Liposuction might be, at a global level, the most requested plastic surgery intervention of our time. The procedure is meant to eliminate local fat and improve the look of a particular area. The perfect candidates for liposuction are usually both men and women who are satisfied with their weight, but have larger amounts of fat stored in certain areas of the body that just won’t disappear even after following a strict diet or exercise plan.
Some people tend to believe that liposuction is a fast way to lose weight, and in most cases these are the people who will never be happy with the results of the procedure, as they have their expectations set up wrong from the beginning. After liposuction, your body weight won’t change much; what actually happens is that the area addressed is remodeled and has an improved look.
Power-assisted liposuction, also known as PAL, is performed using a cannula that vibrates or oscillates, breaking up the adipose tissue faster and making it easier to harvest from the body. The experts deem this technique more gentle than liposuction performed in the traditional way. The best results of power-assisted liposuction can be seen in patients with quite dense adipose tissue.
The advantages of power-assisted liposuction:
- The patients usually have fewer bruises and swelling, hence a shorter recovery period.
- The harvest of the fat is more homogenous; hence, the surface of the skin in the area where the liposuction was performed is smoother and shows fewer “waves,” as we call them.
- A better aesthetic result for the skin in the area.
- The incisions made to introduce the cannulas are much smaller than usual, so the scars will be extremely subtle, if visible at all.
- Superficial liposuction can produce a certain level of skin contraction, preventing the appearance of skin sagging and helping correct cellulite.
- A better filtering system allows a proper dispensation of the substance, reducing the pain level and also preventing bruises from occurring.
The main difference between classic liposuction and power-assisted liposuction is that in PAL the cannula is controlled automatically, giving it the advantage of speed; the fat is harvested much faster than during classic liposuction. There will be cases where the doctor will find it necessary to use both methods during the same intervention. This is not uncommon, and the recommendations are different from patient to patient, as with any other type of plastic surgery procedure. In many cases, the experience and the skill of the plastic surgeon performing the procedure are more important than the device or the technique they use. Our suggestion is to trust your doctor to make the best decisions regarding the procedures used to get you the results you want.