Laser liposuction (Smart Lipo) in Turkey

Surgical laser liposuction is liposuction. Small incisions are made, tumescent fluid is infiltrated, a laser fibre inside a thin cannula heats the fat, and the softened fat is suctioned out. Fat cells that are removed do not come back, which is why the result is permanent as long as your weight is stable. It is usually done under local anaesthesia with sedation for small areas such as the chin, jawline, arms, knees, inner thighs, a small abdomen or the male chest.

Non-surgical laser lipo places low-level laser pads on the skin for a series of sessions. Nothing is removed. Studies show small changes in measurements that tend to reverse, and the treatment is sold mostly by salons rather than surgeons. If a clinic in Turkey lists laser lipo as a walk-in treatment with no anaesthesia, it is this kind, and no amount of sessions will do what one liposuction does.

• Small, defined areas

  Chin and jawline, arms, knees, bra line, a small lower abdomen, male chest. Precision matters more than volume, and the slower pace of the laser is not a problem.

• Mildly loose skin

  Skin that still snaps back when pinched may contract a little more after laser than after standard liposuction. Modest, and only in skin that still has elasticity.

• Large volumes or many areas

  Not the tool. The laser is slow and adds heat. Whole abdomen, flanks and thighs in one session is standard, power-assisted or ultrasound liposuction territory.

• Loose or stretch-marked skin

  No liposuction technique tightens it. Removing fat under skin that has already lost its elasticity can make it hang more, not less.

For the general procedure, what a quote contains and how technique changes the price, see liposuction in Turkey. For the ultrasound-assisted technique most Turkish clinics actually use for larger areas, see VASER liposuction, and for the chin alone, chin liposuction.

1. 1

   Assessment

   The surgeon pinches the skin, checks its elasticity and marks the areas standing up. This is where laser liposuction is chosen or rejected for you, and it cannot be done from photographs.
2. 2

   Tumescent anaesthesia

   A large volume of dilute local anaesthetic with adrenaline is infiltrated into the fat. It numbs the area, reduces bleeding and firms the tissue so the cannula moves evenly.
3. 3

   Laser pass

   Through incisions a few millimetres long, the fibre is moved through the fat in a fan pattern. The surgeon watches the skin temperature and depth; this is the step that carries the burn risk.
4. 4

   Suction

   The softened fat is removed with a fine cannula. This is the step that produces the result, and the evenness of it decides whether the surface is smooth.
5. 5

   Compression

   A garment is fitted immediately and worn for several weeks. Swelling and firmness under the skin are normal for weeks and can hide the result.
6. 6

   Result

   Contour is visible once swelling settles over a few months, and any skin contraction from the heat develops slowly after that. Judge the outcome at several months, not at the follow-up before your flight home.

• Anyone with skin that needs removing. Stretch marks, folds and skin that stays where you leave it when pinched need excision, not heat.
• Anyone wanting large-volume removal. Laser liposuction is slow. Large areas mean long heat exposure and are better served by other techniques.
• Anyone using it for weight loss. No liposuction is weight loss. It removes a limited volume from chosen areas in a person near a stable weight.
• Anyone with a healing or clotting condition, or who smokes and will not stop. Heated tissue heals less reliably and the risk of wound problems and clots rises.
• Anyone offered laser lipo with no anaesthesia and no suction. That is the non-surgical version, and the expectation should be small and temporary.

• The number of areas. Priced per area, and combining several changes both the price and the technique that makes sense.
• The technique actually used. A laser or ultrasound premium is common. Ask whether it is a different price for a different device or a different name for the same operation.
• Anaesthesia and setting. Local with sedation as a day case for small areas, general with a night in hospital for larger work.
• Who operates. A plastic surgeon in an accredited hospital costs more than a laser room with a technician, and the difference is what you are paying for.
• Garments, aftercare and follow-up. Compression garments, dressings and the number of reviews included before you fly home.
• Revision policy. Contour irregularities are the most common reason for a second procedure. Ask who pays if one is needed.

The clinic listing on this page shows each clinic's current price with a note of what it includes. For paying in instalments, see payment plans. For the general procedure and quote structure, liposuction in Turkey; for shaping several areas as one plan, liposculpture; and for loose skin, tummy tuck.