Liposuction is one of the most popular cosmetic surgery procedures. And now there is a new laser technique known as SmartLipo that aims to take the pain out of the procedure.

For many years, doctors have used lasers to combat unwanted hair, make broken capillaries disappear, resurface skin and remove brown spots. And now lasers have a new role – to melt fat.

Normal liposuction, in which the patient is opened up and solid chunks of fat are sucked out, can be costly and painful. Other methods of removing fat, such as ultrasound waves, also can leave the patient bruised and in recovery for weeks. But the best part about SmartLipo, the technique that uses lasers, is that it’s minimally invasive and performed under anesthesia or oral sedation. There is virtually no pain or bruising and normal activities can be resumed within 48 hours.

The surgeon makes a tiny incision, inserts a laser fiber probe — smaller than a strand of pasta — just under the surface of the skin and aims it at the fat. The fat is then liquefied and can either be absorbed by the body, or removed through a tube. As a welcome bi product of the procedure, collagen cells (which encourage skin tightening) are also induced by the laser.