LIPOSUCTION
Liposuction, Liposculpture, Lipoplasty or Suction assisted Lipectomy or Lipo is a daycare keyhole & stitch less Cosmetic procedure in which excess fatty tissue is removed permanently from under the skin by suction. This procedure has become very popular and it is considered to be the number one cosmetic plastic surgery procedure today. Liposuction can improve your body contours & proportions & hence ultimately enhances body image.
Of course diet and exercise are the best ways to lose unwanted fat, but for those very resistant problem areas, liposuction can help to achieve the look you desire by removing ‘target’ fat deposits. Specially, liposuction is very much helpful for dystrophic fat deposits at particular areas of the body which are resistant to any sort of diet or exercises.
Philosophy of Liposuction
Results of Liposuction are permanent. The suctioned fat cells will not return to the area with a healthy lifestyle. The number of fat cells in the body are fixed at the 18-20 years of age. In later life, even if body fat increases, fat cells grow in size but not in number. During liposuction, the fat cells are removed from a particular area and hence fat cells do not come back to that area again. Thus the loss of fat is permanent in the areas of liposuction.
Liposuction can be performed on any area of the body, but the most common areas are the abdomen, flanks, thighs, buttocks, calves, arms, back rolls, chin, cheeks, neck etc. In selected cases of very huge sized breasts or the axillary tail of breast can also benefit with liposuction. Those male having excess fat deposits on the chest, looking like a female breast (Gynecomastia) also can be improved with liposuction.
Liposuction alone will not remove excess skin. In some cases, liposuction is performed alone, in other cases it is combined with plastic surgery procedures such as a facelift, breast reduction, or a tummy tuck where along with fat, excess loose skin is also removed.
Lipoplasty is the suction removal of fat to sculpt the figure. Please understand, liposuction is not meant as a form of weight loss, but as a body contour procedure.
After liposuction, the patient not only loses weight, but also there is an inch loss. A patient loses about 4 to 10 inches or even more in the waist-line, buttocks, thighs etc and hence achieves improvement in the contours of the body.
Up to 7-10 litres of fat can be suctioned safely in one sitting, although more can also be done depending on the individual case and weight of the patient. As per the International recommendations usually not more than 5 to 10% of your weight is removed in one stage.
Liposuction is performed through 2-6 mm small incisions which are placed in inconspicuous areas, such as the natural creases of the skin. Dr. Bembde uses the “Tumescent technique” in which a solution containing saline, lidocaine, and epinephrine is first injected into the treatment area, causing the fat to become swollen and firm. A small cannula, or hollow tube, and suction device are then used to remove the fat. The Tumescent technique allows for larger volumes of fat to be safely removed without the need for blood transfusions.
The recovery after liposuction takes about one week. Patients may experience some numbness & soreness. Bruising and swelling after liposuction is common. A compression garment is worn for a few weeks after surgery. Work can be resumed after one week, though more strenuous activities may need to be postponed for four weeks.
Benefits of Liposuction
Patients benefit both mentally and physically from liposuction. It is considered to be a safe and effective way to remove excess fat from the body. The benefits of liposuction includes, but are not limited to the improvement in the appearance of cellulite, safe removal of fat, improved health usually associated with fat loss, sculpting areas of the body that even exercise do not seem to impact, and boost in self-esteem.
Mega-liposuction
Liposuction of more than 5 percent of a person’s body weight is referred to as large volume or mega-liposuction.
Small volume liposuction is much simpler and safer. Smaller volumes of fat can be removed under local tumescent anaesthesia, without hospitalisation with minimal blood loss.
Large volume liposuction on the other hand requires much more preparation, hospitalisation and recovery time. If you are well prepared you can get the best out of your liposuction.
Preparation for large volume liposuction
1) Healthy diet before liposuction: Your nutritional status determines the healing capacity. A lot of obese people are actually iron and vitamin deficient, especially if they have been on crash diets. Start taking Iron and multivitamin supplementation and avoid crash diets 1-2 months before planned liposuction. Diet control should be done under supervision of a qualified dietician.
2) Consult the plastic surgeon two months prior. It helps to evaluate general health and getting physician fitness. If any problem like anaemia or hypothyroidism is detected they need to be treated adequately before the patient can have the liposuction. So plan in advance
Disclose complete past & present medical & surgical history to the plastic surgeon for total safety under anaesthesia .Keeping secrets from your doctor can be dangerous.
Medications
Do not take any medications and supplements in the month preceding liposuction without discussing with your plastic surgeon. Certain health supplements sold in gyms, weight loss medicine, birth control pills and common painkillers – all these need to be stopped 2-3 weeks before surgery. Some medicines may interact with anaesthetic drugs and anaesthetist must know about them.
Prepare for 2 weeks of rest time after liposuction:
After large volume liposuction, the body takes a couple of weeks to recover from its effects. Giddiness, aches and pain is maximum during the first week and gradually comes down during the second week.
Stage the liposuction:
It makes sense to not just limit the amount of fat removal in one sitting but also the number of areas from which you get the fat removed. Try to limit the liposuctioned areas to two to three areas at a time. Do not push the surgeon to remove fat from all over your body. It will make your recovery too painful. Keep at least 2 months time between two sittings to recover fully.
Choose the right surgeon:
An experienced plastic surgeon and anaesthetist team at a well equipped hospital makes a safe large volume liposuction possible.
Choose the right hospital facility:
Large volume liposuction should be performed only in hospital settings where postoperative monitoring and emergency care is available.
Facts: Liposuction is best for people who are on weight loss trend or at least maintaining weight in the last 6 months.
Gynecomastia – where fatty breast tissue has developed in men.
Some medical conditions may benefit from liposuction, including:
Lipomas – Benign fatty tumours.
A Young Female having huge Lipoma on back, removed by liposuction with a keyhole.
Lipodystrophy syndrome – a lipid (fat) metabolism disturbance in which there is too much fat in some parts of the body and partial or total absence of fat in other parts. Sometimes a side effect of some HIV medications.
Over the last decades, advancement in liposuction techniques have meant that a larger number of fat cells can be removed with less blood loss, risk, discomfort, and shorter recovery periods.
Fat can also be used today as a natural filler (Autologous fat transfer), where fat is taken from one part of the body cleaned and then injected into another area of the body – for example, to enhance the shape of the buttocks ,lips, breasts, or reduce wrinkles & post acne scars etc.