Keeping fit, healthy and with a slim waistline is a goal for many women. But for some, regardless of how nutritious their diet is or how many miles they run on the treadmill, they struggle to shift that unsightly tummy roll or prevent the weight gain on their hips. Sound familiar? It’s often after dieting and demanding exercise regimes, women explore cosmetic surgery options to remove the excess fat and contour their body shape.
According to Cosmos Clinic, two of the most popular body fat removal and body sculpting procedures available are Traditional Liposuction and Vaser Liposuction. Here, we take a look at the differences between the cosmetic surgeries to help you decide if one could be the way to enhance your physical appearance and address those problem areas.
The Traditional Liposuction procedure
The Traditional Liposuction procedure has been a popular surgical method from the early 1980s due to its ability to remove large amounts of excess fat from numerous areas of the body all in one treatment. It uses a basic method of fat removal whereby a hollow cannula is inserted under the skin and a high-pressure suction device, known as an aspirator, removes the excess fat cells.
If you were to undergo Traditional Liposuction, your cosmetic or plastic surgeon will mark up the treatment areas on your skin before you’ll be given a general anesthetic. Incisions in the skin will be made in discrete areas to allow for the cannula and aspirator to enter. Using back and forth motions, the surgeon will dislodge the unwanted fat cells before removing them with the suction technology.
After the surgery, you’ll begin the recovery period where you’ll be fitted with a compression garment to help enhance the body contouring results and minimise the swelling. You’ll be advised to avoid strenuous exercise for a period of up to 8 weeks and can expect some bruising and swelling to persist for up to 5 months.
Traditional Liposuction is an effective method to remove stubborn fat, however, over the years the procedure has been refined. The traditional approach can be time-consuming, it’s also physically demanding for the surgeons and the overall body contouring results often lack precision with visible irregularities common. The manipulation techniques often lead to trauma to the surrounding tissues, increasing the risks and the recovery time.
Over time, different anaesthetic options were introduced, the fat removal technologies were improved and a gentler approach was developed. Enter Vaser Liposuction.
Vaser Liposuction Procedure
Vaser Liposuction is an advancement of Traditional Liposuction and provides patients with a more precise and safer fat removal option.
Vaser stands for Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Resonance. The procedure uses ultrasound technology to liquefy and melt the excess fat deposits before being removed through a suction method. You can liken it to melting a block of butter. This improved approach meant the surgeons could take a gentler approach to remove the fat and reduce the risk of damage to surrounding tissues. Not only could more fat be removed, but the technology also offered for small areas of fat such as that around the neck could be treated.
What’s more, the accuracy of fat removal was improved and more precise, smoother body contouring could be achieved. No longer are patients seeing irregularities like lumpiness under the skin and the natural curves of their shape can be enhanced further than what was previously possible. Depending on the quality of the skin prior to treatment, Vaser Liposuction encourages skin tightening due to its ability to stimulate collagen production.
The result of this advanced approach meant it can be performed under twilight sedation, reducing the side effects associated with general anesthesia and reducing the downtime required to heal.
As Traditional Liposuction, you’ll be required to wear a compression garment to aid the healing process. Most people return to work 2 to 5 days after the procedure, experiencing only mild discomfort and minimal bruising around the treatment areas. You’ll be required to attend follow-up lymphatic massages for the two weeks post-treatment.
Which is better? Traditional or Vaser Liposuction?
Vaser Liposuction is an improved method of surgical fat removal with some cosmetic and plastic surgeons considering it the gold standard treatment and no longer offering Traditional Liposuction.
With reduced risks, shortened recovery time and arguably more superior results, it’s no wonder Vaser Liposuction has become a preferred option for many to address excess fat that doesn’t shift with a healthy diet and exercise.
What is important to keep in mind, is that the final results of liposuction often has little to do with how much fat is removed. How much fat is left behind and the elasticity of your skin is important for optimal body contouring. Choosing an experienced cosmetic or plastic surgeon becomes more important than the actual treatment itself.
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