How Lasers Make Surgery Safer With Less Risk

Medical technology is making surgery more and more safe with every decade. Most surgeries can be done endoscopically now using tiny cameras and tiny holes instead off large incisions. Taking it even further is the introduction of the laser to surgery. Eye surgeons and dentists were among the first to adopt the laser for eye surgery, teeth whitening and more. Now plastic surgeons are using the laser for facial resurfacing, scar removal, hair removal and fat removal.

Fat removal has hit an all time high and laser liposuction is leading the way. Using a laser attached to a tiny cannula inserted under the skin, it melts the fat while the cannula suctions it out. Small areas of fat, ten pounds and under, can be removed from the body, contouring and shaping these areas to produce a sleek appearance. The surgery is done through a tiny incision about the diameter of a piece of spaghetti. These incisions require no sutures and heal without scarring that can be seen by the naked eye. The surgery is pretty much risk free when it comes to infection and blood loss.

Because the surgery uses local anesthesia, blood vessels are restricted by the lidocaine in the numbing agent. This reduced blood loss to barely anything. The procedure itself is very gentle and results in little to no bruising or swelling. In less than an hour, patients can experience up to a 2 or 3 size loss.
Recovery time is short and generally requires two day of light to moderate activity wearing a compression garment for three days and nights. Some body parts, specifically the lower body , require the compression garment to be worn for 8 hours a day for the following two weeks to prevent swelling. The safety of surgery and recovery is reduced with these new methods. Patients are not as much as risk as they once were using the traditional scapel.

Safety is always an issue with any surgery. Infection, blood loss, anesthesia complications, pain and long recovery times can pose problems for most people. Making surgery more safe is allowing people to live longer. While fat removal is considered plastic surgery and not a necessity, we may think of it as fun surgery. But it is still surgery that helps people to feel good about themselves and in some cases prevent people from yo-yo-ing with crazy diets trying to lose stubborn areas of fat.