Smart Lipo

Ivanhoe Broadcast News

ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Liposuction is the most popular form of plastic surgery in the United States, with more than 300,000 Americans opting for the procedure each year. Now, there's a new alternative to traditional liposuction that's so quick and easy, you could do it over your lunch break!

Jogging helps 49-year-old Nancy Kelley escape the pressures of everyday life. But after years of running, there was one problem she just couldn't shake. "My son calls it a Santa Claus belly," she says.

Nancy's bulging belly led her to Roger Bassin, M.D., a plastic surgeon at the Bassin Center for Facial Plastic Surgery in Orlando, Fla., who offers a new kind of liposuction.

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"Liposuction is really meant for body contouring," Dr. Bassin says. "It's meant for people who are typically healthy and who have trouble spots."

Smart Lipo is a high-tech alternative to regular liposuction that uses a laser to melt away fat. It takes about 45 minutes and uses a local anesthetic, so patients can stay awake the entire time.

Dr. Bassin begins by injecting the patient with liquid anesthetic. Then, he uses a laser to break up the excess fat.

"Everything the laser tip touches will literally melt the fat."

While standard liposuction can leave patients with saggy pockets of skin, the heat from the laser shrinks skin around the affected area in 6 to 9 months.

 "It saves her a scar all the way across her tummy for a tummy tuck," Dr. Bassin says.

Once the fat has been fully liquified, Dr. Bassin simply sucks it out of the body.

After treatment, Kelley says she went down two dress sizes.

"This helps, and it also gives me incentive to keep going," she says.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Roger Bassin, M.D.
Bassin Center for Plastic Surgery
(877) 333-FACE