Patient selection is one of the most critical steps to providing successful body contouring results.
This involves assessing the degree of fat excess, skin redundancy, as well as quality of skin texture. Degree of both fat excess and skin redundancy will determine whether comprehensive or selective fat can be removed. Degree of skin redundancy will dictate whether a less invasive technology, such as the Renuvion, will be sufficient to tighten the skin or whether a simultaneous mini-tuck or even a staged full-tucking procedure will be required. First, patients are assigned a point score based on the High Definition Liposuction (HDL) Body Scale. Each patient’s starting HDL body score is used to create a customized surgical plan with the intent of reaching a near perfect 9 or 10. The HDL Body Scale ranges from 2 to 10 scale (10 being a perfect and TRUE high definition liposuction result) as below:
Male HDL Body Scale
Female HDL Body Scale
9 to 10 Points
- Denotes near perfection or a TRUE high definition liposuction result
7 to 9 Points
- Minimal to moderate fat excess
- Tight skin
- Excellent texture of skin
6 to 7 Points
- Minimal to moderate fat excess
- Minimally loose skin
- Good texture of skin
5 to 6 Points
- Moderate to severe fat excess
- Moderate loose skin
- Localized poor texture of skin
2 to 5 Points
- Moderate to severe fat excess
- Severe skin redundancy
- Diffusely poor textured skin
The HDL Body Scale allows experienced VASER surgeons to effectively address contouring concerns and expectations with unique and strategic surgical designs intended to strive towards a near perfect 9 or 10 result. Patients with a score of 7 to 9 can benefit from VASER Liposuction alone which will remove fat comprehensively. In these patients, VASER liposuction can result in True high definition contouring results; for example, the creation of a 6 pack in the male abdomen and an exaggerated curve in females as a result of maximal reduction of the waistline. Patients with a score of 6 to 7 will benefit from a simultaneous minimally invasive skin tightening modality. The Renuvion® subdermal coagulation allows for tightening of minimal to modest amounts of skin while avoiding cutting of skin and long incision lines. Patients with a score of 5 to 6 will benefit from a simultaneous limited tuck procedure, such as a mini tummy tuck, reverse tummy tuck, lateral thigh tuck, upper body tuck, medial thigh tuck, or a brachioplasty, all of which are performed alongside VASER Liposuction in order to remove modest amounts of skin. These tucking procedures will allow your surgeon to commit to comprehensive rather than selective fat removal. Comprehensive fat removal will optimize your contouring results while the tucking procedure will avoid irregularities related to skin looseness. Patients with a score of 2 to 5 will benefit from a staged full tucking procedure such as a full tummy tuck or lower body lift that will remove all redundant and poor textured skin prior to undergoing liposculpture. As early as three months following these initial tucking procedures, patients are provided the second and final stage of their contouring surgical plan involving comprehensive fat removal using VASER technology.