Question:

I keep hearing about new liposuction procedures performed with the use of lasers.  What is the benefit of this or is laser liposuction a good alternative to traditional liposuction?  How is an endoscopic tummy tuck performed?  Is it less invasive than a regular tummy tuck and who would be a good candidate? 

Answer:

These are several questions and I will address them each one at a time. 

In regard to liposuction procedures using lasers, the answer is there are potential advantages to this procedure.  The use of a laser to melt the fat is only one aspect of the advantage.  You can remove fat without lasers; however, adding a laser adds a certain amount of efficiency to the process.  The main advantage, however, of laser liposuction lies in the heating of the under surfaces of the skin to improve the amount of skin retraction that occurs naturally.  Without lasers the skin will contract but there is a limitation.  Laser liposuction increases the ability of the skin to contract, although there still are limitations. 

An endoscopic tummy tuck is performed through small incisions in the skin where an endoscope or a camera is placed subcutaneously to view the tissue underneath.  The underlying muscles are strengthened through these small incisions, which heal very quickly.  The advantage of endoscopic tummy tuck is that there is minimal scarring.  The patient who is a good candidate for this is someone who does not have a lot of excess skin.  If you have a lot of excess skin, an endoscopic tummy tuck will not be the best procedure. 

Posted by:  Dr. Siporin