Liposuction VS LAMS: Which is Better for Fat Removal?

Liposuction VS LAMS

You may have heard about liposuction plastic surgery, but do you know what LAMS procedure is? 365mc provides both surgical liposuction and non-surgical LAMS procedure. And in this article we will explain about their differences, pros and cons.

Liposuction & LAMS Similarities

Liposuction, also known as lipoplasty, is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of excess fat from specific areas of the body. Sometimes it is also referred to as a “lipo”. LAMS, sometimes called “liposuction injection” or “mini-lipo”, is an abbreviation for local anesthetic minimally invasive liposuction. So, both liposuction and LAMS are initially the same procedure aimed at removing fat cells.

It is important to note that there are two types of fat: the fat surrounding the internal organs which is called visceral fat, and a subcutaneous fat stored beneath the skin. During liposuction or LAMS procedures, doctors can remove the fat cells only from the subcutaneous adipose tissue. Visceral fats can be removed by dieting and doing sports which we will cover in our later blog articles.

Moreover, both liposuction surgery and LAMS procedure aim at changing the body shape and making the size smaller, but they are not exactly aimed at weight loss. This is because fat cells are quite lightweighted, and even removing many liters of fat cells will not make you lose many kilograms/pounds.

Liposuction VS LAMS Differences

Anesthesia

Still, there are several differences between liposuction and LAMS. Surgical way of removing fat cells, namely liposuction is done under sleeping anesthesia. This means that you will be asleep during the surgical process, and as soon as you open your eyes, the surgery is over. 365mc Hospital has an anesthesiologist who monitors all surgeries, so you can be sure of the safety of anesthesia with us. On the other hand, LAMS is done under local anesthesia as stated in the procedure name itself (local anesthetic minimally invasive liposuction). Thus, you will be awake during the procedure and may feel some discomfort.

Stitches

One more difference between liposuction surgery and LAMS procedure is the presence of stitches. During the liposuction surgery doctor makes small incisions under 10 mm to remove fat cells. These incisions are later stitched with non-dissolvable stitches to aid the wound healing process. You should remove the stitches 14 days after the surgery in the hospital. In case you are a foreign patient who stays less than 2 weeks in Korea, it’s ok to remove the stitches back in your home country in any hospital, as the process is pretty fast and simple. Meanwhile, during the LAMS procedure, the doctor does not do incisions, only small puncture points of 1-2 mm in size which can heal on their own in a matter of several days. So there is no need for stitches, and we just put a small steri-strip to aid the wound healing.

Compression garment

Last but not least, compression garments! You need to wear it only after liposuction surgery for 1 month or more depending on the case, after LAMS procedure it’s not required. The only recommendation is wearing tights or leggings for a day after thighs LAMS to get less swelling after the procedure.

Pros & Cons of Liposuction VS LAMS

To conclude, we would like to share our opinion on the advantages and disadvantages of the two procedures: liposuction and LAMS. Liposuction surgery's advantage lies in the fact that it’s done under sleeping anesthesia with thicker cannula meaning that a large amount of fat can be extracted faster. Which is why we usually recommend liposuction surgery to people who want to remove rather large amounts of fat cells or to those who want to be asleep during the process. Still, as there are stitches and a need to wear a compression garment after surgical liposuction, recovery is a bit longer: the swelling and bruising may heal during 3-4 weeks. On the other hand, LAMS is a bit easier procedure as there is no sleeping anesthesia, so recovery is also a bit faster.

All regular daily activities and showering is possible 24 hours after LAMS. Swelling and bruising also heals a bit faster, during 1-3 weeks. Nevertheless, as you may feel some discomfort during the procedure while being awake, and rather thinner cannula is used to remove fat cells as there are no incisions, doctors can remove a bit less fat cells during LAMS procedure compared to the liposuction surgery and procedure time itself is a bit longer. So we usually recommend the procedure to those who want faster recovery and who want to remove the excess fat from smaller areas or who have rather smaller amounts of fat cells.

For the recommendations tailored to your case and booking an appointment at 365mc Liposuction & LAMS Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, please contact us for the free consultation!