For patients looking to remove their abdominal fats in a fast and convenient way, tummy tuck and laser liposuction are two possible considerations. However, some patients might be confused between these two procedures. Below is a guide that I have complied to help you better understand the likes and differences between tummy tuck and laser lipo.

How is laser liposuction and tummy tuck different?

• Laser lipo is good mainly for the removal for abdominal fats while tummy tuck can help to remove the excessive skin as well. For people who are overweight, recovering from pregnancy or old age tend to have the problem of excess skins that only tummy tuck can help to overcome. If you are unsure whether you have excess skins, just ask your surgeon to do an assessment.  This can be easily done by a simply pinching you skin and seeing how much the skin will recoil. The stronger the recoil effect, the more excess skin you have.
• Laser liposuction is generally a less invasive procedure when compared to tummy tuck. The latter is a full blown surgery that will result in internal bleeding and cuts which will need time for recovery. Laser lipo on the other hand only requires a smaller opening to be made in your body so that the laser device can be inserted. If you want to know how laser liposuction works, please read my post that explains what is laser lipo.
• For patients who just want to remove their excess skin, you can consider the mini tummy tuck procedure that is developed to do just that.

How is laser lipo and tummy tuck similar?

• They can both help to remove body fats from your body. While both procedures might not be similar, they do help the patient to lost their body fats.
• Prices wise, the average cost of both tummy tuck liposuction and laser lipo is around USD5,000 to USD6,000. If you want to know about pricing information, please refer to my post on laser liposuction prices.

I know that through this guide, you will know what are the main differences between tummy tuck and laser lipo.

• laser lipo vs vaser lipo procedures
• laser lipo prices vs vaser lipo prices
• laser lipo benefits vs vaser lipo benefits.

Laser lipo procedures vs vaser lipo procedure
Vaser lipo is an earlier procedure started in 1990’s by an Italian surgeon called Michele Zocch. It leverages on ultrasound technology and is frequently calleded ultrasound assisted lipo or liposuction. What it does is that after the designated areas has been injected with local anesthetic, the doctor will insert a tube like object into the body. This tube  emits ultrasonic energy which breaks up the fat, which can then be removed with traditional suction tubes. This is very effective in most areas, and is of greatest benefit in areas where the fat is very dense, such as in the chest or abdomen.

Laser lipo uses a very similar process to that of vaser lipo. The only difference is the use of laser, rather ultrasound as the means to break up the fats. The laser is emitted via  a specialised suction tube.

Laser lipo costs vs vaser lipo costs
I have written about the costs of laser lipo before since cosmetic surgery prices are one main considerations for most people. I will briefly recap here that there is a variety of factors affecting laser lipo prices including: the geography of where the operation is held, the experienced of the surgeon, the size of the area under operation etc. These same factors affect the costs of vaser lipo as well. Assuming the operation is held in the same region, with equally experienced doctors and on the same areas, which liposuction technique is more expensive?

Currently, laser lipo is more expensive because of a simple reason. Laser lipo procedure is more recent than vaser lipo and the laser technology used is much younger than the ultrasound technology. As a result, the machines used in laser lipo are more expensive and that cost will be passed down to the consumer. However, after a few years, I would expect the prices of laser lipo and vaser lipo to be about the same.

Laser lipo benefits vs vaser lipo benefits
Both laser lipo and vaser lipo are very good for specific areas that traditional liposuction cannot reached. For example, facial liposuction including the chin and the neck are difficult areas for traditional liposuction due to their small areas. Laser lipo and vaser lipo, via the control of their specific tubes are able to go into these facial areas and remove the fats accordingly.

Both laser lipo and vaser lipo have also reduced recovery time, relatively to traditional liposuction. There are however no scientific studies being done on whether there is any significant recovery time difference between the 2 techniques. Proponents of laser lipo have claimed that it is able to help the patient achieve skin tightening, although there is no scientific proof. Vaser lipo supporters on the other hand have argued that laser lipo carries the risk of damaging the nerves system due to the the additional energy being emitted. Again, there is little facts to back up their claims.

Summary
In conclusion, there seems to be no hard evidence of the benefits between laser lipo and vaser lipo. On the prices however, vaser lipo is slightly cheaper than laser lipo, although that is not saying vaser lipo itself is cheap. However, the most important factor to consider is not which technique is better. Rather, the more important factor you should consider is the experience of the surgeon, and whether liposuction is the right technique for you at all. I would think that if you have a good doctor, either vaser lipo or laser lipo would be fine.

“How much does laser lipo cost?”

“Is laser liposuction cheap?”

“What are the laser liposuction prices?”

These are all the common questions you have heard people asking with regards to the cost of laser liposuction. Many people understand the pros and cons of laser lipo but they worry about its cost. Their worry is not unfounded. The price of laser liposuction is not cheap by any means. However, they are cheaper than traditional liposuction. In this article, we will look at what are the factors that affect the costs of laser liposuction across different regions.

Right fro the beginning, you need to know that laser liposuction cost between $1,500 and $15,000. The range is wide and the varies by region, the skill and experience level of the liposuction surgeon, the type of laser used in the surgery, and the size and number of areas designated for liposuction surgery.

Regions play an important part in affecting laser liposuction costs due to the demand and supply issue. Some regions have more qualified surgeons  and more demand, causing the prices of laser lipo to be lower. Other regions have few doctors, which means that you need to pay a lot more for the same procedure. So, if you want to look for cheap laser liposuction, do a check on a region’s supply of qualified surgeons. These areas tend to be cheaper.

Another factor in determining the costs of laser liposuction is of course the experience and skill level of the surgeons. We all know that good surgeon fetch much more than newly graduated or inexperienced doctors. How much premium you want to pay for having an experienced surgeon is up to you. My advice is to go for the middle range. Don’t need to go the really famous surgeons but at least pick one that done laser liposuction a couple of times. Just ask for the record for the surgeons and you will know their experience level.

The area where you need laser assisted liposuction is also a factor in determining the price that you are going to pay. Abdomen would typically cost an average of around $3,500 to $4,500. The back will be priced at around $2,500 to $3,000. Facial laser liposuction including the chin, the neck and the face would cost around $2,500. For Knees and thighs, you would need to pay an average between  would be $2,500 to $4000.

Finally, you might want to note the pricing structure of the surgeons as this will alao have an impact on your laser liposuction cost. For example, many surgeons charge a flat rate for each area of the body, generally with a reduced rate for additional areas. So, for people looking to want laser assisted liposuction in many areas, such a pricing structure can save you more money.

(Updated: I have written a second post on laser liposuction cost)
(Updated march 2010: A new post on affordable liposuction for those looking for cheap liposuction services)

Overall, the price structure is not too different from other kinds of cosmetic surgery. For example, this site gives very good information on breast implants cost. From the figures, you can see that it is quite comparable to the cost incurred in doing laser lipo.

In summary, there is no such thing as cheap laser liposuction. However, the prices do vary quite a bit and you can save quite a substantial sum of money if you do some research, including calling the hospitals for their rates. If you do some homework, you can reduce your laser liposuction cost.

Chip liposuction techniques
The latest microcannular chin liposuction technique is good for patients as they suffer fewer side effects. Chip liposuction uses tiny skin incisions compared to the very long incisions earlier used in traditional facelift surgery. The cannula can be as small as 2mm in diameter, and is not much longer than the lead of a #2 pencil.  Such a small inclusion is not possible with previous techniques. In this procedure, no general anaesthesia is required for chin liposuction as a local anesthetic will suffice. This means patients are awake and comfortable throughout the procedure.

Chip liposuction recovery time
This laser technique can dramatically reduce tissue trauma and bleeding can be decreased by as much as 90%. Swelling and bruising are also minimal to moderate and rapidly subside after liposuction chin surgery. This is why patients can have faster recovery time. In fact, most patients can normally return to work sooner, usually within the next 2-3 days, due to a quicker recovery rate.

Chip liposuction costs
The average costs for chip liposuction is $2,500 and above. The components within the costs usually comprise of the surgeon’s professional fees, the anesthetic and anesthesiologist’s fees as well as the clinical facility lease. The first 2 type costs depends very much from doctor to doctor. The third however depends on the clinic’s the clinic’s locale and the costs of living in that area with regards to the operational costs of the facility itself.

Chip liposuction risks and complications
The risks involved with laser liposuction are extremely limited but, as with all surgical procedures, a death rate of one in five thousand still exists. Hemotoma, asymmetry, lumpiness as well as numbness are all possible as well. It should be noted that women who are pregnant and nursing should never go through with this procedure, and it is crucial that all potential patients bear in mind the fact that this is actual medical surgery.

Choosing the right surgeon
As chin liposuction is dealing with the most visual part of our appearance, our face, the slightest makeover is noticeable. Hence, picking the a reputable surgeon is important. Before the surgery, it is recommended that the patient consult a doctor. The doctor and the patient should contemplate varrious scenarios during the consultation. For example, individuals wanting a stronger profile may consider combining chin liposuction with a chin implant. All questions and concerns regarding the surgery should be addressed during the initial visit; it is the doctor’s advice that will determine if chin liposuction is in your best interest.

Benefits of laser assisted liposuction

One obvious benefit of laser liposuction is the increased rate of recovery. Patents using this technique can cut to one to two days of recovery time and decreases blood loss during the procedure. In fact, some test results have shown that after surgery, patients can leave immediately or after a couple of hours. For some, they can even return to normal activity with only small discomfort. In some of the cases the subject was requested to wear a compression garment for a week.

More importantly, laser assisted liposuction also reduces the post-operative pain. In order words, you suffer less when the operation is done through laser, rather than through traditional matters. The reason is because laser assisted liposuction only targets the “yellow material”, or fat, in the body, allowing the body to absorb up to 500 mL on its own without any suction.

Finally, laser assisted liposuction can have the positive effect of tightening the skin. This means the patient need not go for other operations that are designed to ‘tuck away’ the excessive skins. Less operations mean less money and less pain.

Disadvantages of laser assisted liposuction

Laser liposuction is not really suited for large surface areas. Too large an area would mean a more intense laser with longer duration, which could result in the skins being burnt. This means people with large layers of fats need not apply. For this group of people, having a healthy diet and regular exercise is a better way to go. For laser assisted liposuction, it is more suited for the following:

• chin liposuction
• neck liposuction
• facial liposuction
• tumescent liposuction

The other disadvantage of laser assisted liposuction is its costs. This is the result of new technologies and new processes. New equipment have to bought and training has to be conducted for these new procedures. All these will drive the initial costs high. However, I expect the cost to come down over time and this disadvantage might not be relevant in a couple of years.  a result of the “minimally invasive” cannula (Hui 2008).

Conclusions

We should recognise that laser liposuction is not a magic cure for obesity. In fact, I recommend that  healthy people consider this procedure to remove fats in difficult areas.  Do bear in mind that surgery always possesses certain health risks, even though the risk factors may be low. Hence, to repeat, only if you have a well balanced diet and exercise regiment but has a couple trouble spots that won’t disappear, then the ideal solution would be laser assisted liposuction.