In 1983 the prevalent feeling was that liposuction was dangerous and ineffective!
Not 10 years latter it became obvious that when performed correctly, liposuction was safe and effective, and it soon became one of the most performed cosmetic procedures in the world.

Those of us that became involved in liposuction from its early stages, always had misgivings of throwing away perfectly healthy fat, specially when the patient might have benefited by having it placed elsewhere.

Early on we began to inject small amounts of fat, usually in the face for volume enhancement, but in 1987 the American Society of Plastic Surgeons published a statement suggesting that fat grafts should not be done; and until 2007, this edict held.

By 2009 the Society slightly relaxed their ban, and finally had to recognize that fat injections to face and other body areas could be very effective. Their exception was fat injections into the breast, under the premise that it might interfere with the detection of breast cancer.

Today, fat transfer is not only out of the closet; time has proved that it is not only effective, but that it has additional benefits related to the fact that fat aspirate contains more stem cells than any tissue, including bone marrow, consequently helping restore damaged tissue.

Alleluia, those of us who have been performing fat grafts have been re-vindicated!

However, as useful as fat transfers might be, don’t be swayed by claims of stem cell enrichment systems until more science proves their claim.

I will continue to use fat grafts, I am happy with the results I have obtained and so have been my patients.

We have been proven right.

Liposuction, Vaser lipo, Smart lipo, Tickle lipo, Power X, Water jet, what do all these terms mean?
Which one is better for me?
A number of medical technology industries are involved in a fierce advertising battle to increase their share in the body contouring market, and although many techniques for breaking up fat cells have been developed, there is no clear winner and the companies have resorted to inflated claims and catchy slogans to promote their products.
In essence, liposuction by any name, consists in breaking up fat cells and then removing the debris through a thin steel tube. The break-up of the fat is aided in all of these methods by infusing a fluid meant for intravenous administration into the sub cutaneous fat layer, then applying mechanical, vibratory, sonic or laser energy. Lastly a thin metal tube attached to a syringe or a suction pump is used to evacuate the fat and fragments of cell fat tissue.
The gold standard of liposuction methods continues to be the manual, mechanical breakdown. The absence of external sources of heat or sonic trauma, greatly diminishes the risk of tissue burns, as seen in the laser techniques or nerve injury and pain as seen after sonic or ultrasonic methods.
The history of alternative methods for fat removal has been that of a flooding of the media with unproven claims, an initial period of enthusiasm followed by disillusion and abandonment.
Only the traditional liposuction, or liposculpture, thanks to improvements in cannula design has proven to be the time tested, most consistent and reliable tool in a seasoned body contouring surgeon armamentarium.
The mechanical systems are also the ones that allow fat removal through the smallest cannula (tube) and this allows for shorter scars.
As someone with very extensive experience in liposuction, who is up to date and who evaluates any system that potentially could improve my results, I am convinced that good results in body contouring surgery are totally dependent on the judgment and expertise of the surgeon and not on the use of the gadget “du jour”.
A thorough evaluation, a well thought out plan and an impeccable technique are the key to a satisfied patient