Liposuction Overview

Liposuction (lipoplasty, fat modeling) is one of the most popular cosmetic surgical procedures available to men and women today. It is a body sculpting technique that removes stubborn fat deposits and can be carried out on almost any part of the body.

Liposuction body procedures are in no way limited. Some people choose to remove small amounts of fat from their face or large amounts of fat from their abdomen and thighs. Liposuction employs an aspirator (suction device) and a cannula (hollow tube) to remove the fat.

Liposuction is often done at the same time as other plastic surgery procedures such as breast reduction, tummy tuck or face lift. It is not a weight loss surgery but a method of fat removal that can give your body slimmer contours. You need to be close to your ideal weight in order to be a good candidate for liposuction. Patients should also be healthy and secure individuals.

Since liposuction first started being carried out 20 years ago, the procedure has been refined and various liposuction techniques have been developed. The technique used on a patient will depend on how much fat they want removed and the body location they want it removed from.

Although liposuction is a common cosmetic surgery, it can still be a rather expensive one. More and more patients are choosing to travel overseas for treatment because the cost of liposuction abroad is more inexpensive.

Patients can combine treatment with an amazing holiday and save money. Many facilities cater for their medical tourists by offering them attractive packages that include transport, accommodation, treatment and aftercare.

Liposuction can help an individual achieve the silhouette they desire but it will not dramatically change their whole body shape. Patients need to exercise regularly and eat well to maintain the results of liposuction.

It is important to have realistic expectations of this treatment and what it can and can’t do for you. Save in mind that the complete results of your liposuction will not be obvious for a few weeks and can even take a couple of months. However, you will be able to resume your regular life before this time.

A Good Candidate for Liposuction

The correct reason for wanting to have this treatment is necessary because liposuction is something that requires careful consideration. When you first go for your consultation with a plastic surgeon, he or she will explain the procedure to you and make sure you understand the entire process.

The surgeon will also try to establish if you are a good candidate for liposuction by making sure you understand and accept the liposuction risks and side effects. To be a good candidate for liposuction you need to have realistic expectations of what this treatment can help achieve for you. You must understand that liposuction is not a weight loss treatment but a body sculpting method. You also need to be close to your ideal weight and more concerned with targeting specific fat deposits.

As you approach the liposuction procedure, you should have lost most of the weight you wanted to. Your weight should have been stable for at least six months before treatment.

Obese and overweight patients cannot undergo liposuction. They are at surgically risks and there are limits to the amount of fat that can be removed from an individual. Men and women are both good candidates for liposuction but women tend to have softer, less fibrous fat deposits that make them easier to remove.

Old and young individuals are good candidates for liposuction as long as they have elastic skin. Older patients may not be operated on because liposuction will leave them with saggy and loose skin. Younger patients need to be at least 18 and emotionally mature enough to have treatment.

A person wanting treatment for cellulite or stretch marks is not a good candidate for liposuction because this treatment will not give them the results they desire. Indeed, patients with these conditions may experience drastic conflicting results.

You need to be a healthy, non-smoking individual on a healthy diet and exercises regularly. Patients with particular conditions such as diabetes, heart or lung disease will not be good candidates because it is dangerous. Patients on medications that may affect their treatment or liposuction recovery may have to explore alternatives.

A good candidate for liposuction is emotionally stable and does not have severe body image issues. The surgeon needs to know that you want treatment for the right reasons and are not doing it because of pressure from people around you.

Areas of the Body for Liposuction

Men and women approach liposuction differently. The liposuction body area procedures that women choose to focus on include: abdomen, breasts, hips, thighs, arms, buttocks and parts of their face.

The liposuction body area procedures that men tend to focus on include: abdomen, flanks, breasts (male breast reduction) and parts of their face.

Types of Liposuction Body Area:

Abdominal Liposuction Both men and women endure abdominal liposuction. It is usually carried out in conjunction with a tummy tuck or abdominal etching. Generally, this liposuction body area procedure is easier to perform on women because the abdominal fat is softer and less fibrous than a man.

Leg and Ankle Liposuction Fat around your legs and ankles is particularly difficult to get rid of. This is because it is usually a result of your genes and not necessarily acquired by putting on weight. If you find that dieting and exercise does not help remove the fat in this area, superficial liposuction is a good way to target leg and ankle fat deposits.

Arm Liposuction This liposuction body procedure is particularly common amongst women. Women are often concerned that their arms look too fat and saggy. Rather than getting an arm lift which can leave behind unpleasant scars, they choose to get arm liposuction. Plastic surgeons remove fat from the entire circumference of the arm rather than just certain areas. This leads to a more natural result.

Back Liposuction Some Individuals have fat deposits on different parts of their back. Liposuction is carried out on these areas. Plastic surgeons have to be very careful with this liposuction body procedure because too much or too little can easily lead to irregularities.

Female Breast Liposuction Breast reduction is carried out on women with large breasts and usually involves a combination of liposuction and surgery. Women who have large fat deposits in their breasts (rather than excess breast tissue) can choose to get female breast liposuction.

Male Breast Liposuction Male breast reduction is a plastic surgery procedure that also involves a combination of liposuction and surgery. If a man has more fatty tissue than glandular tissue in his breast area, he can undergo male breast liposuction. If he has the condition gynecomastia, traditional surgery is introduced.

Buttock Liposuction This particular liposuction body area procedure uses a small cannula so that the results are smooth and accurate. Buttock liposuction targets fat deposits in the buttock area but it does not lift the buttocks – that is another plastic surgery procedure called a buttock lift.

Face and Neck Liposuction Some men and women feel that they have fat deposits around their face and on their neck. This type of liposuction targets these smaller areas using tiny cannulas and can be an alternative to the traditional face lift, which is a much more invasive procedure.

Male Flank Liposuction Men desiring a more streamlined profile choose this liposuction body area to target their ‘love handles.’ One of the problems with male flank liposuction is that men tend to have very fibrous fat which is much harder to remove than soft fat.

Thigh Liposuction Thigh liposuction is very popular with women and relatively easy to carry out because of the large deposits of soft fat in the area. Too much fat removal is not recommended because it results in awkward looking irregularities. Liposuction is often performed around the knees as well so that the contours are continued. Thigh liposuction is usually carried out in stages so leg swelling can be avoided.

Liposuction Procedure

Liposuction has come a long way since it was first developed. The liposuction techniques available today are incredibly diverse and can give amazing results. When you first have a consultation with a plastic surgeon he will ensure that you are a good candidate for liposuction and then discuss which technique might be best for you.

The following is a list of common liposuction techniques categorized by the amount of fluid injected and the liposuction mechanism.

AMOUNT OF FLUID INJECTED

Dry Liposuction: This liposuction technique is not used anymore because it is considered too dangerous. It was the earliest form of liposuction and did not involve any liquid injection into the body. Dry liposuction often led to significant amounts of blood loss.

Wet Liposuction: An amount of fluid that is less than the total amount of fat to be removed is injected into the area to be treated. This liposuction technique requires general anesthetic.

Super Wet Liposuction: This liposuction technique requires the patient to be under general anesthetic. The amount of fluid injected into the fat deposit is equal to the amount of fat to be removed.

Tumescent Liposuction: This liposuction technique does not require general anesthetic thus making it much safer. A large volume of diluted local anesthetic and capillary constrictor (epinephrine) is injected into the fat deposit before the fat is suctioned out. The amount of liquid injected is greater than the amount of fat that will be removed.

Laser Assisted Liposuction: Laser assisted liposuction, also known as laser lipolysis and liposculpture is considered to be a relatively safe and gentle process. It is a new liposuction technique that basically uses a laser to melt the fat which is then drained or suctioned away.

LIPOSUCTION MECHANISM

Suction Assisted Liposuction: During suction assisted liposuction, a cannula or microcannula is inserted into a small incision that was made above the fat deposit. The surgeon then uses the cannula or microcannula to break up the fat cells before suctioning them out with the aspirator.

Ultrasound Assisted Liposuction: This liposuction technique is particularly useful for removing fibrous fat deposits such as those found in male patients. The cannula transmits ultrasound vibrations into the fat cells and liquefies them before they are suctioned out with the aspirator.

Power Assisted Liposuction: Similar to the ultrasound assisted liposuction explained above but uses a cannula that has mechanized movement so the surgeon can manually break up the fat cells without complications.

Twin Cannula Assisted Liposuction: As the name suggests, there are two cannulas used in this liposuction technique: one cannula is fitted inside the other. The benefit of this is that the internal cannula carries out the suction while the outer insulates the inner by not allowing heat to get through to the body. Friction burns are greatly decreased when this type of cannula is used.

External Ultrasound Assisted Liposuction: External ultrasound is applied to the area to be treated in order to break up the fat cells. They are then removed by a regular cannula. This liposuction technique is relatively new so the information available is still quite limited.

Water Assisted Liposuction: This liposuction technique does not require general anesthetic. A pressured jet of saline (salt solution) is employed to dislodge fat cells before both water and fat cells are suctioned away. Liposuction recovery is thought to be fast and painless.

Risks and Side Effects of Liposuction

There are a number of liposuction risks and side effects that you need to be aware of before having surgery. Your plastic surgeon will explain these to you at one of your initial consultations and make sure you are a good candidate for liposuction. He will also talk to you about the things that you need to do before the treatment and while you are recovering from liposuction in order to minimize complications.

Fortunately, the liposuction techniques available today have been refined significantly since liposuction was first carried out. It is now considered a relatively safe procedure and patients are much more informed about what is involved. Nonetheless, every cosmetic surgery needs to be carefully considered and liposuction is no exception.

The following is a list of liposuction risks and side effects

Liposuction Risks and Side Effects – During Surgery

• Too much liposuction at one time (body can’t handle the trauma)
• Liposuction procedures carried out close together (body needs a chance to recover)
• Infection, bleeding, skin ulcerations and nerve injury
• Skin necrosis (common in smokers)
• Adverse reaction to the anesthetic (both local and general)
• Injury to abdominal organs during abdominal liposuction
• Blood clotting
• Migration of fat clots to other organs

Liposuction Risks and Side Effects – After Surgery

• Bruising, swelling and numbness
• Skin irregularities, dimpling and wrinkling (when too much fat is removed)
• Contour irregularities (too much or too little fat is removed from certain areas)
• Some parts of your body may look awkward in relation to the rest of your body after liposuction.
• Saggy skin (this can be removed with another procedure later)
• Scarring and/or change in skin pigmentation
• Fluid accumulation
• Patient unhappy with their results

Recovery from Liposuction

Your liposuction recovery will depend on a number of factors. If your liposuction body area procedure was small then it will take you a shorter time to recover. If you had a larger number of areas treated it will probably take you longer to recover. In general, however, you should be able to start moving around within a couple of days and be back at work within 1-2 weeks. The results of your liposuction can be seen at 4-6 weeks, while full liposuction recovery takes 2-3 months.

The liposuction recovery starts as soon as you get out of surgery. For the first few hours you will feel light headed and possibly nauseous as a result of the anesthetic. That is why you need to stay in the hospital and be monitored. It is best if you arrange someone to take you home and even look after you for a few days.

Some of the most common liposuction risks and side effects include pain, swelling, numbness or bleeding. You will experience these during these during your liposuction recovery but can take medication to alleviate some of the discomfort. Elevating the treated areas can help to reduce swelling.

To prevent excess fluid from building up after liposuction, your plastic surgeon will insert drainage tubes into the incisions that were made. You will feel fluid draining from these tubes for the first few days after surgery. This fluid will decrease shortly and the tubes will be removed at your first scheduled check- up.

Your plastic surgeon will have discussed the use of a compression garment during one of your initial consultations. This compression garment is used to control swelling after surgery and help your body adjust to its new shape. You will probably have to wear it for the first few weeks of your liposuction recovery.

It is a good idea to start moving around once you feel you are able to. This prevents blood clots from forming and keeps you healthy. You can also have your first shower at this time. Although you are typically more active on a daily basis, you need to relax and take it slow as your body is healing. Try to avoid any strenuous activity or things that may unnecessarily increase your blood pressure.

One of the most important things you will have to do during your liposuction recovery is deeply massaging the treated area. You can start doing this a few days after surgery with some moisturizer. The goal of massaging is to avoid the dimpling and wrinkling of skin that can potentially occur. You will need to massage the affected areas 3 times a day for about 6 weeks.

While you are recovering from liposuction you will need to pay attention to your body and make sure nothing unexpected is occurring. Be sure to let your plastic surgeon know if you are concerned about anything. Most of all, just rest, relax and recover.

Costs of Liposuction

Ultimately, it is the cost of liposuction without compromising excellent health care that will help you make your final decision.

Factors Affecting the Cost of Liposuction

-The body area that is going to be treated and the size of it, smaller areas are cheaper while larger areas are more expensive

-The size of the patient. A larger patient will require more work than a smaller patient

-Surgeon fees. These can vary widely from clinic to clinic and country to country

-Anesthesiologist’s fees. An additional fee that varies as almost as much as the surgeon’s fees

-Hospital or clinic costs. These are related to their individual overhead costs and translate into more or less for the patient-

-Pre-operative tests and aftercare. Your liposuction recovery and preparation are often considered part of the procedure.

In countries such as the United States or United Kingdom, liposuction can be very expensive. Prices can range from $3,100 to $6,000 for a small area.

When you compare this to the cost of liposuction abroad in places such as Turkey, Mexico and Spain, the potential savings are enormous. The cost of liposuction in these places ranges from $600 to $3,000.

You ultimately spend less than you would back home and you get to have a wonderful holiday at the same time. You can use your liposuction recovery to take that break you have been holding out for or explore a new city.

You don’t have to spend all of your time at the hospital; this is your time to enjoy yourself and relax. Most clinics even help suggest places you could go and things you can do. Click on any one of the clinics that offer this treatment and get a free quote for the cost of liposuction!