No cosmetic treatment has a bigger word-of-mouth buzz right now than Smartlipo. Also
known as laser lipolysis, this non-invasive, "liposuction lite" technique sounded almost too
good to be true when it was launched in the UK late last year. Six months on, the first
women to have the procedure are seeing the full results, which have been difficult to
judge until now.

"I've gone from a size 12 to a size 10 in jeans since I had Smartlipo on my tummy," says
Shalini Mistry, 29. "It took 20 minutes, it was completely painless and I went out for
lunch afterwards."

Women who would never consider liposuction are queuing up for Smartlipo. "I think television makeover programmes that show liposuction have put a lot of women off, because it looks an aggressive, traumatic procedure. You can see the surgeon really pushing the canula around with some force," says Dr Patrick Bowler, author of The Nervous Girl's Guide to Nip&Tuck.

"Smartlipo is much, much gentler. It doesn't require a general anaesthetic, and there are
no stitches."

Another big part of its appeal is the quick recovery time. "I dropped the children off at
school, went to the clinic, had Smartlipo, then picked the children up at 3.30pm, and
nobody except my husband had any idea I'd had anything done," says Olivia Carrol, 34,
an accountant from Portsmouth, who had treatment on her stomach.

"With three kids, I simply couldn't be out of action for three weeks, which I've heard is
how long it takes to recover from liposuction. I was a bit sore the next day, but, to be honest, the most painful part of the whole procedure was the local anaesthetic injection."

Because the canula used in the procedure is ultra-fine and flexible and no vacuum suction
is performed, the trauma to the body is light. The incision made in the skin is so tiny, it
doesn't even need stitching.

After a local anaesthetic injection, the laser is inserted into the layer of fat just underneath the skin and moved around in slow, fanning movements. The heat it produces destroys the walls of the fat cells and liquefies the fat within them, while sealing off blood
vessels, which minimises internal bleeding and bruising.

Depending on the number of areas treated, the procedure can take from 20 minutes to
two and half hours. The melted fat is released into the bloodstream and then removed
and metabolised by the liver like any other fat.

To ensure the liver isn't overloaded, the total amount of fat treated at one time is limited to 500ml, and the technique isn't advisable for anyone with liver problems, but you don't
need to stick to a low-fat diet or avoid alcohol afterwards. The gradual processing of the
fat can take up to 12 weeks, and while that means the results aren't instant, it does mean they are easy to pass off as the result of dieting. When the full effect is achieved,
it's permanent.

"The fat cells in the area are either destroyed or damaged, and, as the majority of people
don't make new fat cells after puberty (if you put on weight, the cells get bigger), it's
highly unlikely they'll come back," says Dr Mike Comins. A bonus effect is firmer skin - the
heat of the laser stimulates the skin's fibroblasts to produce collagen, leaving skin tighter
and smoother-looking.

It took four months to see the full effects of the Smartlipo that Sam Taylor, a 29-year-old events co-ordinator, had on her saddlebag thighs. "I had the treatment in October last year and started to really notice the difference in January; by February my thighs were a completely different shape," she says.

"The effect is smooth and natural - there are no lumps. I've always eaten a healthy diet
and I exercise at the gym at least four times a week, but every woman in my family has the same saddlebags. I wanted rid of them, but I have a low pain threshold and I'm too
wimpy even to consider liposuction.

The Smartlipo took 20 minutes, and, while it felt a bit weird, it didn't hurt and I went
shopping at Harvey Nichols afterwards."

Smartlipo received FDA approval in the USA in November last year and met European CE
safety standards at about the same time. So far, it has an impressive safety record.

Dr Rupert Gabriel says: "All procedures have a degree of operator dependency, but the good thing about Smartlipo is that it's very hard to do harm with it. "The main possible side effect is infection, but the risk is tiny, and patients are given a three-day course of
antibiotics to minimise it further."

It's a doctor-only procedure, and, to date, about 20 have been trained in the UK. "As with all the aesthetic techniques, those who do it most tend to be best at it, so ask your doctor how many people they've treated, "Gabriel says. A good clinic should show you before and after pictures and even allow you to talk to previous patients, if requested."

The most popular areas for treatment are the inner and outer thighs, love handles, bingo wings, podgy knees and post baby jelly belly. It's also a good alternative to a tummy tuck for eliminating the dreaded caesarean overhang - the bulge of flab that hangs over a caesarean scar and refuses to budge, no matter how much weight you lose.

But Smartlipo does have its limitations. The ideal patient is slim and toned, with a localised area of stubborn fat they'd like to remove. It's not an alternative to dieting if you have a lot of weight to lose.

"I would not recommend Smartlipo for anyone with a BMI (body-mass index) of more than 25." Gabriel says. But if you are in good shape and would like to hit the beach without your saddlebags or love handles this year, it could be the treatment for you.



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