Thursday, January 20th 2011
Cosmetic surgery at Clinique La Prairie
Avoid skin resection and scarring with laser lipo
The Center for Esthetic Medicine at Clinique La Prairie in Montreux is a world-renowned center at the forefront of the field, so it’s not surprising that it is equipped with all the latest technology. This includes laser lipo, which is described here by Dr. Sabri Derder.
First let’s get the terminology straight: although liposculpture and lipoaspiration may sound nicer than liposuction, these three terms are actually synonyms and refer to the same technique. Anybody who tells you differently is probably trying to sell you something!
When it was first developed some forty years ago, liposuction was a major innovation. Liposuction has been used ever since then to sculpt the body with great finesse, and refinements to the basic technique have been relatively minor. Some of the innovations that have marked its short history include vibration assisted liposuction, ultrasonic liposuction* and water-jet assisted liposuction. These advances essentially made things easier for the doctor.
They did not significantly improve the treatment itself, which is still limited by the skin’s elasticity and ability to retract. There is no point removing a large amount of subcutaneous fat if the resulting change in volume simply leaves skin folds due to excessive laxity. This is why plastic surgeons have long been looking for a way to tighten the skin – without having to cut into it. There are certainly some cases, such as after pregnancy or significant weight loss, when a skin resection (and the resulting scar) cannot be avoided. In such circumstances there is so much excess skin that it can only be tightened through surgery. Here, the surgeons do their best to ensure that the scars are as small as possible. Laser-assisted lipo is indicated in cases where the skin excess or the lack of elasticity, although only moderate, is nonetheless too great for conventional liposuction. It is also used when the outcome of traditional liposuction was not satisfactory. In these cases, laser-assisted lipo can be the ideal solution.
This technique involves introducing a flexible fiber that emits two laser beams of 924 and 975 nanometers. The shorter of the two wavelengths powers a beam that is used for lipolysis, i.e., destroying fat cells. This is particularly effective because at that wavelength the laser only destroys the targeted cells. It is “fat-cell-specific” and leaves neighboring tissue intact. The 975-nanometer beam is absorbed by the hypodermis and the dermis, causing the tissue to contract. And this is where the real progress lies: in the six months following the procedure, the skin becomes tighter. After the laser treatment, the melted fat cells are gently suctioned out. The procedure is not very invasive, as the diameter of the laser fibers is only 2-3mm, and it leaves no visible scar while reducing fat deposits and tightening the skin.
In procedures such as these, the best outcomes – in terms of both safety and aesthetic results – can only be achieved by experienced experts. The laser’s energy must be employed with great precision. We therefore take a prudent approach, and our cosmetic surgeons at Clinique La Prairie never rush in to be the first to use a new technique. They make sure of its effectiveness and safety first. For this reason, our specialists took the time to acquire the necessary experience and expertise in laser lipo before offering this technique to our patients.
* not to be confused with lipolysis by high-frequency ultrasound, which is effective only on limited surfaces
Dr. Sabri Derder - a first-class expert
Dr. Sabri Derder has been operating at Clinique La Prairie for more than ten years and has made a significant contribution to the development of aesthetic medicine at the clinic. After training and practicing for some years in Lausanne, Dr. Derder further refined his knowledge and skills in plastic and reconstructive surgery, first in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with Professor Ivo Pitanguy, and then in Glasgow, Scotland, where he worked as a specialist registrar. Dr. Derder is 44 years old and fluent in French, English and Portuguese. He has also published several influential papers.
