What Is Laser Lipolysis?
Laser lipolysis is a non-invasive form of body sculpting. It removes small fat deposits. Like surgical liposuction, this procedure permanently removes fat cells from your body. It’s much less painful, though, and laser lipolysis recovery is also shorter and less complicated. It also comes with a lower risk of loose skin afterward.
Laser lipolysis differs from traditional liposuction, which is considered major surgery and requires general anesthesia (the patient is put into a sleep during the procedure). With surgical lipo, the surgeon inserts instruments into a layer of fat and uses a tube to break up fat cells and suction them out. Recovery can take months.
How Is Laser Lipolysis Done?
Laser lipolysis can be done in the doctor’s office. It takes about half an hour, and you can return to normal activity right away. There is no anesthesia involved.
To do the laser “lipo,” your doctor attaches paddle-like applicators to the area to be treated. The paddles emit heat that penetrates your skin and heats up the fat cells underneath. The heat damages the membranes of the fat cells, so they start to die off. Your body then absorbs the dead cells.
It takes time — about six weeks — to see the final results of the treatment. After that, you should have noticeable sculpting in the area that was treated. Some people need more than one treatment for optimal results.