Liposuction Cosmetic Surgery

Liposuction is one of the most common surgeries performed. This procedure removes fat by suctioning it with a thin tube, using small incisions that can usually be placed in very inconspicuous locations. It is important to understand that liposuction is not a weight loss procedure. If you are overweight before the surgery, you’ll still be overweight after the surgery, but will look slimmer. Liposuction is ideal for removing localized fat deposits, especially those that do not disappear no matter how much you diet or exercise, including the face, neck, stomach, hips, thighs, buttocks, arms, and calves. Even patients who are thin and physically fit often have spots that are troublesome, such as the inner or outer thighs, the roll beneath the rear, or the hips. Liposuction might help you to feel more comfortable wearing bathing suits or other clothing.

You may have heard about various options and techniques pertaining to liposuction, such as “tumescent technique,” “ultrasonic liposuction,” or “power-assisted liposuction.” These terms refer to the way a plastic surgeon prepares the fat to be suctioned, and the way it is actually removed.

The Tumescent Liposuction Procedure

Tumescent liposuction surgery is essentially the same as traditional liposuction with one exception. In tumescent liposuction, fluid is introduced to the areas of fat to be liposuctioned prior to beginning the suctioning. This fluid is a mixture that contains saline, epinephrine, and local anesthetic. This fluid helps to reduce pain and bleeding and also helps the surgeon remove the fat more easily. This results in less bruising and an easier recovery.

The Ultrasonic Liposuction Procedure

This system uses a specialized cannula that delivers ultrasonic energy into the patient’s tissue to liquefy areas of targeted fat just prior to their removal. Because the ultrasonic waves target only fat, the surrounding tissues — nerves, blood vessels, and collagen fibers — remain intact. This means less discomfort, swelling, bruising, and a faster recovery time for patients. In addition, because ultrasonic liposuction is selective to fatty tissue, the result is smoother and more natural-looking than that achieved by earlier liposuction techniques.

The Power-Assisted Liposuction Procedure

Power-Assisted liposuction uses a motorized cannula that moves back and forth independently, requiring less exertion by the surgeon. This dramatically reduces surgeon fatigue by facilitating passage through difficult fibrous and scarred tissues. While this technique still requires skill and artistry on the part of the surgeon, the procedure’s automated aspects reduce the amount of physical effort exerted by the surgeon. Therefore, more of the surgeon’s attention and energy can be directed to sculpting efforts. Power-assisted liposuction is also gentler on the patient’s tissues, causing less bruising, swelling, and discomfort and hastening recovery times. Many surgeons feel this procedure facilitates precise sculpting of the tissues, leading to superior aesthetics post-operative.

Other Liposuction Procedures Offered are:

Autologous Fat Transfer

Autologous fat transfer, commonly called fat injection or fat grafting, is actually a combination of two procedures performed during a single visit. Also known as microlipoinjection, autologous fat transfer involves gently harvesting fat from body regions with unsightly localized fat deposits and then injecting the purified fat into areas of depressions, irregularities, and asymmetries.

To begin autologous fat transfer, the patient is placed under anesthesia, either local or general (IV) sedation. Then, Dr. Fodor harvests fat cells from an area with surplus fat. The cells are washed to separate healthy fat cells from other fluids, and the fat is injected into the over-suctioned area, where it fills and smoothes the contour. Patients experience only minor discomfort, swelling, and bruising after the procedure.

The most marked benefit of fat injection is that it carries no risk of rejection or allergic reaction, since the filler material comes from the patient’s own body. Though a portion of the fat injected may be reabsorbed by the body, a substantial amount remains in place permanently.

Lipoplasty-Only Breast Reduction

Breast reduction is a tremendously rewarding and often medically necessary procedure. When traditional methods are used, it is also associated with extensive scarring (often an anchor-shaped scar). The most minimally invasive technique —although currently a highly underutilized one — is lipoplasty-only breast reduction, which reduces the volume of the breast through lipoplasty alone, with careful sculpting of the breast tissue by removal of the excess fat.. This form of breast reduction surgery is performed through an incision less than ½” inch in length, which is placed in the fold under the breast. It heals with a barely visible or invisible scar.

To ascertain that a patient is a good candidate for, a preoperative mammogram is routinely reviewed by your plastic surgeon, to determine the percentage of fatty tissue in each patient’s breasts, which is seldom less than 50%. Though not all women seeking breast reduction are good candidates, some plastic surgeons believe this approach could be selected for many more patients.

It is critical that you consult a certified plastic surgeon if you are considering liposuction, or any other cosmetic surgical procedure, rather than other doctors who may advertise that they do liposuction. The keys to a good outcome include the doctor’s ability to determine whether liposuction is indeed the best option for a given problem or patient, or whether other procedures might be more effective. Doctors who have taken a weekend liposuction course don’t have the skills that a board-certified plastic surgeon does. Also important is the surgeon’s ability, training, and experience. Finally, in the unlikely event that a complication occurs, you’d want a fully-trained and experienced physician caring for you, to make sure your end result is as good as possible.

Make sure you understands the options and consequences fully, and what you are truly trying to achieve with your liposuction surgery.