What are the advantages over LIPOSUCTION ?
Smartlipo is a minimally invasive procedure. With liposuction traditionally you need a general anaesthetic to put you to sleep. The nature of the technique means there is a lot of tearing of fat tissue with the risk of bleeding and subsequent considerable bruising. It also leaves a number of obvious scars. It is associated with significant post-operative pain which may last months. Compression garments need to be worn for about 6 weeks afterwards. It may result in unevenness and a lumpy texture to the remaining tissue where pockets of fat have been left. It has limited use in smaller areas e.g. upper arms, knees and face/neck. It is also considerably more expensive by 2-300% ! Its only advantage is that it can deal with much larger areas at one session.
Are there any side effects?
No, there are no important side effects. Discomfort is minimal and there is no blood loss and minimal if any bruising. Although it might be considered a side-effect, the subsequent skin tightening results from having the treatment, so a beneficial one if you like!
When will I get to see the results?
Most of the anaesthetic solution is absorbed over 72 hours and the fat that has been released, and then disperses over 4 -10 weeks. Some people witness this earlier, especially in the face with spectacular results, regaining their jaw line and more youthful facial contours within 10-28 days! Larger areas, that tend not to get as much exercise normally on a daily basis, like the abdomen, take 4-16 weeks and the skin tightening is proportionate to the skin quality and presence of any surgical scars or stretch marks, which may influence the time frame. But it is gradual and in some cases may be up to 6 months. There are patients who will need a second procedure within 6weeks to 3 months, since the area of fat to be treated is too large to deal with in one go, as there are safety protocols and procedures involved with the technique which limit the amount of anaesthetic we can safely use. THIS IS COMMON SENSE AND GOOD MEDICAL PRACTICE.
