Liposuction is also referred as liposculpture or suction assisted lipectomy, is a technique to remove unwanted fat from your body. The unsightly distribution of body fat is usually due to genetically factors, to deposit fat in one specific area of your body, most commonly is the hips. Other areas for fat deposits are; the neck, arms, tummy, loins, thighs, inner side of the knees and the ankles.
Fat cells are believed not to be regenerated in adult life: the fat removal by liposuction will give you a permanent weight change.
It is important to note, a liposuction process is not a treatment for obesity. It is determined how amount of fat that can be removed from a localised area, the considered safe limit is (maximum of 3 litres) and a natural limitation when no further fat can be removed. Therefore it is not possible to slim down an area as much as you want. For a new treatment on same area can not be done before after six months. Where the skin is inelastic and loose, Liposuction will tend to leave the skin more loose, and you can be recommended a skin excision to out correct this, either at the same time as the liposuction, or as a second procedure. This is most likely in the abdomen, after pregnancy or weight loss, the buttocks or the neck. Please also note that dimples and wrinkles of the skin, sometimes called cellulite will not be improved by liposuction.
What happens before the Liposuction Procedure?
The patient should avoid aspirin and blood-thinning medications medicine for 2 weeks before the operation. You should take iron if you are anaemic. Your surgeon will recommend you to stop taking the birth control pills if the liposuction is going to be extensive, perhaps involving skin removing. If you are a smoker you should stop smoking 4-6 weeks before the operation.
The liposuction most frequently performed cosmetic plastic surgery in the world, and it has high success rate, but it has own risk and complications as other surgeries. Your surgeon will give you all details about potential complications and risks during your consultation.
What happens during the Liposuction Surgery?
The procedure is usually performed under general anaesthesia, this is a one day case, but in some cases of multiple site liposuction, may require you need stay over a night. An epidural is an alternative for the lower part of the body, but a local anaesthetic, is only possible for small area liposuction.
The liposuction technique involves inserting a cannula (narrow metal tube) through a small incision. The cannula is connected to a strong vacuum pump. The process removes fat from tunnels leaving the small blood vessels and nerves intact. The skin will then retract.
There are some minor different techniques. Some surgeons prefer to inject solution in to the area (wet or tumescent technique). Suction is usually performed with a powerful vacuum machine, but it is sometimes perfectly adequate to use a simple syringe for small areas. Ultrasound performed lipectomy is another variant fat removing surgery.
What happens after the Liposuction Surgery?
You need to use pain relief medicine for a day or two, then you need to take a control visit to your surgeon for 7-10 days after surgery to remove stitches.
The surgeon will recommend you wear a snug pressure garment or corset around the treated area for couple of weeks after the surgery. This is to reduce swelling, but you can take it off while you take a shower and etc. or indeed when the garment itself needs to be cleaned.
After the surgery considerable bruising will occur and it will uncomfortable and painful sometimes: the larger the area is treated, bigger bruising will be visible. For some people get bruise more easily than other people, but the discoloration of bruising will last for about a month, but the lumpiness and swelling of deep bruising can take up to six months to disappear, particularly when the abdomen or ankles have been treated.
The swelling can take a long time it disappears, and you may not see the benefits of liposuction up to six months. A greyish stripe can discolour the skin for several months and may be seen when the ankles have been treated even this happens very infrequent. If you have a tendency to be anaemic, or a large area have been treated, it can be necessary for you to take iron tablets for a month. You can expect some numbness in the treated skin which may lasts for several months.
You will get small scars, as a 1.0 to 2.0 centimetres long, of the insertion of the suction cannula. There is a small risk for some people, these scars stay red for a while. But the scars are normally located in less visible places.
You will just need few days to get back to work on small area treatments. But on larger areas may necessary with 7 to 10 days to get back to work. Your plastic surgeon will advise about what activities are permitted during the recovery period.