Smart Lipo...Not So Smart

With the many techniques for liposuction available today, it’s easy to get confused and wonder which one is really the best?  The most important thing to take into consideration is that the instrument used is only going to be as effective and safe as the skills and expertise of the hands behind it – so research and choose your Plastic Surgeon wisely!  Your Plastic Surgeon should be an experienced Board Certified Plastic Surgeon whom you can trust will offer only the procedures that are in your best interest. 

Smart Lipo is one of the more popular laser liposuction procedures as a result of all the hype in the media. However, it’s safety and effectiveness are still more than questionable. Could it be that many unethical providers are marketing this device and all of it’s wonder to distract from the lack of their own background and education? 

Smart Lipo uses a laser light during liposuction to help aid in the removal of your fat.  Ads falsely claim that it is less invasive than other methods of liposuction and provides a faster recovery time.  The truth is, you must undergo surgery with ALL methods liposuction - there is no way around it regardless of the device being used.

The difference between each method depends on the process in which the fat is eliminated prior to removal. The laser, in the case of Smart Lipo, is considered dangerous when not in the hands of a skilled surgeon and even then the risks can be high.  Lasers tend to burn any substance in its path - which can mean fat, but also skin tissue, muscles, and blood vessels, etc.  For this reason, it is imperative to choose a board certified plastic surgeon that is highly trained and skilled in Liposuction.

Here at Aesthetic Enhancements Plastic Surgery, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Armando Soto offers only the most safe and effective methods of both traditional and Vaser Liposuction.  Dr. Soto believes the Vaser Lipo represents the safest and most effective means of body contour improvement available today.  Instead of laser light, Vaser uses an ultrasonic energy to emulsify fat - which is less disruptive to other tissues, making your recovery time much faster, plus fat removal is greatly improved. 

For more information on the different methods of Liposuction and to see if Vaser is right for you, call Aesthetic Enhancements Plastic Surgery today for your complimentary consultation with Dr. Armando Soto - 407.218.4550.

The $6 Haircut

Some time ago, there was a television commercial for one of the larger office supply chains in which the proprietor of a small barbershop experiences what he perceives to be a threat to his business while sweeping the sidewalk outside his shop...

A large, national chain opens across the street to much fanfare and with a large banner that reads something like, "Home of the $6 Haircut"

The narrator explains that with the money he saves by purchasing office supplies at GigantoOffice, he is able to address the threat- and the spot shows him hanging his own banner- that reads, "We Fix $6 Haircuts"

(BTW,  I agree it is a bit funny that the ad was for a large, national chain of discount office supply stores...)

Soon, the large chain store is closing and he is victorious....

Cute- but what if the damage done by the discounter of services was not to your hair (which, of course grows back), but to another part of your body- and what if that damage required another operation to fix... or worse, couldn't be fixed. What if your visit to the discount provider of services resulted in your death?

The unfortunate reality is that there are at present a very large number of "providers" of aesthetic surgery who (in my humble opinion) have placed their financial well-being above the oaths they (and all doctors) took to protect patients and "First Do No Harm".

Among them are gynecologists, ER doctors, and even eye doctors- all advertising themselves as expert cosmetic surgeons- despite their full understanding of their lack of ACGME (American Council on Graduate Medical Education- the body that certifies training programs for specialities in medicine) training in the surgical discipline they are engaging in. Indeed, in most cases, their "training" consisted of a few hours, days, or at best weeks of watching someone from the company selling the equipment to them do the procedure.

Whether you were aware of it at the time or not, you've been exposed to them... They are the ones telling you that having liposuction in their office under local anesthesia is the safer way to go. That general anesthesia (as the plastic surgeon you saw recommended) is much more dangerous... That if they are capable of doing delicate eye surgery, they should be more than capable of liposuction. 

Imagine me telling patients that because I am trained to do delicate plastic surgery, I should be more than able to do their heart surgery.... Hard to imagine? It's happening all around you in the field of aesthetic surgery.

But the fundamental truth is that these doctors are not appropriately trained to do these procedures- fully explaining the deaths we all are reading about.

Previously healthy young women dying during procedures that should not have much risk of death. Dying because they chose poorly and prioritized their financial outlay higher than their safety or happiness. Dying because they fell victim to aggressive marketing campaigns designed to confuse you into thinking the eye doctor in the ad is a plastic surgeon. Dying because they believed the marketing pitch that local anesthesia is "much safer"- when the truth is that for procedures involving larger areas of the body local anesthesia is much LESS safe.

I see a great many women who have been injured and disfigured by these providers of discount or just poor quality services (indeed, an eye doctor in town actually charges MORE than any of the reputable and well trained plastic surgeons I know for liposuction). In some cases, I find myself telling them I can fix their "$6 haircut"- through another operation and at added expense to them of course. In others, I can only mitigate the damage.

And some, like the sister of Michelle Boone, my nurse practitioner, are never able to get this education about the providers of aesthetic surgery without adequate training. Because one of them took her life.

Be careful.

Plastic surgery can be a beautiful thing- restoring an appearance you thought was lost forever or not possible for you. But we should all insist that it also be as safe as possible and that the experience be positive. Be your own best advocate. Do your homework and place your safety and happiness only in the hands of a surgeon Certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery with a track record of safety, success, and integrity.

Visit Us:

www.DrArmandoSoto.com

www.MommyMakeoverOrlando.com

www.BrazilianButtLiftOrlando.com

www.CoolSculptingOrlando.com

www.NeoGraftOrlando.com

www.MixtoOrlando.com

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What You Should Know About Liposuction

It seems everywhere I look lately, I see aggressive advertisements for one liposuction clinic or another... most often touting the machine the clinic prefers (Vaser Liposelection, Smart Lipo, Aqua Lipo, Pro Lipo, Body Jet and Liposculpture). Interestingly, the ads never mention the quality of the plastic surgery training the doctor in the ad has had.

It's all a bit bizarre to me... I mean- if I went to consult with an attorney and they spent all of my time and their energy explaining that they are the best attorney for me because of the fancy computer they use, I would probably be worried... I mean-- right??

The truth is that most often (at least here in the Central Florida area) "providers" who spend a great deal of time and energy explaining why the machine they use is so good do so because they would like the potential patient to be distracted from the fact that their training was in ophthalmology (making them eye doctors), urology, gynecology, or even emergency medicine (no kidding- a well placed source tells me this ER doctor recently punctured a poor woman's lungs trying to do "Aqualipo" on her)- and NOT in plastic surgery.

In today's video, I explain what you should be thinking about in your search for a surgeon who can give you the body contour you want- safely.


For more on the topic of how to choose a plastic surgeon, I refer you to a previous post entitled "Choosing a Plastic Surgeon, Part 2".

Visit Us:

www.DrArmandoSoto.com

www.MommyMakeoverOrlando.com

www.BrazilianButtLiftOrlando.com

www.CoolSculptingOrlando.com

www.NeoGraftOrlando.com

www.MixtoOrlando.com

Follow Us!

www.facebook.com/AestheticEnhancements

www.twitter.com/DrArmandoSoto