Liposuction

Liposuction is a elective surgery which removes fat from the body. The shape of the body is dictated by the location of these fat cells. Some of these fat cells respond to diet and exercise. Others don’t. This procedure is best for patients that have diet and exercise resistant fat. These patients find their body’s shape remains relatively the same even after diet and exercise. Liposuction is an excellent treatment for this localized accumulations of fat.

The goals of liposuction is to improve body contour and improve appearances both in and out of clothing. Limitations include loose skin and cellulite. The ability of skin to shrink back after this surgery is unknown and can be different from patient to patient. These patients may require a tummy tuck at the same time as the liposuction.

The best part of liposuction is that once the fat cells are removed from an area of the body, they do not repopulate in this region. Therefore, the patient will not gain weight in this area again. However, if the patient continues to eat and not exercise, they will gain fat in other parts of the body. So, it is important to maintain a diet and exercise program after the surgery.

The surgery is performed under anesthesia during which the patient’s body is infiltrated with Tumescent fluid. This is typically normal saline or sterile fluid that is infiltrated with adrenaline and lidocaine. This reduces the amount of bleeding and pain during and after the surgery. The fat is then removed using a suction cannula. This may be power assisted or ultrasonic assisted. The amount of fat removed is measured from each side to assure symmetrical results. After the surgery, the patient is placed in a compression garment or abdominal binder.