Water-Jet Assisted Liposuction (WAL)

Water-Jet assisted liposuction (WAL) is the newest state-of-the-art method of liposuction being used by cosmetic surgeons all over the world today. Liposuction is a very effective body contouring modality which is optimal for people who are in reasonably good physical shape and wish to address specific parts of their body. It is not ideal for those who are only interested in using liposuction as a short-cut method for weight loss, without changes in life-style, nutritious diet / healthy eating habits and regular exercise.

As in all types of liposuction, fatty deposits are removed from beneath the skin for improving body contours.Instead of injecting the body with tumescent fluid and removing the fat cells manually with a cannula, or using ultrasound (Vaser) or laser technology to melt and dislodge the fat, Water-Jet assisted liposuction (WAL) actually uses a pressurized stream/spray of saline to gently dislodge fat and simultaneously remove the fat cells. Instead of destroying fat cells, this type of liposuction loosens the fat cells to facilitate more gentle removal.

Water Jet Assisted liposuction has two steps. The first is common to all methods of liposuction, which is by first injecting tumescent fluid (normal saline + certain medicines to constrict blood vessels and minimize blood loss + a local anaesthetic solution) into the body part being treated. Tumescent fluid infiltration has been proven to be the most effective technique across all methods for its local anaesthetic benefits. Once the local anaesthesia has taken effect, in the second step of WAL, a liposuction cannula (hollow tube) is introduced into the tissues to irrigate and simultaneously suction the loosened fat cells from the body. Finally, any remaining fluid is also gently removed. This procedure has beenproven to be the most gentle and minimally invasive because the force applied in traditional liposuction methods is not needed when using WAL. Consequently, the area of the body doesn’t swell up as much, so the cosmetic surgeon can actually see the results of the liposuction as he or she is doing it.There is usually very little bruising or swelling and Water-Jet assisted liposuction often has a very short recovery time, partially because the use of the more gentle and completely physiological saline spray means that there is much less tissue trauma to the body.

This amazing technique also yields intact, viable and extremely useful fat cells which have been subjected to the least trauma. These fat cells can then be injected or transferred to other body sites to enhance or rejuvenate local tissues. The cells do not require any further processing or handling. Several studies have conclusively shown that the fat cells harvested with WAL have the best survival rates. Thus fat harvested by WAL is successfully being used for fat transfer procedures to the face, breasts, buttocks, hands etc. The injected fat cells not only add volume and enhance depressed or shrunken areas but also rejuvenate the local tissues by the action of resident fat derived stem cells.

WAL is a new technology that offers a gentler and more precise approach. It is now extremely popular amongst both cosmetic surgeons and knowledgeable patients because of its effectiveness and quick healing time. If your doctor plans to use Water-Jet assisted liposuction, make sure you are prepared when you meet with them so you can ask questions about the procedure and understand everything completely.