If you have ever heard of Smart Lipo or Laser Lipo, you may well wonder what exactly that means. “Smart liposuction uses laser to melt the fat in the body. Some individuals feel it tightens their skin a little as well,” explained Dr. Popp.
But he said that’s probably more gimmick than reality and that key words like “laser” are often put in front of things to make them sound better.
Laser Lipo may sound like it should be better than regular liposuction but that’s not the case.
“It isn’t bad to do it. I wouldn’t advise against it but you aren’t going to get better results than you would with regular liposuction,” said Dr. Popp.
Dr. Popp encourages those who question whether Smart Lipo might just be better than regular liposuction to ask their doctor to produce data that supports the claim. He said that data is just not out there.
He said it’s like so many things where business people just want to beat their competitors so they choose a term like “laser” to sell their product.
Dr. Popp said if a new procedure is poised to replace an existing one, it should do at least two of four things. It should be safer, faster, cheaper and give you better results.
The Reality Check
- Laser is more dangerous because you can burn through skin.
- You have to melt the fat first before it’s sucked out so it actually takes longer.
- Laser devices are hugely expensive, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy.
- Recovery is no faster and results no different than with regular liposuction.
“That’s fine if that’s the way you want to go but the service is promoted in a deceiving way, making people think it’s better than regular liposuction and it really isn’t,” said Dr. Popp.
