DOES LASER LIPO TIGHTEN THE SKIN?

Does non-invasive laser lipo tighten the skin?

Yes. The tightening happens as a result of apoptosis, which is a natural process in the body. When fat cells die, they release their contents, which are reabsorbed by the body. This causes the skin to shrink around the area where fat was lost. In addition, when collagen breaks down and is reabsorbed by the body, it leaves behind a newly tightened layer of skin. The tightening of the skin after liposuction is one of the most gratifying effects for patients—it’s like having a full face-lift without actually having surgery!

It is true that Laser Lipo does not tighten the skin, however, it does give noticeable contour to the abdomen as well as inner thighs, buttocks and flanks. In addition, laser lipo may also help reduce cellulite by shrinking fat cells and producing new collagen.

Laser non-invasive lipo is best for patients who are looking for a non-surgical way to improve body contour. Laser Lipo is a great option for those who are looking to improve their body image but cannot undergo something like surgery or who want a more conservative approach to body contouring.

Tightening the skin after weight loss can be accomplished with a traditional liposuction surgery or mini liposuction. With traditional liposuction, we use smaller cannulas and access the deeper fat stores through multiple incisions—this typically allows our patients to have a better shape as well as tight skin after liposuction. With mini-liposuction, access to deeper fat stores is limited because we only use one small incision—while this allows for faster recovery time for our patients, the results may be less desirable in terms of shape and contour.

Laser non-invasive lipo is a type of fat-reduction treatment that applies laser energy to the skin, causing fat cells to disintegrate and melt away. Laser lipo does not penetrate the skin barrier, so it does not affect the dermis below the epidermis. Hence, it does not tighten the skin in any way. Technically speaking, this is an “exercise in semantics,” as it doesn’t cause skin tightening, but rather stimulates a natural tightening of loose skin caused by fat reduction around the area being treated.

Laser lipo does tighten loose skin through pressure from swelling—the fat reduction causes the water content in the body to swell up within the area being treated, which puts pressure on the surrounding tissue and causes it to contract, effectively tightening that area. This is a temporary effect and lasts only as long as swelling remains—this can be several hours or several days depending on each patient’s individual situation.

But does laser lipo tighten the skin? Not exactly. The laser targets fat cells, so the tightening effect actually has more to do with fat being destroyed than anything else. The body then flushes out the resulting debris, along with water weight. This means that people who have a lot of built-up fat in their midsection or who are very overweight will experience a significant decrease in loose skin after their treatments. On the other hand, people who have lost a significant amount of weight and therefore have little loose skin, to begin with, won’t see many changes, if any.

The best way to think about this is that laser liposuction targets the fat and removes it rather than removing the skin itself. This can be especially important if you’re losing weight and you don’t want loose skin hanging around—the results will still be much more pronounced than what you would get by dieting alone.