Liposuction

Liposuction

Liposuction

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Also known as lipoplasty, liposuction slims and reshapes specific areas of the body by removing excess fat deposits, improving your body contours and proportion, and ultimately, enhancing your self-image.

Despite good health and a reasonable level of fitness, some people may still have a body with disproportionate contours due to localized fat deposits. These areas may be due to family traits rather than a lack of weight control or fitness.

Liposuction slims and reshapes specific areas of the body by removing excess fat deposits, improving your body contours and proportion, and ultimately, enhancing your self-image.

Liposuction may be used to reduce localized fat deposits of the:

•   Thighs 
•   Hips and buttocks
•   Abdomen and waist
•   Upper arms
•   Back
•   Inner knee
•   Chest area
•   Cheeks, chin and neck
•   Calves and ankles

In some cases, liposuction is performed alone, in other cases it is used with plastic surgery procedures such as a facelift, breast reduction or a tummy tuck.

What it won’t do: Liposuction is not a treatment for obesity or a substitute for proper diet and exercise. It is also not an effective treatment for cellulite, the dimpled skin that typically appears on the thighs, hips and buttocks, or loose saggy skin.

Consultation

Your surgeon will discuss how to prepare for your operation. For example, you may be asked to:

• stop taking the contraceptive pill six weeks before surgery and use an alternative method of contraception as this reduces the risk of blood clotting (thrombosis) after the operation
•   give up smoking as smoking increases the risk of chest infection and slows the healing of wounds as well as increasing the risk of blood clots in the legs
•   stop taking medicines such as aspirin and anti-inflammatory medicines two weeks before surgery as they increase the risk of excessive bleeding

Be prepared to discuss:

•   Why you want the surgery, your expectations and desired outcome
•   Medical conditions, drug allergies and medical treatments
•   Use of current medications, vitamins, herbal supplements, alcohol, tobacco and drugs
•   Previous surgeries

Your surgeon may also:

•   Evaluate your general health status and any pre-existing health conditions or risk factors
•   Take photographs for your medical record
•   Discuss your options and recommend a course of treatment
•   Discuss likely outcomes of liposuction and any risks or potential complications

Prior to surgery, you may be asked to:

•   Get lab testing or a medical evaluation
•    Take certain medications or adjust your current medications
•   Stop smoking well in advance of surgery
•   Avoid taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs and herbal supplements as they can increase bleeding

Special instructions you receive will cover:

•   What to do on the day of surgery
•   The use of anaesthesia during your liposuction
•   Post-operative care and follow-up

The procedure

Your surgeon may draw on your body to mark the areas for liposuction. You will usually have a photograph taken before the operation, so that the results after surgery can be compared with your original appearance.

If you are having a general anaesthetic, you will be asked to follow fasting instructions. Typically, you must not eat or drink for about six hours before a general anaesthetic. However, some anaesthetists allow occasional sips of water until two hours beforehand.

1 – Anaesthesia

Medications are administered for your comfort during the surgical procedures. The choices include intravenous sedation and general anaesthesia. Your doctor will recommend the best choice for you.

2 – The incision

Liposuction is performed through small, inconspicuous incisions.
First, sterile liquid solution is infused to reduce bleeding and trauma. Then a thin hollow tube, or cannula, is inserted through these incisions to loosen excess fat using a controlled back and forth motion.

The dislodged fat is then suctioned out of the body using a surgical vacuum or syringe attached to the cannula.

Problem areas that can be addressed with liposuction:
       

 3 – See the results

Your improved body contour will be apparent when the swelling and fluid retention commonly experienced following liposuction subside.

With continued practices of healthy diet and fitness, the loss of excess fatty tissue should be permanently maintained. However, substantial weight gain can alter an otherwise permanent result.

Risks

The decision to have liposuction is extremely personal and you’ll have to decide if the benefits will achieve your goals and if the risks and potential complications are acceptable.
Your plastic surgeon and/or staff will explain in detail the risks associated with surgery. You will be asked to sign consent forms to ensure that you fully understand the procedure you will undergo and any risks or potential complications.

Possible risks of liposuction include:

•   Uneven contours
•   Rippling or loose skin
•   Skin or nerve damage
•   Irregular pigmentation
•   Infection
•   Fat clots
•   Blood clots
•   Excessive fluid loss or fluid accumulation
•   Unfavourable scarring
•   Thermal burn or heat injury from ultrasound with the ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty technique
•   Anaesthesia risks
•   Bleeding (hematoma)
•   Change in skin sensation
•   Skin discoloration or swelling
•   Asymmetry
•   Pain, which may persist
•   Damage to deeper structures such as nerves, blood vessels, muscles, lungs, and abdominal organs
•   Poor wound healing
•   Persistent swelling in the legs
•   Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications
•   Possibility of revisional surgery

Is it right for me?

If you are bothered by excess fat deposits - located anywhere on your body - that don’t respond to diet or exercise, liposuction may be right for you.

Ideal candidates for liposuction are:

•   Adults within 30% of their ideal weight who have firm, elastic skin and good muscle tone
•   Healthy individuals who do not have a life-threatening illness or medical conditions that can impair healing
•   Non-smokers
•   Individuals with a positive outlook and specific goals in mind for body contouring

The Recovery

You will be given painkillers to help relieve any discomfort as the anaesthetic wears off.
It is important to do deep breathing exercises to help reduce the risk of developing a chest infection. Your doctor or nurse can show you how to do these.

If your operation has been planned as a day case, you will usually be able to go to your hotel once you have made a full recovery from the anaesthetic. If you have had a general anaesthetic you will need to arrange for a friend or relative to stay with you for the next 24 hours.

Before discharge, your nurse will give you advice about caring for your stitches, hygiene and bathing. You will also be given an appointment to have your stitches removed.

Once home, you may take more painkillers if needed, as advised by your surgeon or nurse.
You will usually need to wear the elasticated garment or bandages for two to three weeks, depending on your surgeon's advice. They can usually be temporarily removed to be washed and for bathing.

Your surgeon will give you advice about resuming your normal activities. You may need to avoid strenuous exercise for up to a month, but walking and gentle exercises are encouraged.

If you only had small areas treated, you may only need a few days off work. For largeroperations, you may need to take 7-10 days off.

It may be several months before you can see the full results of your operation as the swelling can take a long time to completely settle down. It helps if you have skin with good elasticity, which is more likely to 'shrink' down to the smaller volume of fat beneath.

Side effects & Risks

Liposuction is a commonly performed and generally safe surgical procedure. For people in good health who are not severely overweight the benefits in terms of improved appearance are usually greater than the disadvantages. However, in order to make a well-informed decision and give your consent, you need to be aware of the possible side-effects and the risk of complications.

Side-effects are the unwanted but mostly temporary effects of a successful procedure. For example, feeling sick as a result of the general anaesthetic. Anyone having liposuction can also expect:

•   considerable bruising, which can be painful and usually takes about a month to disappear
•   lumpiness or swelling, which may not completely settle for up to six months
•   scars, typically 1-2 cm long, pink and noticeable at first, which should become finer after a few weeks
•   thrombophlebitis (inflammation of the veins - not the same as thrombosis) around the inside of your knee and inner part of your upper thigh if these areas are treated, which should settle after a few weeks
•   swollen ankles

If you have large areas treated or are prone to anaemia, you may need to take iron tablets for about a month after the operation.

Complications are unexpected problems that can occur during or after the procedure. Most people are not affected. The main complications of any operation are bleeding during or soon after the procedure, infection and an abnormal reaction to the anaesthetic. It's also possible for a blood clot to develop in a vein in the legs - a deep vein thrombosis or DVT.

Specific complications of liposuction are rare but can include:

•   the development of fluid-filled areas under the skin, which may need to be drained with a needle
•   fat getting into one of the blood vessels, which could travel in the veins and cause a blockage in the lungs
•   numbness in the treated area that can last for several months, but can be permanent
•   damage to internal organs, which may require surgery to repair and can occasionally be fatal
•   serious disruption of the fluid balance of the body due to fluid being injected and sucked out, which in very rare cases can cause breathing problems and be fatal
•   unusually red or raised scars (called keloid scars) which some people have an inherited tendency to form
•   an unexpected allergic reaction to the fluid used for wet liposuction

The chance of complications depends on the type of procedure that is being performed. Generally speaking, if you are having large volumes of fat and fluid removed during the operation, the risk of complications is higher. Your surgeon will explain how the risks apply to you.