Laser Liposuction May Speed Process, Cause Less Pain

Laser-assisted liposuction--under study at two Los Angeles sites and three others nationwide--won’t make ugly fat disappear in a blinding nanosecond.

But the laser might make it possible to remove more fat in a single session--among other advantages, says Dr. Sheldon Rosenthal, one of the researchers.

Rosenthal, an Encino plastic and reconstructive surgeon, has also discovered other benefits to this approach.

“Patients . . . seem to recover faster, have less pain and discomfort and are a little less black and blue,” says Rosenthal, who will present his results on 20 patients at a professional meeting in early August.

Blood loss--usually moderate in liposuction--also appears to be further reduced with laser-assisted liposuction, Rosenthal says.

“The laser seems to work very well on thighs and tummies and on the breasts of men with gynecomastia (enlargement of the breasts),” Rosenthal says. “It takes out more fibrous fat easier than the regular liposuction.”

According to Rosenthal, “Fat comes out in liquid form (during laser-assisted liposuction) versus in chunks in traditional liposuction.”

In traditional liposuction, a hollow tube called a cannula is hooked up to a suctioning vacuum and fat is pulled out. In the laser-assisted procedure, the setup is nearly the same, except there is an opening at the end of the cannula handle for a fiber to deliver the energy from the nearby laser, explains Dr. Thomas Dressel, a Minneapolis plastic and reconstructive surgeon who developed the laser cannula but is not involved in the study.

The laser--called a YAG for its components--yttrium, aluminum and garnet--is not inside the cannula, he says. “As the fat is pulled in (to the cannula), the laser fires across the fat and shears it,” Dressel says. There is a “2 1/2-fold increase” in the rate of fat removal compared to traditional liposuction, he says.

About 100,000 liposuction procedures are performed yearly in the United States, according to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. The most popular areas are thighs and hips, abdomen, face and neck.

Critics complain that the laser approach does not result in much improvement and will probably increase cost. Some say the laser technique also increases the risk of nerve damage. It will probably add $100 or so to the cost, according to Dressel, who says he has not found nerve damage to be a problem with laser use.

Approval of the new technique might come later this year from the Food and Drug Administration, Dressel says.