History of Liposuction

Liposuction has become one of the most popular cosmetic procedures in the United States and around the world. More than 300,000 procedures are performed every year in the United States alone. Other medical terms for liposuction are liposuction plasty, lipoplasty and lipectomy.

The history of liposuction reveals how it has been modified and refined over the years to perfect the techniques and outcomes. New variants, better technologies and smaller instruments have been introduced, while old techniques have been fine-tuned.

The first record of a successful liposuctionplasty was performed in Italy in 1974. After learning of the procedure and working abroad with "fat suctioning" instruments called cannulas, two American surgeons, Arpad and Giorgio Fischer, published their findings in 1976. They were fascinated with the use of the blunt hollow tubular instrument and its invaluable use in the procedure.

The next liposuction development took place in France around 1978. French physician Pierre Fournier took the initial published findings by the Fischers and promoted them and their published works. This captured the attention of a fellow French doctor, Yves-Gerard Illouz, who developed a newer technique referred to as the "wet technique." Illouz used large amounts of medicated fluid to assist in fat removal. This wet technique was discovered and embraced by American surgeons.

Traditional liposuction became increasingly more popular in the 1980s, even though it did have some associated risks. Originally, these procedures had stigmas and suspicions among the medical community, because many of these early liposuction surgeries produced unwanted side effects, such as skin blemishes and excessive blood and fluid loss. Traditional liposuction used general anesthesia, which is more expensive and riskier for the patient. Blunt suctioning instruments were much larger and required larger incisions and stitches, which increased risks, complications, and recovery processes.

Tumescent Liposuction Advances Procedure

Later, a major breakthrough occurred, which led to many advances. In 1985, the "tumescent liposuction technique" was invented by a dermatologist in California named Jeffrey Klein. His method incorporated smaller cannulas and instruments and injected the targeted area with large amounts of liquid infused with a localized numbing solution to dilute the fat and cause it to "tumesce," or become firm and rigid. The fat is more easily removed with the suction device. This technique made it possible to use local anesthetic and much smaller incisions, which greatly reduced blood loss, risks and side effects, and increased precision and results. It is still the most commonly used form of liposuction today.

Since the 1980s to today, a number of liposuction techniques and technologies have been introduced, making it even more precise and results more favorable. For example, laser-assisted lipolysis uses surgical lasers and high-frequency beams of light to melt fat first, making it easier to suction out.

Today's techniques incorporate finer, smaller instruments that require tiny incisions, no stitches and no scars. New laser assisted technologies help dissolve, zap, melt and dilute the fat before it is suctioned out of the area, making it more effective than ever. In addition, this surgery usually requires only local anesthetic, which allows the patient to be awake and alert through the procedure. Liposuction is usually an outpatient procedure, and the surgery may be performed in the comfort of the doctor's office or clinic, which lowers the costs and fees to the patient. The refined technologies make liposuction safer and minimize downtime, pain, swelling, bruising and blood loss.

SmartLipo Technique

One of the most widely embraced and marketed laser liposuction manufacturers is Cynosure. It manufactures the SmartLipo™ systems. SmartLipo systems such as the MPX and the TriPlex use different wattage, light frequencies and surgical lasers with the smaller cannulas to melt fat before suctioning out of the body. SmartLipo claims to avail better results, less tissue damage, less bleeding and swelling, less scarring and less pain.

Ultrasonic-assisted liposuction

Ultrasonic-assisted liposuction (UAL) uses ultrasonic waves and vibrations to break apart the fat and dislodge it or agitate it to achieve a similar effect.

Power-assisted liposuction

Power-assisted liposuction uses a special remote cannula that moves on its own, which creates efficiencies and reduces work for the surgeon.

Water-assisted liposuction

Another modern advance in liposuction is water-assisted liposuction (WAL), which uses high-stream jets of water to loosen fatty tissue, and a custom acoustic method that uses infrasonic waves to break up fat. This liposuction technique has some additional acclaim for keeping fat cells alive and in tact for later use in fat transfers. Surgeons first remove the fat and inject the live fat cells into other targeted areas of the body where more contour is desired, such as the buttocks or breasts. Liposuction fat can be easily manipulated, making the cells potentially useful in stem-cell research.

Non-surgical liposuction

Another development in liposuction also involves a surgical laser, but it is non-surgical liposuction. Zerona® allows surgeons to use cool lasers to target fat layers under the skin. The cells are broken down but left within the body. Once broken down, the cells are assimilated differently, and eventually naturally excreted from the body. Several procedures are performed over the course of weeks, reducing unwanted fat over a longer period of time.

Custom-acoustic liposuction

A newcomer is custom acoustic liposuction (CAL), which uses infrasonic sound-wave technology. These sound waves are relatively low in frequency and can be much safer than ultrasonic waves, which can overheat and burn. The immediate benefit is the low frequency of the waves, which keeps the cannula at a cool temperature during the procedure. In addition, the reduced heat makes it easier for fat cells to be kept alive and retained for fat transfers and other later uses.