Fat removal surgery also known as Liposuction is quite common and is considered relatively safe. Liposuction is widely practiced and has been around for and innovations over the years have led to the refinement of its procedures and techniques. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) published a study in their March 2010 Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery issue that a new innovation in conducting liposuction may be in the making. According to the ASPS, a noninvasive radio frequency device has shown promise in early research. Electrical energy that is delivered in the form of a high-frequency electrical current is known as radio frequency energy. In liposuction when radio frequency energy is used, fat cells are dissolved using an electrical current which is applied to the fat tissue creating a thermal effect. The procedure involves minimal trauma to the tissue that is being treated.
The pilot study was conducted by researchers from Argentina and California on a small group of patients. They performed liposuction using radiofrequency on 23 patients and found that there was no burning or scarring and patients also experienced less pain after the procedure. The researchers also found improvements in the body contour and significant weight and size reductions in all patients.
The ASPS study concludes that liposuction using radiofrequency may be a good option for removing moderate volumes of fat. That’s good news.
However we all know that to safely implement a new procedure, a lot more studies with longer time periods of observation and follow-up of patients will be required to completely understand and validate the benefits of the radiofrequency device.
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