liposuction

Liposuction Overview

Liposuction—or lipoplasty, as it’s also known—removes excess fat deposits and creates a slimmer, smoother, more streamlined physique. It’s an effective treatment for people who have a disproportionate amount of fat in a specific spot that is resistant to diet and exercise.

You may choose to undergo liposuction on its own, or use it along with another cosmetic procedure. For instance, it’s very common to have some liposuction at the same time as a tummy tuck.

A successful liposuction treatment can have a transformative effect on the patient’s silhouette and self-esteem.

This procedure is for you if…

• You are in good overall health
• You are of average or above-average weight, but not obese
• You have firm, elastic skin
• You have a healthy diet and exercise regularly
• You have stubborn areas of fat that won’t budge

You can expect these results:

Liposuction can improve a patient’s silhouette significantly because it doesn’t just remove fat, it sculpts the remaining fat to achieve smoother, more attractive contours. After liposuction you will enjoy a sleeker, more toned and proportioned figure. Because the fat cells don’t grow back, you can also expect the results to be permanent.

What happens during liposuction?

Liposuction may be performed as an outpatient procedure at a clinic, or it may require an overnight hospital stay, depending on the amount of fat being removed during the treatment.

For the removal of smaller fat deposits, you may be given a local anesthetic, but for more involved procedures, your surgeon will administer general anesthetic.

During the procedure, a thin, stainless steel instrument called a cannula is inserted into fatty areas between the skin and muscle through small incisions made by the surgeon. The excess fat is removed with a suction pump or large syringe attached to the cannula. In some cases, lasers or ultrasound are used to help liquefy the fat for easier removal. The length of time required for the procedure will depend on the amount of fat being removed.

The recovery process

After the surgery, you’ll need someone to bring you home and take care of you for a couple of days. Your surgeon may have inserted a drain in the area that was treated to prevent fluids from building up, and you may also have been fitted with a compression garment.

With minor liposuction, you can return to work within a couple of days, but if the fat removal was more substantial, it could take up to two weeks.

Understanding the risks:

All surgical procedures involve some risk, but liposuction has an excellent safety record. Risks are rare, but include infection and skin discoloration.