subject: I'm Considering Liposuction--what Do I Need To Know? [print this page] For many people, liposuction sounds like a dream come true. In a relatively low-trauma surgery, it can suction excess fat from the body, leaving you trimmer and more attractive. While it's true that the surgery can be very effective and that it has helped a number of people, it is important to get from dreams into reality. The more patients understand about the plain facts of liposuction (also known as lipoplasty and suction lipectomy), the happier they will be.
The first thing that people should know about lipoplasty is how it is performed. It is typically done under local anesthesia. The doctor will make a small incision in the target area and insert a special hollow tube called a cannula. This cannula is hooked up to a vacuum device. By moving the cannula back and forth through the fatty tissue, the doctor can break up and suction out the unwanted fat.
The most common method of liposuction is called the tumescent method. In it, the surgeon introduces large amounts of fluids into the target area. These fluids include local painkillers and medications that help to reduce blood loss. The large amounts of fluids make the fat swell up or "tumesce." With the fat swollen and firm, it is easier for the doctor to remove it. This additional liquid drains from the body in the days after the surgery.
The next thing you should know is about the sort of results that liposuction can produce. While it can be very good at targeting specific problem areas, it is not well-suited for total body weight loss. Targeting too many areas at one time can lead to aesthetic and medical complications. Similarly, lipoplasty should not be used to remove excessive amounts of fat, as this increases the amount of trauma the body undergoes.
While you can and should expect that a lipectomy will get you improved results, you shouldn't expect perfection. Some small amount of scarring after a liposuction is fairly common, and it is possible to get other skin blemishes or imperfections. Sometimes if fat is removed unevenly or if the patient's body reacts in an unusual way, divots and lumps can appear.
One of the best ways to understand what the procedure can and can't do is to do some research on the internet. Websites like liposuction.com, liposuctionguide.com, realself.com, docshop.com, surgery.org (choose liposuction at the bottom of the page) and smartlipo.com provide explanations, directories, before and after pictures, reviews and sometimes even videos of surgeries.
If you look carefully at the before and after pictures, you can get a better idea of the sorts of results that an individual doctor can achieve.
