuction being employed, you may notice that the body appears battered and bruised. This is normal. All of those bruises will heal in time after the surgery is completed. But the back and forth motion is necessary if the cosmetic surgeon wants to rid the treatment area of all the stubborn fat.
VASER liposuction uses sound energy instead of a vigorous back and forth motion. That means the body ends up less bruised. There is also less bleeding overall. Because of this, you are likely to feel less pain and discomfort once you wake up from general anesthesia.
VASER Liposuction Offers Faster Recovery
All that back and forth activity can leave your body feeling sore following traditional liposuction. Because of this, it may take a while before you can return to your everyday activities. You may be able to return to work in a few days, but it can take up to six weeks before you are back to your normal routine, including exercise.
With VASER lipo, you will be back to work in a couple of days. You can then be back to your normal routine within one week. Of course, recovery depends on the person. If you are a fast healer in general, you could be back to exercising within a week to a week and a half. Slow healers may require a couple of weeks before they can hit the gym and return to their usual day-to-days. Still, you will heal faster from VASER than you will from traditional liposuction, which is one of the biggest selling points for this modern wonder of cosmetic surgery technology.
Improves Skin Quality and Boosts Skin Tone
Traditional liposuction is used only for fat removal. The technique should not be thought of as a fat loss method, per se. However, if you have stubborn pockets of fat, even large ones, traditional liposuction is the method to choose.
The technique’s effect on the skinAnother factor that makes VASER liposuction superior to traditional liposuction. VASER removes stubborn fat and improves the quality and tightness of the skin. This only occurs if you already have good skin elasticity to begin with. If you have too much excess skin or lax skin, VASER won’t make much of a difference.
But if you have a slight amount of skin laxity, VASER can tighten up the treatment area. Losing fat and having tighter skin can give you improved skin tone. This is one of the reasons body builders and fitness enthusiasts love VASER. They not only get slimmer, but they get tighter skin, which allows their muscles to show through much better.
VASER is More Precise Than Trad Lipo
Traditional liposuction is better than VASER for removing large pockets of fat. That is, VASER cannot remove as much fat as traditional lipo. However, when placed in the hands of a skilled cosmetic surgeon, VASER allows for superior body contouring.
You may be wondering how removing less fat can contour a body better. Well, VASER is much better at etching out areas of the body around the musculature. VASER works on the superficial levels of fat that exist just below the layers of skin. With VASER, the body’s musculature can show more clearly once the swelling after the procedure has subsided. In fact VASER is commonly used on the abdomen to reveal six pack abdominal muscles during a procedure called abdominal etching or ab etching.
Read our article: Tips for Maintaining Your Liposuction Results
VASER is Better for Fat Harvesting
Liposuction is often paired with other procedures. For example, if you have excess hanging skin on your abdomen, we’ve already mentioned that traditional liposuction won’t do much for you. You can have the fat removed but that excess skin is likely to remain. For this reason, many patients choose to pair traditional liposuction with tummy tuck surgery. That way, they get a slimmer midsection and a taught tummy to boot.
Another common procedure that is paired with liposuction is fat grafting. Fat that is removed from one area of the body is subsequently injected into another area for a volume expansion. Common areas for fat grafting (also referred to as the fat transfer technique) include the breasts and buttocks.
Fat Grafting for Breast Augmentation
Most people are familiar with breast implants that improve the size and shape of a woman’s breasts. Fat grafting can be used alongside breast implants or by itself to increase the size of the breasts for natural-looking results. Breasts are mostly comprised of fat anyway. By introducing your own fatty tissue to the breasts, you get results that appear as though nature gave them to you. You’re also not going to suffer from an allergic reaction as you might with artificial fillers.
Fat Grafting for Brazilian butt lift
The Brazilian butt lift is another common technique that uses your own fat to expand the projection and volume of your buttocks. The fat is first sterilized before the fatty tissue is then injected strategically around your backside for greater emphasis. You can get a subtle boost or a major boost, depending on your preferences.
It turns out that VASER liposuction is superior than traditional lipo when it comes to harvesting the fat for the fat transfer technique. The cosmetic surgeon is able to use twice the amount of collected fat when using VASER when compared to the traditional method. This is useful because some of the fat that is injected will be absorbed by your body. This is normal and happens with every fat transfer operation. The more fat that is harvested, the more likely you are to obtain the expected results. That makes VASER the superior type of liposuction to undergo if you want clean and harvestable fat for fat grafting to another area of your body.
How Much is VASER Liposuction Compared to Traditional Liposuction?
Traditional liposuction comes with an average fee of around $3,600. The fee you pay will depend on the size of the treatment area.
VASER liposuction is slightly more expensive because of the extra technology being employed. VASER costs around $7,828 on average.
Insurance does not cover cosmetic procedures that are used solely for aesthetic improvement, which includes liposuction. Most cosmetic specialists have information in their offices related to medical financing programs. Take advantage of these programs if you can’t afford to pay for VASER out of pocket and want the procedure now with an extended repayment plan.
Now That You Know More About VASER Liposuction, Book an Appointment Today
Bob Hope hilariously once said, “The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.” How true!
VASER liposuction offers a safe and precise way to lose stubborn fat, regardless of your age. Older folks can regain some of their lost youth thanks to VASER’s ability to remove fat and tighten the skin.
Younger folks in their twenties and thirties can improve their bodies by allowing their musculature to show through after the fat has been suctioned away.
Want to learn more? Call Moein Surgical Arts to schedule a consultation with world-renowned cosmetic surgeon Doctor Babak Moein. You can undergo VASER by itself or pair it with another procedure for body contouring with dramatic results. Book your appointment today by dialing (310)694-4486.
