SmartLipo™

Two things separate this from the liposuction most people picture. You are awake, and you go home the same day. There is no general anesthesia, no hospital, and no surgical facility, and the anesthetic is delivered into the treatment area itself rather than putting you under.

What it is not is a treatment where nothing happens. Fat is removed through a cannula placed through a small incision, and that is a real procedure with a real recovery, which is worth understanding before you book rather than discovering afterward.

Sam Assassa, MD is a member of the American Society of Liposuction Surgery and was among the first physicians on the West Coast to introduce Smart Liposculpt™ for the face and body. He founded Beverly Hills Aesthetics in 1995, is board certified in Internal Medicine, and has performed more than 25,000 aesthetic procedures.

“Liposuction is not a device decision, it is a judgment decision. The laser helps. What determines your result is how much comes out, from where, and how it is blended into everything around it.” — Sam Assassa, MD

How SmartLipo Laser Liposuction Works

Treatment begins with tumescent local anesthesia, a dilute solution infiltrated directly into the treatment area. It numbs the tissue thoroughly and constricts the small blood vessels, which is what makes the procedure possible without general anesthesia and what substantially reduces bleeding.

A small laser probe is then introduced through a tiny incision. Laser energy liquefies the targeted fat, which is removed through the same cannula. The heat delivered alongside it also coagulates tissue in the treated area, prompting collagen contraction and some tightening of the overlying skin.

That skin tightening effect is the main argument for laser assisted liposuction over conventional technique, and it is genuine, though it is modest rather than transformative.

Where SmartLipo Can Be Used

• Abdomen: Localized fat across the upper and lower abdomen.
• Love Handles: The flanks, and the bra bulge along the back.
• Thighs And Hips: Inner and outer thigh and hip contour.
• Neck And Double Chin: Submental fullness, where the skin tightening effect is most useful.
• Arms: Upper arm fat and contour.
• Male Chest: Fatty enlargement of the male breast.

Who Is a Candidate

Good candidates are at or near a stable weight, in good general health, and looking to remove localized deposits that have not responded to diet and exercise. Skin quality matters, since fat removal beneath skin that has lost its elasticity can leave loosening where the volume used to be.

Liposuction is not a weight loss procedure, and this is the most important expectation to set. It removes localized fat and improves contour. It does not reduce overall body weight meaningfully, it does not treat obesity, and it does not substitute for the metabolic changes that weight loss produces. Patients seeking substantial weight reduction should address that first, and treat contour afterward once weight has stabilized.

Patients with significant skin laxity may need a procedure that removes skin rather than only fat, and that assessment happens at consultation.

What to Expect During and After Treatment

You remain awake and comfortable throughout. Treatment length depends on the number and size of areas being addressed.

Recovery is real and worth planning around. A compression garment is worn for a period after treatment to support healing and help the skin conform to the new contour. Expect swelling, bruising, soreness, and numbness in the treated area. Most patients return to desk work within a few days and to exercise considerably later, on a schedule given to you specifically.

Swelling resolves gradually and results continue refining for months. The final contour is judged at three to six months rather than at the two week visit, and patients who evaluate their result too early are frequently worried by something that has not finished settling.

SmartLipo Risks and Safety

This is a surgical procedure performed under local anesthesia, and its risks reflect that rather than those of an injectable appointment.

Expected effects include swelling, bruising, soreness, temporary numbness, and firmness in the treated area during healing. Small scars remain at the incision sites, which are typically minor and placed discreetly, but any procedure requiring an incision leaves some mark.

Risks include contour irregularity, rippling, or asymmetry, which is the most common aesthetic complication and is technique dependent. Others include seroma, meaning fluid collection, infection, bleeding, prolonged swelling or numbness, changes in skin sensation, skin laxity where fat has been removed from beneath skin that lacked elasticity, and burns or thermal injury associated with the laser component specifically. Local anesthetic carries its own considerations at higher volumes, which is one reason the amount treated in a single session is limited deliberately.

Published work has noted that outcomes in laser assisted liposuction depend heavily on appropriate patient selection and on the operator’s broader body contouring experience, which is a genuine argument for who performs it rather than which device is used.

Individual results vary and no outcome can be guaranteed.

Frequently Asked Questions About SmartLipo

Is SmartLipo surgery?

It is a minimally invasive surgical procedure, and describing it accurately matters for how you plan. There is a small incision, a cannula placed beneath the skin, tumescent anesthetic infiltrated into the tissue, a compression garment afterward, and a genuine recovery period. What distinguishes it from conventional liposuction is that there is no general anesthesia, no hospital, and no surgical facility, and you go home the same day. That is a substantial difference and it is not the same as nothing happening.

How much fat can be removed with SmartLipo?

Less than most people expect, and the limit is deliberate. Procedures performed under local anesthesia have a ceiling on how much tumescent solution can be safely used, which caps the volume treated in one session. This is a contouring procedure aimed at localized deposits rather than a large volume fat removal operation, and patients wanting substantial reduction across multiple large areas may need staged sessions or a different approach entirely.

Will SmartLipo help me lose weight?

No, and this is worth being blunt about. Liposuction removes localized fat and changes contour. It does not produce meaningful weight loss, does not treat obesity, and does not deliver the metabolic benefits that actual weight reduction does. The best results go to patients already at or near a stable weight who want a specific area addressed. If weight loss is the goal, that comes first and contouring comes after it has stabilized.

Does SmartLipo tighten skin?

To a degree, and this is the real advantage of the laser component over conventional technique. The heat delivered during treatment coagulates tissue and prompts collagen contraction, producing some tightening of the skin over the treated area. It is modest rather than dramatic. A patient with genuinely loose skin will not have it corrected by the tightening effect, and may need a procedure that removes skin instead.

How long is the recovery from SmartLipo?

Shorter than conventional liposuction and longer than patients hope. Most return to desk work within a few days, wear a compression garment for a period afterward, and resume exercise considerably later on a specific schedule. Swelling and bruising are expected for weeks rather than days, and the final contour settles over three to six months. Judging your result at two weeks is judging swelling.

Does SmartLipo leave scars?

There are small scars at the incision sites. They are typically minor and placed where they are inconspicuous, and stitches are frequently not required, but any procedure that requires an incision leaves some mark. Any page telling you there is no scarring at all is not being straight with you. What the scars are not is the long incision line associated with an open surgical procedure.

Why Patients Choose Beverly Hills Aesthetics for SmartLipo

• Local Anesthesia Only: No general anesthesia, no hospital, no surgical facility, home the same day.
• Society Membership: Member of the American Society of Liposuction Surgery.
• Three Decades Of Technique: Body contouring practiced since 1995, with early adoption of laser assisted technique.
• Physician Performed: Dr. Assassa performs every procedure himself.
• Correction Experience: Previous liposuction results corrected, which is where technique shows most.

Schedule a SmartLipo Consultation in Beverly Hills

If diet and exercise have taken you as far as they will and specific areas have not responded, SmartLipo removes that fat without general anesthesia or a hospital stay. Dr. Assassa will assess your fat distribution and skin quality and tell you honestly what one session can accomplish. Beverly Hills Aesthetics serves patients from Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, West Hollywood, and Century City. Request a consultation or schedule your appointment online.