Cool Lipo: Laser Lipolysis

We are pleased to introduce Cool Lipo to our office-based cosmetic surgical practice in Phoenix, Arizona. The technical name for Cool Lipo is laser lipolysis, a procedure in which a laser fiber is passed under the skin after tumescent liposuction to both smooth and tighten the skin above the area liposuctioned. Cool Lipo is the 1320 nm laser device developed by Cool Touch in California. Several other companies produce similar devices to perform laser lipolyis, some of which you may have already heard: "Smart Lipo", "Lipo Lite" "Slim Lipo" etc. These lasers were invented primarily to make fat extraction easier and more efficient during liposuction. However, the real added benefit of laser lipolysis is its ability to significantly tighten the skin above the area liposuctioned. We have selected Cool Lipo as we believe the wavelength generated by this laser is currently the most effective in doing just this.

To improve lax, saggy or stretched skin without surgically removing it is the "Holy Grail" of cosmetic surgery today. Currently, the only way we can achieve any measure of skin tightening without cutting is to heat it in a controlled fashion. Heat delivered to the skin stimulates the formation of the protein collagen that both tightens and rejuvenates it. A wide variety of devices have been developed to deliver heat energy to the skin from above it. Most of these are painful, unreliable, only minimally effective and have to be repeated multiple times. However, laser lipolysis can effectively tighten skin in a single treatment, painlessly from underneath.

Here's how Cool Lipo is done. After performing standard tumescent liposuction to remove the fat in a desired area and while the area is still anesthetized, the laser fiber is passed back in forth under the lax skin above until it reaches the desired temperature. Skin temperature is meticulously monitored during the procedure with a special temperature probe to prevent overheating it and causing burns. Any residual fat left behind from liposuction is emulsified by the laser and removed, further smoothing the overlying skin. When the desired temperature is reached in the skin to be tightened, the procedure is complete. A compression garment is then placed over the treated area to be worn for a variable period of time.

Following Cool Lipo there is often less bruising than with liposuction alone and healing is just as quick and maybe even quicker. Although an immediate improvement is seen, the skin treated continues to improve slowly over the ensuing months as new collagen is generated in it in response to the thermal stimulus of the laser. The results vary according to an individual's ability to produce collagen which usually declines with age.

For those of us with mild to moderate sagging of our neck skin or jowls and who don't want a facelift or necklift, Cool Lipo is often an ideal alternative to improve these areas without undergoing a cutting procedure. The Cool Lipo necklift is less expensive and requires less time to heal than a traditional necklift. This procedure can also help areas that are notoriously difficult to improve with traditional tumescent liposuction alone: sagging upper arm skin, male love handles, saggy enlarged male breasts, back fat under the bra line in women, lax lower abdominal skin, and sagging skin under the arms, along the chest wall.

To date, we have seen some remarkable results from Cool Lipo. If you think you might benefit from this new technology, come in and discuss it with us.