Introduction: Liposuction has undergone many revisions since 1980, the most notable being the introduction of the tumescent technique of local anesthesia by Jeffery Klein, MD. Since then, in an effort to improve the aesthetics of the technique and the ease and safety of the procedure, other techniques have been introduced. These include superficial liposuction, UAL, external ultrasonic liposuction, mechanically assisted liposuction, and, most recently, laser-assisted liposuction. Materials and Methods: Four centers in the United States, operating under an 1RB protocol, performed liposuction with the tumescent technique of local anesthesia on specified cosmetic units of the body. One side was exposed to 635-nm laser therapy after tumescence was achieved, whereas the contralateral side was not. Observations were recorded during surgery and at 2 weeks postoperatively. Results: Observations of intraoperative technique did not show an advantage to laser-assisted liposuction. Observations of the postoperative course were equivocal, though there was evidence of reduction of edema in certain patients. Discussion: The addition of laser therapy to liposuction technique is based on years of experience demonstrating improved wound healing using a technique of low-level laser therapy. Although the recorded observations did not support an advantage to the addition of laser therapy, there was a paradoxical difference of opinion among patients and surgeons who participated in the study. These individuals believed that, compared with patients not treated with low-level laser therapy, there was at least a reduction in degree and duration of postoperative pain and induration. As low-level laser therapy may have systemic effects on wound healing, comparing treated and untreated contralateral sides may not be valid because both sides experienced improvements in postoperative course. Laser-assisted liposuction has a potential advantage, not supported by this study, in the intraoperative and postoperative course of liposuction surgery. New studies using double-blind techniques will need to be conducted.
