LIPOSUCTION or LIPOPLASTY or SUCTION LIPECTOMY

What is liposuction?
Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery that removes localized deposits of fat from many different sites on the human body like abdomen, thighs, buttocks, neck, backs of the arms, etc. to re-contour the body. Liposuction is also known as lipoplasty, liposculpture and suction lipectomy.

Liposuction is not a weight-loss method with the amount of fat removed being typically less than 10 pounds. Liposuction should also not be considered as an alternative to dieting and exercising.

In women, liposuction may be performed under the chin, on their hips, thighs, and stomach, and in the under arm and breast area. For men, common sites include under the chin, around the waist, and in the reduction of enlarged male breasts (gynecomastia).

Who is a candidate for liposuction?
The best candidates for liposuction are healthy individuals of normal weight having elastic skin and localized areas of excess fat – for example, in the buttocks, hips, or thighs. In general the patient must be:
•    Over 18
•    In good general health
•    Have failed to lose the excess 10-15 pounds of localized fat with dieting or exercising
•    Do not have diabetes, any infection, or heart or circulation problems

For older individuals who have less elastic skin, other procedures such as abdominoplasty may be needed following liposuction to tighten the skin around the new shape.

What are the different types of liposuction procedures?
There are several variations of liposuction used although they all employ the same basic technique of inserting a cannula (a hollow tube) inside the body and suctioning out the fat through a suction device called aspirator. The different variations are:

Fluid Injection. It is a commonly used technique in which a medicated solution is injected into fatty areas before the fat is removed. The fluid helps the fat to be removed more easily, reduces blood loss and provides anesthesia during and after surgery. Fluid injection also helps to reduce the amount of bruising after surgery.

Tumescent Liposuction. In this method, large volumes of fluid, sometimes 3 or 4 times the volume of the fat to be removed, are injected. The large quantity of fluid creates space between the muscle and the fatty tissue, which creates more room for the suction tube (cannula) that the surgeon uses to remove the fat cells. Depending on the size of the areas being worked, this procedure typically takes longer (sometimes 4 to 5 hours) than traditional liposuction also as the large amount of infiltrate must be introduced slowly.

Super-wet Liposuction. The super-wet technique is similar to the tumescent technique, except that lesser amounts of fluid are used. Usually the amount of fluid injected is equal to the amount of fat to be removed. This technique often requires IV sedation or general anesthesia and typically takes one to two hours of surgery time.

Ultrasound-Assisted Lipoplasty (UAL). Also referred to as ultrasonic liposuction, this technique uses a specialized cannula which transmits ultrasound vibrations within the body. These vibrations burst the walls of the fat cells, emulsifying the fat, i.e., liquefying it, and making it easier to suction out.