| Liposuction |
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| Friday, 10 February 2006 | |
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Introduction Liposuction, also known as liposculpture or lipo-suction, is the removal of unwanted body fat by suction, using a surgical vacuum. It is usually performed as cosmetic surgery with the objective of slimming and smoothing the contours of your body. The most common areas for liposuction are the buttocks, hips, thighs and abdomen. Other popular areas for lipossculpture are under the chin, neck, upper arms, breasts, knees, calves, or ankles. Liposuction is a cosmetic procedure and is carried out to improve a person’s appearance rather than their health. It should only be undertaken after a lot of thought. It is not an effective method for removing cellulite, sometimes known as the orange-peel effect. Liposuction does not change the surface structure of the skin, so it can't remove cellulite. Liposuction is occasionally used to treat lymphedema (a condition where swelling in the arm can cause numbness, discomfort and infection) after treatment for breast cancer. Liposuction is also used to reduce breast size in men with large breasts (gynecomastia) or to remove fat tumors (lipomas) but it is most commonly used for cosmetic body shaping. Why is it necessary? Liposuction is most often used to remove fat deposits in specific areas of your body. The aim of the procedure is not to reduce weight but to improve a patient'sfigure. Liposuction is not a treatment for obesity as it can only be carried out on relatively small areas of the body and is not a long-term solution for weight-loss. Like all surgical procedures, there are risks associated with liposuction, and the procedure is only recommended if you have tried making changes to your lifestyle, but it hasn’t helped. Many people find that they can lose weight, tone up, and reduce fatty areas with a combination of healthy eating and exercise. but there may still be small parts of the body resistant to the effects of lifestlye changes. How is it performed? You will have photographs of the area taken. Before the main procedure, the surgeon prepares the area by marking the skin with a sterile pen to indicate which parts have thicker levels of fat. Then one of several different preparation techniques is used.
The surgeon then inserts a suction tube called a microcannula, attached to a specialist vacuum machine, into the cut. The tube is used to first loosen and then suck the fat out of the area. When all the required fat has been sucked out, the surgeon drains out any excess fluid and blood using small drainage tubes. This may have to be done several times in the first few days after the procedure. Before deciding on surgery, a doctor or surgeon should inform you about a realistic result. While most people are generally pleased with the outcome of liposuction, it must be understood that the effects are often subtle rather than dramatic. After the procedure, the difference to the shape and size of the area is most obvious once the swelling has gone down, but it may take up to six months for the area to settle completely. During this time, smaller changes and subtle differences to the area may be noticed. |
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