subject: What Tools Are Used In Liposuction?
[print this page] If you are considering liposuction you will most likely want to do a little research before coming to a final decision. It is helpful to be familiar with some of the terms and techniques that are used and talked about frequently in articles related to the surgery. Some terms that you will hopefully be familiar with at the end of this article are: cannula, microcannula, tumescent, and adits.
A cannula is a round stainless steel tube which is inserted into the skin in order to remove the subcutaneous fat. The cannulas are attached to a vacuum pump in order to suck the fat from underneath the skin. There are different sizes of cannulas. As you might imagine, the larger the cannula the larger the incision will have to be in order to insert the instrument into the skin. Larger cannulas are faster and remove more fat, but this also increases the chances of removing too much of the subcutaneous fat which can result in unattractive skin irregularities. Scarring is also a possibility when the incisions are larger and must be stitched.
Microcannulas are cannulas which are much smaller. These cannulas are only 2.8mm in diameter. Microcannulas allow for more finesse and finer results. Microcannulas are used specifically with the tumescent technique. Tumescent means "hard or swollen." This term is used because a dilute amount of local anesthesia and a vasoconstrictor are injected into the site. The procedure can then be performed using microcannulas. The results have an extremely high rate of satisfaction and of safety.
The incisions that must be made in order to insert the cannulas are called adits. Depending on the size of the adits, and the size of the area being worked on, there can be as many as 12 adits made for one surgery. When only 4 to 6 incisions are made they are usually about 1/4 of an inch or longer, and must be closed using stitches. These incisions are made for regular cannulas. If microcannulas are being used there are typically 8 to 12 adits made, but they are less than 1/8 of an inch long and do not need to be closed with stitches. The chance that scaring will occur from the adits is much less when microcannulas are used.
These terms are often used and are important when considering what type of liposuction might be right for you. Knowing a little bit more about the common terms used in the industry will hopefully help you if you continue to research the procedure.
