SAFELipo: Advancing Liposuction Through Surgical Expertise

Non-surgical fat removal systems are piquing the interest of many who would rather come in during their lunch break to remove small amounts of fat rather than go into surgery. While these devices and options are very popular, they are nowhere near as effective as tradition surgical procedures, especially when you’re talking about larger amounts of fat.

Dr. Lou Bucky of Philadelphia utilizes a different kind of advancement to the plastic surgery scene, called SAFELipo. Unlike the trends to move away from surgery, SAFELipo is a technique that keeps the procedure in the hands of the doctor and his aesthetic eye, versus a technology to make the big calls. With it’s overwhelmingly positive addition to standard liposuction goals, Dr. Bucky utilizes SAFELipo to keep pushing the boundaries of fantastic results for his patients.

By Louis P. Bucky, MD
and Adam McMillon
The Plastic Surgery Channel

Making liposuction better than ever

SAFELipo is an adjunct to liposuction that doesn’t add new energy sources or new technology; it’s simply a different way of performing the procedure that provides a greater overall result when treating larger areas.”SAFELipo is a tremendous advance in the treatment using standard liposuction techniques for our patients,” says Dr. Bucky.

SAFE is an acronym:

• S for seperation
• A for aspiration
• F for fat
• E for equalization

“I think it has really taken the best of liposuction techniques and concepts and put a safe procedure in the hands of plastic surgeons who’ve been doing regular liposuction for quite awhile.”

Reshaping the body while maintaining contours

Sometimes, utilizing standard liposuction to remove fat in large areas, such as the abdomen or thighs, can lead to pocket areas that didn’t get as much removed as the areas around them. This can cause irregularities in contour, something surgeons want to avoid at all costs. SAFELipo is powerful because it prevents and corrects this issue. “Specifically by removing the fat in a gentle, careful way, in a wide, undermining way, you’re going to prevent the irregularities that can sometimes happen,” says Bucky. “Often times what we’re trying to do is reshape or reduce the size of an entire abdomen or thigh; using SAFELipo we can do that.”

Where is SAFELipo most effective?

Larger problem areas that patients would like treated are best for utilizing SAFELipo’s ability to really smooth an area while removing fat, such as the abdomen and thighs. “We can actually reduce the size of the thigh and increase the calf by transferring some of the fat to that area,” says Bucky.  The area between the knee and the ankle is one women are concerned about, and one surgeon’s never used to touch.  With SAFELipo, surgeons can now give women curves in the right places on the lower leg.

“The real message with SAFELipo is that it’s a technique that depends on the judgement of the surgeon. It’s the doctor who decides the ultimate goal and performs the operation in a safe and effective way, as opposed to a technology that gives the illusion that it’s in control. We’re able to do more areas more effectively in more of a complete and harmonious approach to different anatomic areas, instead of just spot healing. It fits into the gradual evolution of liposuction techniques, and our patients are getting great results from it.”