Liposuction

Liposuction is a plastic surgery procedure that removes extra fat from the body. It’s also called lipo, lipoplasty, or body contouring. It’s considered a popular cosmetic surgery option.

People get liposuction to improve the shape or contours of their body. They want to remove excess fat from areas such as the thighs, hips, buttocks, abdomen, arms, neck, or back. Usually, they’ve tried diet and exercise and can’t get rid of these fat deposits.

Liposuction isn’t a weight loss treatment. It has serious risks and possible complications, so it’s important to talk to your doctor before considering it.

A plastic or dermatologic surgeon usually does the procedure on your hips, belly, thighs, buttocks, back, arms, or face to improve their shape. However, liposuction can also be done with other plastic surgeries, including facelifts, breast reductions, and tummy tucks.

Liposuction requires going under anesthesia for the procedure. This means that you won’t feel any pain during the liposuction surgery. However, you’ll feel pain after the procedure. Recovery can also be painful.

Depending on what parts of the body require liposuction, you may have a shorter or longer hospital stay. Some procedures can be done in an outpatient center. It’s common to have pain, swelling, bruising, soreness, and numbness after liposuction.

If you don’t have a lot of excess skin, have good skin elasticity, good muscle tone or, fat deposits that won’t go away with diet or exercise, if you are in good physical shape and overall health, aren’t overweight or obese, and if you don’t smoke,; you are a good candidate for liposuction.

If you have chronic health problems, smoker, have a weak immune system, are overweight, have saggy skin, have a history of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or seizures, and if you take medications that can increase the risk of bleeding, such as blood thinners, you have to think twice for liposuction for your health.

There are just a few different liposuction techniques. What they all have in common is the use of a thin tube, called a cannula, connected to a vacuum to suction the fat from your body.

Tumescent liposuction is the most common technique. Your surgeon injects a sterile solution into the area where the fat is to be removed. It consists of saline – which is salt water – along with lidocaine and epinephrine. The solution makes it easier to suction the fat with less blood loss and pain.

Ultrasound-assisted liposuction, or UAL, uses sound wave energy under your skin to rupture the cell walls of the fat. This liquefies the fat so it can be suctioned out.

Laser-assisted liposuction, or SmartLipo, uses a laser to produce a burst of energy to liquefy the fat.