Liposuction

Liposuction

Posted by in Body, Weight Loss

What is Liposuction? Also known as lipoplasty, liposuction slims and reshapes specific areas of the body by removing excess fat deposits, improving your body contours and proportion, and ultimately, enhancing your self-image.

In some cases, liposuction is performed alone, in other cases it is used with plastic surgery procedures such as a facelift, breast reduction or a tummy tuck.

The procedure is popular for both men and women.

Surgery Length: 30 Minutes – 4 Hours
Anesthesia: Intravenous Sedation or General Anesthesia
Hospital Stay: —
Stay in Thailand: —
Recovery: 5 – 10 Days
Procedure Cost: —

What Liposuction Can Do

Liposuction slims and reshapes specific areas of the body by removing excess fat deposits, improving your body contours and proportion, and ultimately, enhancing your self-image.

Liposuction techniques may be used to reduce localized fat deposits of the:

  • Thighs
  • Hips and buttocks
  • Abdomen and waist
  • Upper arms
  • Back
  • Inner knee
  • Chest area
  • Cheeks, chin and neck
  • Calves and ankles

What it won’t do: Liposuction is not a treatment for obesity or a substitute for proper diet and exercise. It is also not an effective treatment for cellulite, the dimpled skin that typically appears on the thighs, hips and buttocks, or loose saggy skin.

Best Candidates for Liposuction

Ideal candidates for liposuction are:

  • Adults within 30% of their ideal weight who have firm, elastic skin and good muscle tone
  • Healthy individuals who do not have a life-threatening illness or medical conditions that can impair healing
  • Non-smokers
  • Individuals with a positive outlook and specific goals in mind for body contouring

Is Liposuction Right for Me?

If you are bothered by excess fat deposits – located anywhere on your body – that don’t respond to diet or exercise, liposuction may be right for you.

Preparing for Liposuction

The success and safety of your liposuction procedure depends very much on your complete candidness during your consultation. You’ll be asked a number of questions about your health, desires and lifestyle.

Prior to surgery, you may be asked to:

  • Get lab testing or a medical evaluation
  • Take certain medications or adjust your current medications
  • Stop smoking well in advance of surgery
  • Avoid taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs and herbal supplements as they can increase bleeding

Special instructions you receive will cover:

  • What to do on the day of surgery
  • The use of anesthesia during your liposuction
  • Post-operative care and follow-up

Your plastic surgeon will also discuss where your procedure will be performed. Liposuction may be performed in an accredited office-based surgical center, outpatient or ambulatory surgical center, or a hospital.

If your liposuction is performed on an outpatient basis, be sure to arrange for someone to drive you to and from surgery and to stay with you for at least the first night following surgery

Liposuction Surgery Overview

Liposuction Surgery Techniques

There are three common variations to the procedure:

Anesthesia

Medications are administered for your comfort during the surgical procedures. The choices include intravenous sedation and general anesthesia. Your doctor will recommend the best choice for you.

The Incision

Liposuction is performed through small, inconspicuous incisions.

First, sterile liquid solution is infused to reduce bleeding and trauma. Then a thin hollow tube, or cannula, is inserted through these incisions to loosen excess fat using a controlled back and forth motion.

The dislodged fat is then suctioned out of the body using a surgical vacuum or syringe attached to the cannula.

Liposuction Surgery Results

Your improved body contour will be apparent when the swelling and fluid retention commonly experienced following liposuction subside.

It may take several months for this swelling to fully dissipate. But as it does, your new contours and enhanced self-image should continue to develop.

With continued practices of healthy diet and fitness, the loss of excess fatty tissue should be permanently maintained. However, substantial weight gain can alter an otherwise permanent result.

A special note: Secondary procedures may sometimes be recommended to reduce excess skin. Special considerations are needed when large amounts – usually more than 5 liters of fat – are suctioned.

Will There be Scars?

There will be small scars, however the incisions generally made to perform liposuction are very inconspicuous.

Liposuction Surgery Recovery

Once your procedure is completed, a compression garment or elastic bandages may cover treatment areas. These help to control swelling and compress the skin to your new body contours.

In addition, small temporary drains may be placed in existing incisions beneath the skin to remove any excess blood or fluid.

The recovery period for most patients who have undergone liposuction is relatively quick, ranging between 5 – 10 days.

You will be given specific instructions that may include: How to care for the surgical site(s), medications to apply or take orally to aid healing and reduce the potential for infection, specific concerns to look for at the surgical site or in your general health, and when to follow up with your plastic surgeon.

Be sure to ask your plastic surgeon specific questions about what you can expect during your individual recovery period:

  • Where will I be taken after my surgery is complete?
  • What medication will I be given or prescribed after surgery?
  • Will I have dressings/bandages after surgery?
  • When will they be removed?
  • Are stitches removed? When?
  • When can I resume normal activity and exercise?
  • When do I return for follow-up care?

When You Return Home

If you experience shortness of breath, chest pains, or unusual heart beats, seek medical attention immediately. Should any of these complications occur, you may require hospitalization and additional treatment.

The practice of medicine and surgery is not an exact science. Although good results are expected, there is no guarantee. In some situations, it may not be possible to achieve optimal results with a single surgical procedure and another surgery may be necessary.

Following your physician’s instructions is key to the success of your surgery. It is important that the surgical incisions are not subjected to excessive force, swelling, abrasion, or motion during the time of healing. Your doctor will give you specific instructions on how to care for yourself.

Possible Risks of Liposuction Surgery

The decision to have liposuction is extremely personal and you’ll have to decide if the benefits will achieve your goals and if the risks and potential complications are acceptable.

Your plastic surgeon and/or staff will explain in detail the risks associated with surgery. You will be asked to sign consent forms to ensure that you fully understand the procedure you will undergo and any risks or potential complications.

Possible risks of liposuction include:

  • Uneven contours
  • Rippling or loose skin
  • Skin or nerve damage
  • Irregular pigmentation
  • Infection
  • Fat clots
  • Blood clots
  • Excessive fluid loss or fluid accumulation
  • Unfavorable scarring
  • Thermal burn or heat injury from ultrasound with the ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty technique
  • Anesthesia risks
  • Bleeding (hematoma)
  • Change in skin sensation
  • Skin discoloration or swelling
  • Asymmetry
  • Pain, which may persist
  • Damage to deeper structures such as nerves, blood vessels, muscles, lungs, and abdominal organs
  • Poor wound healing
  • Persistent swelling in the legs
  • Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications
  • Possibility of revisional surgery

These risks and others will be fully discussed prior to your consent. It is important that you address all your questions directly with your plastic surgeon.

Note: It’s very important to ask your plastic surgeon questions about your liposuction procedure. It’s natural to feel some anxiety, whether it’s excitement for your anticipated new look or a bit of preoperative stress. Don’t be shy about discussing these feelings with your plastic surgeon.

Liposuction Terms and Definitions

  • Breast reduction: Also known as reduction mammaplasty, reduction of breast size by surgery.
  • Cannula: A thin, hollow tube used during liposuction to loosen excess fat.
  • Facelift: A surgical procedure, also known as rhytidectomy, to reduce sagging of the mid-face, jowls and neck.
  • General anesthesia: Drugs and/or gases used during an operation to relieve pain and alter consciousness.
  • Hematoma: Blood pooling beneath the skin.

    • Intravenous sedation: Sedatives administered by injection into a vein to help you relax.

  • Lipoplasty: Another term for liposuction. Liposuction: Also called lipoplasty or suction lipectomy, this procedure vacuums out fat from beneath the skin’s surface to reduce fullness.
  • Local anesthesia: A drug injected directly to the site of an incision during an operation to relieve pain.
  • Suction lipectomy: Another term for liposuction.
  • Sutures: Stitches used by surgeons to hold skin and tissue together.

    • Tumescent or super-wet liposuction: Involves an infusion of saline solution with adrenaline and possibly anesthetic prior to removal of excess fat.

  • Tummy tuck: A surgical procedure, also known as abdominoplasty, to correct the apron of excess skin hanging over your abdomen.
  • Ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty: Uses ultrasonic energy to liquefy excess fat prior to surgical suctioning.

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