subject: Is It True That Custom Acoustic Liposuction Is Better Than Other Kinds? [print this page] It seems like there's a new method of performing liposuction almost every year. Doctors and scientists are constantly on the lookout for new technologies and techniques that will make liposuction (also called lipoplasty or suction lipectomy) safer, easer to recover from and more aesthetically pleasing.
One of the very newest forms, called Custom Acoustic Liposuction (CAL), was approved by the FDA just this year. Although it is very new to America, CAL has been performed for a little while in Europe, where it was developed, although there it was known by the name Nutational Infrasonic Liposuction (NIL).
All forms of lipoplasty involve the removal of fat from the body. All of these procedures use special hollow tubes called cannulas which are hooked up to high-pressure vacuums. During surgery, the surgeon makes incisions into the body and inserts the cannula into the fatty tissue of the body. By moving the cannula back and forth, the surgeon is able to break up and remove fat from the body.
The special thing about Custom Acoustic Liposuction is that the cannula is hooked up to device which causes the tip of the cannula to vibrate and rotate in a steady, three dimensional pattern called nutational vibration. These motions are relatively low frequency; the cannula vibrates at about 10 hertz.
One of the benefits of this unique motion of the CAL cannula is that it enables the surgeon to more easily move it through the fat, which reduces patient trauma, and makes it easier for the surgeon to remove the ideal amounts of fat. This also makes it so that the surgery can be performed more quickly than other procedures while still being safe. This leads to a faster recovery time, and less bruising and swelling.
Unlike some forms of liposuction, CAL doesn't have any risk of burns. Like many other forms, it can be performed under local anesthesia. CAL has proved better at removing large amounts of fat than systems like laser lipolysis.
Custom Acoustic Liposuction shares many of the same drawbacks as other forms of lipoplasty. There will be some amount of bruising and swelling, and there is always some risk of bleeding during surgery. It is possible, although uncommon, for people to experience excessive pain after surgery. Liposuction, like all surgeries, can lead to scars, tenderness or numbness. CAL uses the tumescent method, and there is some small risk of complications with the local anesthesia used. It is always possible for the operating surgeon to make a mistake that could have serious repercussions.
Most evidence points to CAL being a very safe and effective new technique. However, it is still a very new technique, and there is therefore not the same wealth of information and research about it as about older techniques.
Although CAL is new, it's beginning to be offered at medical spas and liposuction centers around the country.
