Understanding Liposuction Everything to Know Before Going for the Surgery
Liposuction is a good option for people who struggle with working out or wish to remove stubborn fat from certain areas of the body that don’t generally respond to exercise.
Liposuction is cosmetic surgery, done to get rid of excess fat deposits. The most common areas targeted by this procedure are:
- Abdomen
- Thighs
- Hips
- Buttocks
The fact that is it a cosmetic procedure insinuates that it has no medical purpose, and is solely done so the person can look and feel good. Liposuction is a fairly quick surgery with quite durable improvements in appearance, as long as the person continues to eat a healthy diet and engage in regular exercise.
Here are some of the basics things you should know before you have any liposuction procedure.
Important Things to Know Beforehand
Before going under the knife, you must hold a thorough consultation with your cosmetic surgeon. It should include things like:
- Different options available
- Any potential risks
- Allergies
- Medication intake (chemical or herbal)
- Total costs
- Diet and alcohol restrictions.
Types of Liposuction
There are several different types of liposuction procedures to choose from.
We will review the most common techniques here, including surgical and non-surgical options.
Surgical
Traditionally liposuction involves making small incisions on your body and inserting a tube (cannula) into the fatty area. The tube sucks out the fat, causing a permanent reduction in the total number of fat cells present in that body part. This is an invasive technique, mostly done in large areas.
Surgical liposuction is effective after the first procedure itself. However, it does require significant recovery time and comes with possible infection risks.
Different Surgical Procedures Available
1. Tumescent liposuction
This is the most common liposuction technique. The areas of your body to be treated will be copiously injected with a mixture of lidocaine, epinephrine, and IV salt solution before the fat is removed. This will have a numbing effect while also contracting your vessels to prevent excessive blood loss.
The solution is eventually suctioned out with the fat.
Equipment Used:
- Infusion bags
- Infiltration pump
- Infiltration pressure cuffs
- Cannulas
2. Super-wet technology
The only difference between super-wet technology and the tumescent technique is that super-wet requires less fluid to be injected; basically equal to the amount of fat to be removed. Super-wet technology is faster but you will probably need to be sedated.
Equipment Used:
- Multi-lumen cannula
- Vacuum machine
- Fitted elastic compression binders
- Reston foam
3. Laser-assisted liposuction
This kind of liposuction applies laser energy to liquefy your fat cells and then removes them via vacuuming or draining them out using small tubes. Laser liposuction is primarily used for smaller, confined areas of the body like the cheeks or chin. The reason is that it uses the smallest cannula tubes to remove the fat cells.
Equipment Used:
- Small cannula tubes
- Laser lipo machine
- Fitted elastic compression
4. Ultrasound-assisted liposuction
The last type of surgical liposuction uses ultrasonic vibrations to melt down fat cells into a liquid form that is then vacuumed out. This ultrasound-assisted technique helps remove fat cells from thick fiber-filled areas of your body. It works great to remove back fat or enlarged male abdomen tissues.
Equipment Used:
- Ultrasonic cavitation machine with multipolar RF
- Vacuum tubes
- Line and pen-type applicators
Continued…
Download the full 2020 Magazine Collection for free to read about all the non-surgical lipo options available.
Reposted from Fall 2020 edition.
Don’t Miss Out! Get all our new articles when you subscribe to our magazine or sign up to CSTAR Connect and receive a free magazine subscription with your sign-up.
Do you think liposuction is worth the risks and expense? Let us know in the comments below!