liposuction · port-site complications · skin port · UAL · VASER · Nov 03, 2026

Skin Ports for VASER and Ultrasound-Assisted Liposuction

Liposuction cannula passing through an Exo-Port skin port with suture disc

Third-generation ultrasound-assisted liposuction (VASER®) works with solid, grooved probes from 2.2 to 4.5 mm. The ultrasound emulsifies fat, and heat is a by-product of that energy. The access incision is where the probe, and then the aspiration cannula, pass in and out for the whole case. Exo-Port™ liposuction skin ports, also called port protectors, are designed to keep both instruments off the skin edge.

Left: the probe heats and abrades the incision edge it touches. Right: with a skin port, the probe bears on the port.

Where the heat comes from

Hoyos and Prendergast describe heat as a by-product of ultrasound energy, not the intended mechanism of action. Tissue heats when the probe stops its constant back-and-forth motion, and the energy delivered rises roughly with the square of the probe diameter, so larger probes deliver much more. A probe resting against the incision edge combines that heat with friction. Early patents for UAL skin protectors, such as US 5,865,810, set out to protect the incision from both thermal and frictional abrasion.

Not every study points only to heat. In an early-generation series of 55 patients, Ablaza and colleagues found subcutaneous temperatures stayed below core temperature, and concluded that reported skin injuries were more likely due to injury to the subdermal plexus than to heat. Either way, the incision edge is the point of greatest contact.

How often port burns occur in VASER series

Hoyos and Millard reported 9 port-site burns in 306 patients (2.94%) in their VASER high-definition series. All 9 occurred in the senior author's 281 patients. The authors attributed the initial burns to the learning curve and reported no further burns after infiltrating 5 cc at each port site before placing the ports. Massignan reported thermal injury at the insertion portal in 1 of 76 VASER patients (1.3%).

Published port-site thermal injury rates in VASER series. The studies used different protection methods and are not a comparison of devices.

What the VASER protocol does at the port

The 2002 VASER pilot study (Jewell, Fodor et al.) built port protection into the method from the start:

specially designed skin ports to protect the incision edges
wet towels next to each port
3–4 mm incisions
pulsed mode for two of the three investigators, switching to continuous only when emulsification lagged

Later authors kept the same approach: Massignan places protectors at every access site and keeps the surrounding skin moist, and Hoyos and Prendergast stress keeping the probe in constant motion, noting that pulsed mode can halve the energy delivered.

Sizing a port for VASER probes and VentX cannulas

Match the port to the instrument's outer diameter. Because the probe and the VentX cannula usually share an incision, size for the larger of the two.

Probe diameters from the FDA device database (GUDID) and Hoyos & Prendergast; VentX cannula diameters from a distributor catalogue. Unsure? The 3-size sample pack lets you check the fit.

Liposuction cannula passing through an Exo-Port skin port with its silicone suture disc — An instrument passing through an Exo-Port. The silicone suture disc holds the port at the incision.

Using VASER cannulas? CLINIMED, the maker of Exo-Port, makes reusable liposuction cannulas with VASER compatible hubs, in 43 tip patterns, and a VASER Vent-X compatible adaptor. See VASER compatible cannulas or the hub & compatibility guide.

Questions surgeons ask

Which Exo-Port fits a 3.7 mm VASER probe?

The Ø4.0 mm port. If you will follow the probe with a 4.6 mm VentX cannula through the same incision, choose the Ø5.0 mm port so both instruments pass.

Does a skin port replace wet towels and pulsed mode?

No. The original VASER pilot used skin ports together with wet towels around the ports, and most investigators worked in pulsed mode. A port protects the incision edge; the other measures manage heat in the surrounding skin.

Why size the port for the cannula rather than the probe?

In VASER cases the probe emulsifies first and a VentX cannula aspirates afterwards, usually through the same incision. The port has to take the larger of the two.

Has Exo-Port been tested in a clinical study?

No. The studies cited here used other port protection methods. None of them tested Exo-Port.

Sizing Guide · Order a sample pack ($75) · Evidence summary · Instructions for Use

Sources

Hoyos AE, Prendergast PM. VASER technology for ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty. In: High Definition Body Sculpting. Springer; 2014.
Hoyos AE, Millard JA. VASER-assisted high-definition liposculpture. Aesthet Surg J. 2007;27(6):594–604. doi:10.1016/j.asj.2007.08.007
Massignan F. Evaluation of the safety of VASER™ in liposuction surgery to improve body contour. Rev Bras Cir Plást. 2019;34(4):458–467. doi:10.5935/2177-1235.2019RBCP0225
Jewell ML, Fodor PB, de Souza Pinto EB, Al Shammari MA. Clinical application of VASER-assisted lipoplasty: a pilot clinical study. Aesthet Surg J. 2002;22(2):131–146. doi:10.1067/maj.2002.123377
Ablaza VJ, et al. Tissue temperatures during ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1998;102(2):534–542. doi:10.1097/00006534-199808000-00039
Perry LC, Maxwell GP. Skin protector for ultrasonic-assisted liposuction and accessories. US Patent 5,865,810; 2 Feb 1999.
U.S. FDA Global Unique Device Identification Database (AccessGUDID): VASER probe listings, Solta Medical.

VASER® and VentX are trademarks of their respective owner. Exo-Port and CLINIMED are not affiliated with the owner of these trademarks. Intended for healthcare professionals; not medical advice. Always follow the Exo-Port Instructions for Use.