Liposuction

What Is Liposuction?
Liposuction is a surgical procedure to remove unwanted fat cells, permanently. It is a contouring procedure that removes inches in specifically defined areas to achieve a more proportional look among your physical features as well as greater self-confidence.

Who Should Get Liposuction?
Optimum results are typically achieved in patients with good skin tone, who are at or near their ideal weight, but who are bothered by pockets of excess fat that remain despite regular exercise and good nutrition. Surgery is not intended as a means of weight reduction, and it cannot correct conditions of the skin, such as stretch marks or "cellulite." The best candidates for liposuction should be physically healthy, psychologically stable and realistic in your expectations. Your age is not a major consideration; however, older patients may have diminished skin elasticity and may not achieve the same results as a younger patient with tighter skin.

How does it work?
During the past decade, liposuction, which is also known as "lipoplasty" or "suction lipectomy," has benefited from several new refinements. Today, a number of new techniques, including ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty (UAL), the tumescent technique, and the super-wet technique, are helping many plastic surgeons to provide selected patients with more precise results and quicker recovery times. Although no type of liposuction is a substitute for dieting and exercise, liposuction can remove stubborn areas of fat that don't respond to traditional weight-loss methods.

The Procedure
Liposuction takes 1 to 3 hours, depending on the extent of fat removal, and is performed on an outpatient basis under general anesthesia. Several small incisions, approximately one-half inch in length, are strategically placed in the area(s) to be contoured. A slim, hollow tube, called a cannula, is inserted through each incision. The cannula is maneuvered back and forth to loosen the desired amount of deeper-layer fat, which is then suctioned out by a vacuum-pressure machine attached to the opposite end of the device. Liposuction is typically performed by means of either the ultrasonic or the tumescent technique. Under the former, a cannula with a heated tip is used to help liquefy the fat for easier removal. With the safer, more widely used tumescent technique, saline is injected to replenish body fluid and loosen fat for more efficient removal.

Recovery
The few surface sutures used to close the incisions are removed in about a week. Swelling, bruising, numbness and/or a mild burning sensation are common and may persist for a few weeks to several months. A compression garment must be worn during this time to minimize these aftereffects and enable the skin to conform to its new contour.

Following liposuction, the treated area(s) may feel sore and achy. For the most part, however, discomfort is minimal and easily controlled with rest, elevation of the legs for the first 48 to 72 hours, and pain medication. Sedentary work and light activity often may be resumed within a few days of surgery. Strenuous activity entailing moderate to heavy lifting and bending typically can be resumed within two to three weeks.

Despite the comparatively easy recovery liposuction affords, do not expect to see results immediately. With the tumescent technique, you will, in fact, weight more initially. It may be four to six months before residual swelling disappears and you see your final result.