Vaser Liposuction
A fit, healthy body is the best fashion statement
Average Stay
1 week
Duration of Hospital Stay
1 day
Duration of Operation
2-4 hours
Type of Anesthesia
General Anesthesia
Recovery Time
2 weeks
What is VASER liposuction?
VASER liposuction is a surgical fat-removal procedure that uses ultrasonic vibration, or “vibration amplification of sound energy at resonance” (VASER), to break up unwanted fat and free it from the surrounding tissue before it’s sucked out through a hollow tube, called a cannula.
It can be performed on most areas of the body, including the thighs, calves, ankles, hips, buttocks, abdomen, back, flanks, arms, neck, and under the chin. It's also an excellent procedure for gynecomastia treatment (male breast reduction).
Our doctor compares the vibrational action of VASER lipo on fat globules to shaking grapes off a vine. With traditional lipo, on the other hand, you’re more like ripping the fat cells off the connective tissue.
When used as a first step, VASER makes traditional tumescent liposuction, or suction-assisted liposuction (SAL), not only gentler but more efficient. Plastic surgeons who prefer VASER to standard lipo claim it results in less swelling, bruising, pain, and downtime.
The problem our doctor encountered with the traditional technique is that you can end up overly traumatizing the skin and causing bruising and skin discoloration, which can take six months to go away. VASER spares that trauma because you’re not right under the skin with a cannula, beating it up.
It's also a quick procedure that creates less physical strain for surgeons. The ultrasound energy loosens the fat, so we can remove more fat in a shorter period of time.
Anyone who's a suitable candidate for liposuction—healthy, with decent skin elasticity and areas of unwanted fat—is a good candidate for VASER liposuction.
Like other liposuction techniques, VASER lipo isn’t a weight loss solution: it’s a body sculpting procedure that can remove pockets of excess fat.
This technique is commonly used in liposculpture (also called VASER high-definition or high-def lipo) to sculpt specific areas, like the rectus abdominis or six-pack muscles.
What happens during a VASER lipo procedure?
VASER lipo can be performed under general anesthesia (so you're fully asleep) or local anesthesia with IV sedation (very relaxed and sleepy but technically awake).
First, a saline-anesthetic solution mixture or tumescent solution is injected directly into the treatment areas. This solution expands the fat compartment and constricts small blood vessels, to help start the breakdown of the fatty tissue.
The surgeon makes a small incision in the treatment area and inserts a skin protector (a little rubber stopper) before the ultrasound probe is advanced into the fatty tissue.
With an easy, violin-playing kind of hand movement, the fat deposits are broken up with ultrasound energy. This makes the subsequent fat extraction with the liposuction cannula easier than it would be with traditional liposuction.
How long is the recovery after VASER liposuction?
Most people need one to two weeks of downtime after VASER lipo due to swelling, bruising, and soreness. Your recovery time will depend on the extent of your plastic surgery procedure. If you had just your arms done, your recovery period may only be three to five days. For VASER 360 lipo of the entire torso, recovery could take up to two weeks.
Our surgeon recommends wearing a surgical compression garment, to control swelling and help shape the treated areas. They can be uncomfortable initially (imagine the tightest shapewear you've ever tried), but they're easily worn under your clothing for four to six weeks or more.
Our surgeon routinely inserts small surgical drains after VASER liposuction procedures to prevent fluid build-up and minimize complications like seromas (a pocket of fluid under the skin).
The more energy one uses during lipo—whether it’s the ultrasound of VASER or the radiofrequency of BodyTite—the more likely it is that one will need a drain because more fluid is produced from all that energy.
How painful is VASER lipo?
If you’ve been given only local anesthesia with sedation and you’re awake, you may initially feel pinching and pressure during the procedure. Our surgeon prefers patients to be asleep for the cosmetic procedure, particularly for large-volume procedures, so that the patient is totally still and comfortable throughout.