Body Contouring and VASER Technology, the Fourth Dimension

Abstract

Body contouring surgery encompasses several facets. However, it is only in the last 15 years that body-sculpting technology has been incorporated in body contouring on a larger scale. This has added further refinements to the aesthetic outcomes of body contouring surgery. Advances in VASER technology meant it has become synonymous with the art of lipo-sculpture, body sculpting and body contouring. When performing body contouring, the first step in liposculpturing the tissues is to emulsify the fat using ultrasound resonance. The emulsified fat is then aspirated with a power-assisted suction device, and in appropriately selected patients, surgically excising the skin excess to achieve the desired results. It is important not to forget the other added bonuses of VASER technology, which includes reduced surgeon’s fatigue, enhanced skin retraction and reduced downtime; all being achieved at a high safety margin. Body contouring does not stop at emulsifying fat and aspirating it. Fat transfer in the selected patients has become an integral part of body contouring surgery. This includes patients wishing breast augmentation and buttock augmentation utilising their own fat, thereby reducing any concerns they may have with using silicone-based implants, whilst achieving cosmetically pleasing long-lasting outcomes. Surgical excision where technology cannot overcome skin excess and laxity adds to the aesthetic outcomes in selected cases, thus bringing to fruition the hybrid surgical approach popularised in the twenty-first century. One example of many is incorporating VASER lipo-sculpture with abdominoplasty.