The plastic surgeons of The Wall Center for Plastic Surgery have seen a dramatic and unfortunate increase over the past few years in patients from all over the country who have been disfigured by laser liposuction procedures, in many instances by unqualified physicians.
Shreveport, Louisiana (December 2010) – The Louisiana plastic surgeons of The Wall Center for Plastic Surgery note a surge in the number of patients who have turned to them for corrective surgery after undergoing laser liposuction from plastic surgeons and unqualified physicians alike. While liposuction has gained acceptance and popularity with a constant stream of technological advances since its inception in the late 1970’s, not all treatments and providers will be able to deliver the results patients seek.
“Many doctors are expanding into services they were never trained to perform, including plastic surgery,” explains board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Holly Wall. Thriving in the community for decades, The Wall Center performs procedures like Louisiana face lift surgery, breast augmentation, and tummy tucks, in addition to liposuction. “After seeing disappointing results, many people are surprised to learn that their surgeon was actually trained as a family doctor or internist, and simply took a one-day course to learn how to use a surgical laser to perform liposuction and body contouring.”
Advertised under brand names like Smartlipo™, SlimLipo™, and CoolLipo™, laser liposuction devices use a low-energy laser to melt targeted fat cells. Marketing claims include skin tightening, reduced bruising, and quicker recovery over conventional liposuction methods, but the reality is that the surgeons at The Wall Center are seeing a very high number of unsatisfied and unhappy laser liposuction patients, many with uncorrectable deformities. While using lasers to perform liposuction may sound like a sophisticated, space-age way to simply melt away unwanted fat, The Wall Center surgeons want consumers to realize the potential hazards of devices “designed to destroy fat cells and coagulate tissue,” as one device manufacturer states in its marketing materials.
“Destroying fat cells and burning up the supporting tissues inside the body does not really make sense to me as a plastic surgeon,” states Dr. Simeon Wall Jr., a board-certified plastic surgeon and frequent lecturer and speaker at national and international meetings on the topic of body contouring and liposuction. Dr. Wall Jr., has seen and treated a number of patients with deformities from laser liposuction. He explains, “It’s important to note that the extreme heat produced from these laser devices can drastically increase the risk of a negative result from liposuction. In some cases, even the tried-and-true techniques we’ve used for years to fix contour deformities are insufficient to correct the damage these laser devices can produce inside the body. From what I’ve seen, much more research needs to be done with these devices, and potential patients need to be educated about laser liposuction and its risks – and about the importance of having a board-certified plastic surgeon perform their liposuction, regardless of the technique used.”
Much to the dismay of The Wall Center surgeons, the number of people they see with poor laser liposuction results from other practices continues to rise. A recent example is one of their patients, C.P., a 28-year-old former swimsuit model. She saw an ad in her local newspaper for in-office Smartlipo laser liposuction that promised to remove unsightly bulges of unwanted fat with no downtime and low price tag. While she had hoped for an improvement in her tummy and flanks, she was left with an uneven, wavy appearance, and worst of all, an unsightly crease across the skin of her abdomen. Despite allowing the same doctor, who was not a plastic surgeon, two more attempts at fixing her problems with additional laser liposuction, C.P.’s previously attractive midriff was now ruined. C.P. sought help from Dr. Simeon Wall Jr., who specializes in liposuction in Louisiana, because of his experience treating post-liposuction contour deformities using his SAFELipo® technique.
As a pioneer in liposuction surgery, Dr. Simeon Wall Sr., has witnessed a steady evolution of the procedure and the technology since its introduction to the United States in the early 1980s. “In the hands of a trained, experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon, advanced liposuction techniques like SAFELipo can produce beautiful and attractive results,” explains Dr. Wall Sr. “But these improvements are most directly tied to the surgeon’s ability and not the technology or techniques. Above all, it’s important to choose your surgeon carefully. Look for a surgeon who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and a member of American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Don’t be swayed by special offers and discounts – you simply can’t put a price on your health and wellbeing.”
To find out about the improvements you can gain through liposuction performed by our board-certified plastic surgeons, request a consultation online or call The Wall Center for Plastic Surgery at (318) 795-0801.