Expatriate
Health perspective
perspective
Dr Mohamad Nasir Zahari
Expatriate Lifestyle welcomes new columnist Dr M. Nasir Zahari–Medical Director of Beverly Wilshire Medical Center, specialist
in surgical procedures that make a positive difference to people’s lives. Dr M. Nasir Zahari is a member of the elite ‘Malaysian
Association of Plastic, Aesthetic, and Craniofacial of facial Surgeons (MAPACS) from 1999 until present. Dr Nasir was awarded with
Bachelor of Medicine in 1988 from University of Melbourne and post graduate degree at The Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS)
in Edinburgh (1993). Dr Nasir also obtained the Master of Surgery from University Kebangsaan Malaysia in 1995 where he was
honoured with the ‘Award for Excellent Service’.
T
Laser here are many ways of breaking
down fat and reducing or
Lipolysis removing fat on certain areas of
your body: one is the mechanical
way, which is liposuction, and
the second is assisted liposuction either by
ultrasonic waves, radio frequency or laser.
One of the Laser lipolysis, or laser-assisted liposuction,
concerns is to break the fat by laser. It has been around
with doing for the past six or seven years, but its popularity
liposuction has picked up in the last three years as experts
is the excess continue to study and upgrade the machines to
skin after produce better results.
This procedure is used to remove fat in
removal of fat areas where there is not much deposit; it is best
for areas such as under the chin or underarms;
it will not be as effective for people who are
obese as there will not be dramatic results.
At Beverly Wilshire, we use a machine
called the CoolLipo. This machine, on top of
breaking down fat, can also tighten the skin by
using different settings of the laser power and
frequency.
One of the concerns with doing liposuction
is the excess skin after removal of fat. In some
individuals, especially in younger people, the
skin will retract back to normal. For those who
are already on the aging side, the elasticity
of the skin will not be as good as when they
were younger. Therefore, there may be a bit of
loose skin, wrinkling or uneven contour after fat
removal procedures.
With CoolLipo, after we burn the fat, we
can now laser the skin from below. It gives
the same effect, because when we laser from
above the skin we are actually stimulating the
collagen formation underneath; now we do it
82 | Expatriate Lifestyle AUGUST 2012
directly under the skin. This way, it will produce
smooth looking skin and give a tightening effect.
It will usually take about three to six months
before you can see the final result. To achieve
faster results, laser lipolysis can be combined
with liposuction. The laser will break down the
fat before a gentle suction is inserted to remove
it. This way, the result of the procedure can be
seen within six weeks. However, as liposuction
traumatises the tissues more than laser, there
will be obvious swelling, bruises and pain that
will subside over time.
So now, can patients who have big tummies
still do laser lipolysis? Yes. A conventional
liposuction can be done, and a skin tightening
procedure after.
Laser lipolysis is a day care procedure, so
it can be done very quickly and you can return
home within hours. Certain small areas such as
under chin or under arms can be done under
local anesthesia.
Larger areas such as the tummy or the
thigh will require general anesthesia. Very rarely
do we need to admit patients to the ward for
overnight observations, and when we do it is
usually for patients who combine liposuction with
laser lipolysis in large areas as it causes more
traumas to the skin. Otherwise, laser lipolysis is a
fairly straightforward procedure, producing good
result over a longer period of time with minimal
disturbance to your lifestyle. EL
Dr Nasir can be contacted at Beverly Wilshire
Medical Center at 03-2118 2888 or via email:
enquiries@beverlywilshiremedical.com