Suction assisted lipectomy (liposuction) is an outpatient procedure designed to remove isolated areas of fat. The procedure can be done under local anesthesia in the office setting, or for larger amounts, the patient can be taken to an outpatient surgery center or hospital, and have the procedure done under general anesthesia (asleep).
When dieting you empty stored fat from microscopic fat cells, but you cannot determine which areas of the body will be affected by the weight loss. Liposuction targets the area you want revised, and removes the fat and the storage unit (fat cell), to limit the body’s ability to put fat back into this location.
In the past liposuction was limited to small amounts, and complications and deaths were few and far between. With the tumescent technique, more fat can be removed, and as a result, people have begun to use this as a way to remove large volumes of fat, and thus more complications can occur.
The procedure consists of making 2-3 small incisions in each area to be suctioned, and then introducing a small metal cannula (tube), and then pumping saline solution into the fat to be suctioned. After this is completed, the suctioning is performed through the same small incisions.
Activities like jogging, tennis, etc., are limited for the next 4-6 weeks. There will be bruising for 7-14 days and moderate soreness for 3-5 days. Risks include bleeding, infection, scarring, asymmetries, and ripples or ridges (poor results).
LIPOSUCTION IS NOW BEING PERFORMED BY MANY PHYSICIANS NOT TRAINED IN THE PROCEDURE DURING THEIR TRAINING YEARS, THEREFORE ONE MUST KNOW ABOUT THE DOCTOR BEFORE SIGNING UP FOR THIS PROCEDURE. IF YOU WANT A PLASTIC SURGEON, BE SURE YOU GET ONE. BE CAREFUL.