Liposuction Surgery Overview

Liposuction is one of the most popular forms of cosmetic surgery for both men and women. It can help you reshape your body and remove those last pockets of fat that have resisted all your diet and exercise efforts. It can give you the figure you've always wanted.

However, liposuction is not a weight-loss surgery. It should not be used to remove large amounts of fat; more than 6 or so pounds of fat in one session, according to most accepted guidelines. Most good plastic surgeons will not perform liposuction on someone who is not within 15% of his or her ideal body weight.

Liposuction Types

Liposuction can be done to remove fat in many areas of the body, including the torso, thighs, upper arms, chest, and under the chin. However, the fat removed is subcutaneous fat, the fat that is just under the skin in the body. Fat that is in the abdominal cavity (visceral fat) should not be safely removed with liposuction because there is too great a risk of puncturing or damaging a vital organ.

There are many different liposuction techniques. In most forms of liposuction, a surgeon first injects a solution of saline and medications into the area to be treated. He or she makes several small incisions in the skin and inserts a thin metal tube that is attached to a suction device through these incisions. This tube is called a cannula and the surgeon moves it back and forth and in a fan pattern to break up the fat, which is then suctioned out.

Most of the variations of liposuction differ in how much fluid the surgeon injects. The most commonly performed type of liposuction today is tumescent liposuction, where a great deal of fluid is injected. Because of this, the tissues are swollen or tumescent. The fluid helps anesthetize and also reduces the risk of bleeding because it contains a painkiller and a drug to constrict blood vessels. Other techniques are called dry (actually, a little solution is injected), wet, and super-wet liposuction, but tumescent liposuction used the most solution.

Other liposuction techniques involve ultrasonic vibrations or lasers in addition to the cannula breaking up the fat and the suction device removing it. Ultrasonic sound waves can be delivered to the treatment site either through the skin from above or from the cannula. However, this method does carry some risk of burns from the ultrasonic energy. Laser liposuction uses a cannula that delivers a laser beam to the treatment site through the cannula.

Most liposuction is performed on an outpatient basis and under either general anesthesia or intravenous sedation, where you are very drowsy and relaxed. It can be done in a hospital or in a freestanding clinic, although some surgeons perform liposuction in a special surgical room in their offices.

After liposuction, you must wear a tight compression garment to help with healing. This garment is rather like a girdle. You can usually go back to work a week after liposuction, but should abstain from serious exercise or sports for a few weeks longer.

Disclaimers