Alternative Treatments to Liposuction

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Liposuction alternatives are commonly considered by many patients who are keen on having a non-surgical procedure. Although liposuction is a surgical procedure, it is considered minimally invasive, with a fast and easy recovery period, and is highly effective at permanently removing fat cells. The procedure is designed to sculpt and contour body regions where fat is removed, leading to a more proportioned body shape. Liposuction can also induce skin tightening in cases of mild skin laxity, potentially eliminating the need for an excisional procedure.

Common liposuction alternatives

Typical devices used for non-surgical treatments include CoolSculpting, SculpSure, EMSculpt, and Exilis Elite. CoolSculpting is often marketed as an alternative to liposuction and works via cryolipolysis. Cryolipolysis involves significant localised cooling of superficial fat cells in excess fat, resulting in tiny crystals forming in the fat cells, which are thought to lead to their eventual destruction. The liquidised fat is then naturally removed from the body. CoolSculpting, carried out over multiple sessions, can cost significantly more than a single liposuction treatment. These devices achieve modest results at best, despite numerous courses of treatment, and cannot match those of a liposuction procedure. We recommend avoiding these treatments for patients looking to remove significant amounts of fat.

Common chemical agents used for injection into areas of localised fat include deoxycholic acid, available under several brands, including Kybella, Aqualyx, and Lipodissolve. We would not recommend these treatments as they can be very painful to inject and often require 3 to 4 treatments spaced several weeks apart. The injection can spread beyond the intended site, leading to undesirable complications and reduced accuracy and precision in a liposuction procedure.

This method was the most common way to remove excess body fat before liposuction was developed. Although helpful for removing excess skin, we would not recommend this treatment as a primary method for removing body fat, as you may need more than one treatment to safely remove sufficient amounts of fat. The procedures may also involve long incisions and carry the risk of significant scarring.

Patients often come to us seeking alternatives to liposuction. Here, we discuss some of the recognised alternative liposuction treatments used in the UK.

What are the best alternatives to liposuction?

There are now many different types of liposuction surgery, and the procedure has become minimally invasive in recent years, thanks to improvements in liposuction techniques and technologies. Some of the most commonly used alternatives to liposuction include SmartLipo, Vaser Lipo and BodyTite. At Centre for Surgery in London, our surgeons carry out one of the highest volumes of liposuction in the UK. They do not view alternatives to liposuction as being able to match liposuction’s treatment efficacy. Many patients, understandably, come to us unsure about the many choices, and it is essential to emphasise the significant limitations of non-surgical liposuction treatments.

Laser liposuction, also known as laser lipo or SmartLipo, is a technique of laser-assisted liposuction that involves inserting a tiny laser fibre beneath the skin to melt subcutaneous fat with laser energy.