What is Liposuction?

Liposuction is one of the most common plastic surgery procedures. It is generally performed on areas of the body, which contains excessive fat deposits. Some of the most common areas for liposuction are abdomen, buttocks, back, hips, thighs, upper arms, cheeks, neck and knees. Many times the procedure is combined with other plastic surgery procedures, such as tummy tuck or thigh lift.

The Liposuction Performance
 

The surgeon will start with marking the area on the patient’s body where the unwanted fat will be removed. Liposuction is normally performed under general anaesthesia, but in some cases local anaesthesia can be used. Before the fat is removed from the chosen area, wetting solutions are infused into the area. This fluid contains saline, epinephrine (which contract the blood vessels) and local anaesthetic. The reason for this is to minimize blood loss and therefore increase the safety. The next step is to remove the fat. There are many different ways to vacuum out the fat.

Common Types of Liposuction

Traditional suction-assisted liposuction

A cannula (a long, thin tube) is inserted through a tiny incision. The surgeon then moves the cannula back and forth through the fat layer to break it up and then vacuums the fat out.

Ultrasound-assisted liposuction

The surgeon uses ultra sound that break up the fat, which makes it easier to vacuum the fat through the cannula. This procedure generally results in less bruising, pain and swelling since it does not disturb the connective tissue, nerves and blood vessels as much as the traditional liposuction.

Laser-assisted liposuction

This procedure involves a laser fibre probe that produces a burst of energy to liquify the fat, which makes it easier to remove. Two common brand names for this procedure is SmartLipo and CoolLipo.

Body-jet liposuction

This procedure is also called water-jet assisted liposuction since it involves water. A fan-shaped jet that pulsates water looses the fat cells from the connective tissue, while simultaneously vacuuming them out. Instead of breaking apart the fat cells, this procedure looses the fat cells first, which makes it less traumatic than other methods. This might also mean that the recovery period is shorter in comparison to other liposuction procedures. However, since it is a relatively new method, more research is needed to determine the exact risks and benefits of this procedure.