Lidlift Kenneth D. Steinsapir, M.D.
Cosmetic, Facial & Eye Plastic Surgery

Ultrasonic Liposuction

Liposuction performed using an ultrasonic cannula. The high frequency vibration of the cannula disrupts fat and advocates of the technique feel this speeds up the aspiration of the fat. However, there are some concerns with the method. First to prevent skin burns, a guide sleeve must be place in the incision made to introduce the cannula. This means that a relatively large scar is created wherever the cannula is introduced. The vibration of the cannula can cause tissue burns if the fat is not infiltrated with dilute local anesthetic. This led plastic surgeons using the technique to combine large volumes of local anesthetic with general anesthesia. The combination can be toxic. Surgeons got the message and cut back on the number of procedures attempted at one time. Finally, the instrument can efficiently remove fat and over resection of fat is common. Fat is golden. The goal of the procedure is sculpting fat not removing all the fat.