Basic Science of Ultrasound in Body Contouring

This chapter describes ultrasonic surgical devices for body contouring applications. The chapter begins with a brief historical review, a discussion of basic ultrasound terminology, and a description of the components of an ultrasonic surgical system. This is followed by a detailed description of the mechanism of action of ultrasound-assisted liposuction (UAL) devices, including cavitation and acoustic streaming. The final section presents the interaction of ultrasound and fat, explaining the means by which fat can be safely and efficiently extracted using VASER technology.