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From the SAFE to the SAFEST Liposuction: Combining PAL and RFAL Technology in Body Contouring Procedures

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  • Body Contouring
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Abstract

Background

The SAFE liposuction technique is a worldwide extended method used to achieve great and reproducible results after the surgical aspiration of fat. We propose an evolution of the technique to address one of the major limitations of liposuction, loose skin. The SAFEST liposuction technique combines PAL and RFAL to achieve skin tightening and fat reduction with minimal added morbidity.

Methods

Patients treated with the SAFEST liposuction technique between December 2019 and February 2022 were included in the study. Demographic and surgical data were collected retrospectively. Photographs and satisfaction interviews were conducted preoperatively and 12 months postoperatively in every case.

Results

Sixty-five patients (58 female and 7 male) were included in the cohort, and a total of 169 anatomical areas were treated with the SAFEST liposuction technique (abdomen, arms, back, flanks and thighs). Globally, satisfaction at 12 months follow-up was of 94.1% and complications only presented in 4.7% of the treated areas. 6 of the 38 treated abdomens (18.4%) presented a complication (4 seromas and 2 access point infections) and 2 of the 38 treated flanks (5.3%) presented one (2 seromas). The rest of the treated anatomical areas (arms, back and thighs) showed no complications and high satisfaction rates.

Conclusions

The SAFEST liposuction technique achieves outstanding and satisfying results with minimal complications by safely combining the advantages of two different technologies, PAL and RFAL. The main advantages of the presented technique are the skin tightening, the body ligament contraction, the coagulation and the reduction of the operative time.

Level of Evidence IV

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

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Acknowledgement

Thanks to Dr. Ramón Calderón, Dr. Carlos Gullón and Ana Arango for their trust and support from the beginning of my career until today. Thanks to Dr. Jordi Mir and Dr. Miguel Fernández-Calderón for sharing their knowledge in body contouring procedures with me.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MS Medical Institutes by Exclusive Doctors, Lisbon, Portugal

    Jesus Olivas-Menayo

  2. FEMM Cirugía y Medicina Estética, Madrid, Spain

    Jesus Olivas-Menayo

  3. Plastic Surgery Department, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Albacete, 02006, Albacete, Spain

    Luis Chang-Azancot

Authors
  1. Jesus Olivas-Menayo
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  2. Luis Chang-Azancot
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Correspondence to Jesus Olivas-Menayo.

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Conflict of interest

Dr. Jesus Olivas-Menayo is a consultant for Inmode Iberia. No payments or support were received for the publication of this study. Dr. Luis Chang-Azancot has nothing to disclose.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.”

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All participants gave their informed consent in writing prior to inclusion in the study

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Olivas-Menayo, J., Chang-Azancot, L. From the SAFE to the SAFEST Liposuction: Combining PAL and RFAL Technology in Body Contouring Procedures. Aesth Plast Surg 47, 2486–2494 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-023-03291-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-023-03291-5

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