Liposuction surgery is a procedure that uses a suction technology to remove fat from your body during a process that contours and shapes your figure. The best candidates for liposuction have concentrations of fat in particular areas that aren’t easy to remove. Generally, to be considered for liposuction surgery, you’ll have a stable weight and be looking for contouring rather than weight loss. Liposuction is not an ideal way to lose weight – it is far better to use a procedure like gastric bypass or just traditional weight loss procedures if you’re looking to get to a healthy weight.
Why Choose Liposuction Surgery
Liposuction surgery is used to remove fat from an area where there is a fatty deposit that is resistant to diet and exercise. For example, if you have fatty deposits under your chin or in your lower abdomen, liposuction can remove the double chin or help flatten your pouch on the tummy. Traditional areas of liposuction include the abdomen – in particular the lower abdomen as well as the neck, thighs, buttocks, chest, back and upper arms. Liposuction can be used to reduce the size of breasts as well.
In many cases liposuction may be the only way to actually remove fat in a particular area. Gaining weight causes fat cells to grow and then expand. Once they have been produced, the fat cells don’t disappear again, although they can shrink if you lose weight. Liposuction actually removes the fat cells from a particular area making that particular area smoother and more defined as well as helping to prevent new development of fat in that particular area. So long as your weight stays stable, liposuction surgery produces permanent results in a particular area.
Risks for Liposuction Surgery
Liposuction surgery isn’t for everyone, and if you’re considering the procedure you need to be aware of possibilities related to the surgery.
Some possible side effects, which aren’t actually dangerous but rather frustrating, can be loose skin in the area where you had treatment. Skin is naturally very elastic and can normally shrink back into position once you lose weight. Losing fat in a particular area very quickly, which is what happens during liposuction surgery, your skin might not be able to adjust in time leaving you with loose skin over the area where the fat was removed.
There is also a possibility of seeing irregularities under your skin if the fat was not removed smoothly under the skin. If you have good elasticity in your skin, the skin will appear smooth over the treated area. But if your skin is lacking elasticity, it’s possibly that the skin will showcase the same conditions that were there previously including cellulite dimples or stretch marks. Liposuction does not remove either of these things.
Greater risks of liposuction surgery include any number of other possibilities – some more serious in a health regard than others. The possibility of risks increases as the surgeon works on larger sections on the body. The more areas of the body he is targeting with the liposuction surgery, the greater the possibility of a complication.
Infection – As with any surgery where there is open flesh that may come in contact with bacteria, liposuction surgery does carry the risk of infection. Infections from liposuction surgery are very rare, but they can occur.
Contour problems – once you’ve had liposuction surgery, it’s possible that your loose skin might appear to be bumpy or even lumpy thanks to the uneven fat distribution under the surface. If the cannula that is used to remove fat during the process damaged tissue, you may have spots on your skin as well. The withered look that the uneven fat removal can cause is generally considered to be permanent or may require a follow up procedure to improve.
Punctures – Some punctures are normal and simply a part of the procedure when you’re undergoing liposuction surgery. Of course, there is also the risk that the cannula that is being used as a straw-like vacuum might hit other areas of the body as well causing an internal injury or puncture. If this occurs, emergency surgical repair may be necessary.
Fluid Pockets – After surgery, pockets of fluid can develop under the skin. If you have a substantial enough pocket of fluid, the liquid cannot be absorbed back into the body and it will need to be drained away with a needle back in the doctor’s office.
Numbness – In the area where the fat was removed, it’s very normal to feel temporary or even permanent numbness as there may be a bit of nerve damage or at least reduced sensitivity following treatment.
Organ Problems – As your surgeon works on the fat deposits in your body, there is a risk of additional fluids not being processed by your body as well as they should be. The additional fluids necessary to replenish those being removed must be processed by your kidneys and this can bring about problems with your kidneys or even your heart.
Fat Embolism – When the fat is loosened and then removed during liposuction surgery, there is a possibility that some of the fat may become loosened and then not be collected. If this is the case, the fat may become trapped in a blood vessel and cause a medical emergency.
Preparing for Liposuction Surgery
It’s important to talk to your surgeon before your surgery to be sure you understand the procedure and everything that is likely to happen once you’ve started the actual process. During your consultations with your surgeon, discuss what you should expect the day of the surgery as well as what you need to be before and after to be sure you get the best results.
Consult with your doctor about medications you’ve been taking as well as any herbs or other supplements. You’ll also need to be clear on where the procedure will take place as well as how long you’ll be required to stay following the event. If you’re having liposuction surgery on a small area, perhaps your neck, you might have that removed as part of an outpatient surgery in your doctor’s office. If you’re having a more extensive surgery you might need to plan to stay in a hospital overnight. Regardless of how long your surgery may be you should plan on having a friend or family member help drive you home or arrange alternative transportation.
The Liposuction Surgery
When it’s the day of your actual procedure, you’ll start the day as a human coloring book. The doctor will draw a series of circles and lines on your body to outline where he needs to target most of his attention during the process. You can also expect photographs to be taken to help the doctor during the surgery as well as providing a nice before and after comparison basis you and the doctor can work with following your procedure.
There are many different kinds of liposuction surgery and the experience and recovery you have following your liposuction depends primarily on the sort of liposuction surgery you are actually having.
Liposuction – the original liposuction, or tumescent liposuction involves using an injection of saline into the area of the body where fat is to be removed. The saline helps prepare the area. After the saline, the doctor will numb the area using an anesthetic and then use a special drug to help constrict the blood vessels. This minimizes bleeding during the surgery and helps the doctor collect more fat as opposed to body fluids like blood during the procedure. After everything is ready, the doctor will use a cannula, or a long metal wand, attached to a vacuum to manipulate and remove fat in the desired area. The cannula is inserted and manipulated through small incisions in the skin.
Ultrasonic Liposuction – A more advanced version of liposuction, the ultrasonic variety uses ultrasound in addition to traditional liposuction to help collect more fat from a particular area. The doctor uses the traditional cannula just like he would in the original form of liposuction. But in addition to that insertion, he also uses a small metal rod that sends out ultrasonic energy. The ultrasonic energy helps to “shake” the fat loose and the loosened fat is far easier to collect and remove with minimal damage to surrounding tissue. This also leads to a faster healing process.
Liposuction and Vibration – Similar to the ultrasonic liposuction, some liposuction procedures are done using an additional form of vibration. The vibration helps to loosen the fat and then also assists the surgeon in pulling out the fat more easily. Again, there is less pain and swelling which helps to speed up the healing process and makes the surgery less painful and more effective than just the traditional fat removal done during a traditional liposuction. The powered liposuction is often used by doctors who are looking to remove fat in a very small location such as under the chin or on the ankles or knees where movements must be small and precise.
Regardless of which sort of liposuction you select, the process is very similar. After the circles have been drawn on your body and pictures taken, you’ll be given anesthesia if it is necessary for the procedure. This might be a general anesthesia if you’re having a large area of the body worked on or it might just be local anesthesia if you’re looking to just have liposuction in a small area of the body. If you’re given a general anesthesia you can expect an IV and you might be given a sedative and IV even if you’re just having local pain killers.
Throughout the procedure, the surgeon and his team will work to monitor all of your vital signs including your blood pressure and oxygen levels. If you’re conscious during your surgery, you can expect the surgeon or his assistant to ask you on a frequent basis about pain to be sure you’re in the right setting and getting the right amount of anesthesia. Of course, any pain should be reported to the doctors as you’re not to feel any pain during the procedure itself.
Once you’re on the table, you can expect the surgery to take up to several hours. The more areas of your body you’re having worked on, the longer the surgery will last. Once the procedure is finished, the incisions will likely remain open to let some of the addition fluids drain and to ease the swelling in a particular area. Following the surgery you’ll be in the doctor’s office at least a couple of hours recovering while the medical personnel check your vital signs and be sure that you’re recovering correctly. If you’ve had a more dramatic procedure, you might be kept in a hospital overnight so that the doctors can manage your blood pressure and check to be sure that you’re properly hydrated and not going to lapse into shock following the surgery.
Recovering from Liposuction Surgery
After the liposuction surgery, you’ll have a few days or a few weeks of healing depending on the type of liposuction surgery you’ve had and the amount of fat removed. The more advanced forms of liposuction including laser liposuction and ultrasonic liposuction have faster healing patterns than the traditional form of liposuction, but regardless of the sort of liposuction you’ve had, you should be ready to take at least a few days off work to recover. It may take three to six weeks before your doctor is willing to allow you leave to resume your normal physical activities such as exercise or heavy exertion on the job.
When you leave the hospital or the doctor’s office, you’ll be given prescription medication to help with the pain that follows the liposuction surgery during your recovery. Since there is a possibility of infection from the open sores on your body, you will also have an antibiotic prescribed to you as well as to help reduce some swelling and eliminate the risk of infection. Following the surgery, your doctor may ask you to wear tight compression garments to hold your skin in place and to reduce swelling. These might be worn for a few weeks.
The swelling following liposuction can take a few weeks to reduce completely. During this time, the remaining fat in the area you treated during the liposuction surgery will be settling back into place and finding a new position. You can expect your body to have some unusual contours during this time as your body develops its new shape with the remaining tissue.
After a month, the swelling from the liposuction surgery should be completely reduced. The area where you were treated will be almost normal looking, but may still have the contour irregularity. After a few months, the healing will be totally completely and the area will be leaner and more attractive – the exact result that caused you to seek out liposuction surgery initially.
Warnings about Liposuction Surgery
If you struggle with your weight, liposuction surgery might not be the best practice for you to consider if your weight fluctuates dramatically. Your surgeon will discuss your weight and your habits for health and exercise ahead of time, but it is important to be aware that the fat removed during liposuction surgery is permanent, but can shift problem areas elsewhere.
If for example, you typically gain weight in your tummy, liposuction can remove the fat cells from your tummy, but since the surgery is permanent, the fat will not go back to your tummy should you start to gain weight again. The fat might start to gather in your thighs or your upper arms instead. The contours of your body change with the liposuction surgery, but if you’re not careful, there is a risk of gaining weight in totally new areas of your body if you’re unable to control your weight and fitness level.
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