This month's issue of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal reveals the results of a study into which forms of liposuction physicians prefer. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) surveyed its members to ask them which form of liposuction they prefer and which they believe is the safest. The poll found that traditional liposuction, known as suction-assisted lipectomy (SAL) remains the most preferred method. Power assisted lipo (PAL) and {!ultrasound-assisted liposuction | vaser liposelection} (UAL) came in second while laser lipo and non-invasive methods were the least popular.
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The survey asked 17 questions and was distributed via email to 1,713 ASAPS members. 492, or nearly 30%, of those percent responded. Most of those responding perform between 51 and 100 liposuction procedures annually and over 90% currently use or have previous experience with traditional lipo. Almost 60% have used UAL, 45% have used PAL. The numbers drop from there with almost 13% having experience with LAL, and the same number have had experience with non-invasive devices such as Zeltiq and Zerona.
Many of those polled felt that the newer technologies were associated with a higher rate of complications over more established methods. 68% felt that marketing was the main reason patients were influenced to choose newer treatments like LAL.
Lead author of the survey, Dr. Jamil Ahmad, attributes the preference of traditional liposuction to the extensive data and track record already in place. "In the future," he said, "we may notice preferences shift as we see additional prospective data comparing techniques, and as we gain more experience with newer methods."
