What Is Micro Liposuction?

Christopher Chung, M.D.
American Board of Plastic Surgery
Chief Medical Officer
Sono Bello

For those considering fat reduction through liposuction, there are several types of procedures available to choose from. While each liposuction procedure has its benefits, some are designed to provide specific benefits over others—especially when it comes to providing the best possible results for each person’s needs and preferences.

One popular choice is micro liposuction, a minimally invasive liposuction procedure designed to minimize contour irregularities caused by large equipment used in traditional liposuction. For patients specifically focused on achieving a smooth, toned look on otherwise small or hard-to-treat areas of the body, this procedure may be an ideal choice.

For patients considering liposuction, micro liposuction may be the right choice to achieve you’re their desired look. However, to better understand the micro liposuction process, it helps to have a better understanding of the procedure, how it compares to traditional liposuction, and what has made it the preferred choice for thousands of Sono Bello patients.

What is Micro Liposuction?

Micro liposuction is a technique of performing liposuction using small incisions and cannulas to permanently remove fat.

Compared to traditional liposuction, micro liposuction uses significantly smaller incision sites, combined with a variety of minimally-invasive fat removal tools, to remove body fat from targeted areas.

What Parts of the Body Does Micro Liposuction Target?

Like traditional liposuction, micro liposuction can be used to remove body fat from any area where it is safe to do so.

The majority of patients who choose micro liposuction opt for fat removal from the stomach, core, and waist. With micro liposuction, these patients can see several pounds of fat removed from these body areas permanently, with minimal downtime and recovery compared to traditional liposuction procedures.

In some cases, micro liposuction can also be used specifically to perform liposuction on small or delicate areas of the body.

For some aging patients, loose skin around the neck and chin can be a common occurrence. Micro liposuction may be able to help tighten and firm this skin by removing neck and chin fat using small cannulas, offering a smoother and tighter appearance with more uniformity.

Though micro liposuction is ideal for small or delicate areas, it can still be used in many other areas where traditional liposuction may also be common. Areas like the hips, thighs, buttocks, arms or abdomen may all be contoured using micro liposuction.

What Is Micro Liposuction Used To Treat?

Many patients who choose micro liposuction for fat removal do so to treat regular signs of aging, including aging skin or fat buildup as a result of bodily changes.

Some areas of the body (including the neck, cheeks, and chin) can be particularly difficult to tone through exercise alone. This difficulty can become especially acute as patients get older. This is why many patients choose micro liposuction to tone and contour these delicate areas.

In some cases, patients may also choose micro liposuction for fat removal in areas like the hips, thighs, abdomen, or rear end as well.

What Makes Micro Liposuction a Minimally Invasive Technique?

Micro liposuction is considered minimally invasive because it combines techniques and equipment designed to minimize scarring and reduce recovery time. Specifically, micro liposuction is used on areas of the body where fat does not usually resolve through diet or exercise.

Compared to traditional liposuction, micro liposuction utilizes much smaller surgical instruments to make much smaller incisions. This is key for minimizing scarring and swelling in delicate areas like the face.

Additionally, micro liposuction also uses smaller cannulas (or tubes) to actually remove fat from the body. This too helps minimize scarring and swelling at the incision site.

Because smaller incisions and instruments are used for micro liposuction, in many cases the procedure may be done with local anesthetic at the surgical site as opposed to general anesthesia. This may make the procedure safer and may reduce the risks that can come with general anesthesia.

Micro Liposuction vs. Traditional Liposuction: What Are The Differences?

When making the choice between traditional liposuction or micro liposuction, it can be helpful to understand how the two procedures compare. That way, patients can better understand what they should expect from each type of liposuction, and which may be better for achieving their desired results.

How Does Liposuction Differ from Micro Liposuction?

Liposuction is a surgical procedure to permanently remove fat that is resistant to dieting and exercise. To help patients understand the difference between liposuction and dieting/exercise as it relates to fat cells, the major distinctions often come down to the removal of the fat cells themselves.

When an individual diet (and loses weight), the size of fat (adipose) cells becomes smaller; however, the number remains the same. In contrast, with liposuction, there is a permanent reduction in the number of fat cells; however, the size of the remaining fat cells remains unchanged.

In other words, liposuction and weight loss are not interchangeable, as each address different aspects of adiposity – quantity and quality, respectively.

Consider this:

• Start: 100 Large fat cells
• Liposuction results in: 50 Large fat cells
• Dieting/Exercise (after Liposuction) results in: 50 Small fat cells
• Finish: Amazing Transformation due to Partnership between the provider and patient

What Techniques and Approaches Are Used for Micro Liposuction?

Historically, when the main focus of many liposuction surgeons was on maximizing the speed of the liposuction procedure, large tools were used to remove fat. Although this allowed for fat cells to be removed at a rapid pace, in some cases the use of large equipment led to many undesired outcomes including contour irregularities (lumps, bumps, and indents), seroma (fluid collection due to injury to underlying tissues), hematoma (bleeding), over-resection, and skin loss.

To rectify this, the micro liposuction procedure was developed to focus on improved outcome and safety, and not just how quickly the procedure is performed.

Even within the umbrella of micro liposuction, there are many different techniques and approaches a surgeon may draw from, including the use of a wide range of energy sources for the physical fat removal process: traditional (surgeon’s muscle), ultrasonic, power-assisted (electrical), and laser

This is all in conjunction with the use of different types of cannulas (surgical tubes), which are used to actually suction the fat from the body.

By combined modern fat removal technology with specialized, small-scale equipment, surgeons are able to effectively remove fat from body areas through minimally-invasive processes designed to minimize scarring and overall recovery time.

What Are The Advantages of Micro Liposuction?

Micro liposuction is an advanced modern technique of liposuction that is safe and effective.

By utilizing smaller tools and less-invasive techniques, micro liposuction can provide significant fat reduction in delicate areas of the body while avoiding uneven contouring or excessive bruising and swelling at the procedure site.

Micro liposuction may result in:

• Less trauma and injury to tissues surrounding the fat cells
• Less bruising and swelling
• Less discomfort during and after the procedure
• Less risk of undesired indents, divots, and irregularity
• Less risk of postoperative complications: seroma, hematoma, fat embolism (due to fat cells entering injured blood vessels) and skin loss

What Should Patients Expect When Choosing Micro Liposuction?

Micro liposuction may be the ideal choice for a patient who wants to contour or enhance stubborn, delicate areas of the body that may not respond to diet or exercise alone.

However, it is important that all patients keep a few expectations in mind when choosing micro liposuction.

What Results Should Patients Expect from Micro Liposuction?

Micro liposuction is designed to tone and contour delicate areas of the body and may be effective at helping patients achieve their desired look in these areas.

While effective, micro liposuction may only be able to remove small amounts of fat from the chosen area. For those looking to remove larger amounts of fat, it is best to consult with you’re a surgeon to understand if traditional liposuction or other fat removal options may be a better choice.

How Should Patients Prepare for Micro Liposuction?

As with any type of liposuction procedure, patients planning for micro liposuction should consult with their surgeon beforehand to review their medical history and fitness for the procedure.

It is important to also set realistic expectations ahead of a micro liposuction procedure, and to plan for some downtime and recovery after the procedure is over. Although recovery from micro liposuction may be shorter than with traditional liposuction, there may still be some time required for swelling to decrease and incisions to heal.

For more insights on how to prepare for micro liposuction, visit our blog with helpful pre-liposuction prep tips.

What Are The Possible Risks of Micro Liposuction?

Although micro liposuction is designed to minimize swelling and reduce recovery time, patients should still expect the following after any micro liposuction surgery:

• Bruising at the procedure site
• Discomfort
• Temporary numbness
• Swelling

Considering Micro Liposuction? Sono Bello Has Answers to Any Question

For those looking to tone and contour delicate areas of the body with micro liposuction, the best next step may be to talk with a Sono Bello patient care consultant through a free patient consultation. During this consultation, patients can get important answers to any question they may have about the micro liposuction procedure.

Sono Bello’s TriSculpt Micro-Laser Lipo procedure is specifically designed to help eliminate stubborn fat in problem areas that just won’t respond to exercise or dieting.

And, because TriSculpt uses local anesthesia and power-assisted technologies, Sono Bello’s skilled surgeons are able to effectively remove fat in delicate areas while minimizing risks and reducing recovery time.