The Liposuction Procedure That Will Work For You

Liposuction, or lipoplasty, is a surgical procedure that removes fat from the deposits located between the muscle and skin with the use of a stainless steel tube called a cannula.

Liposuction is among the most popular cosmetic surgical procedures performed worldwide. According to statistics taken by the ASAPS (American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery), in the United States alone it was performed over 300,000 times over a one year period. The areas that are the most affected, and consequently the most treated, are the thighs and hips, buttocks, abdomen, and arms.

The Procedure

The cannula, which is connected to a suction pump, is inserted into the fat through tiny openings in the skin. The cannula forms small tunnels through the layers of fat, as the tunnels collapse, unwanted fat is then removed from the area. Since the time lipoplasty was first performed, which was in 1974, there have been many advances in the procedure making it one of the safest cosmetic surgical procedures in the world.

The Safest Procedure And The Discontinued Procedure

The tumescent technique is considered the safest lipoplasty procedure today. This technique involves the injection of high volumes of a solution, which contains anesthesia and vasoconstrictor, into the subcutaneous fat. This solution then anesthetizes the affected area and makes the fat swell up so it becomes easier to suction out.

The dry technique’s name is derived from the fact that, when it was performed, there was no local anesthetic that was injected into the fat before liposuction. This technique has since been discontinued because it caused unnecessary blood loss, trauma to the tissues, necrosis, and nerve damage.

Wet Technique And Super Wet Technique

The wet technique involves the injection of a small amount of fluid containing local anesthetic into the fatty tissue. This minimizes swelling and bleeding and also facilitates fat removal.

The super wet technique requires the injection of a solution with a volume higher than the wet technique but only less than half of the volume used for the tumescent technique. This results in less blood loss than in the wet technique but greater blood loss than in the tumescent technique.

Laser Techniques

The liposuction laser technique covers procedures that use tumescent fluid and incorporate thermal and photomechanical energy in the cannula. The cannula delivers the energy and heat into the fat thus making the fat loose and easier to remove. Some of the available procedures include Smart Lipo, Cool Lipo, ProLipo PLUS, Lipo Lite, plus many others.

Other Types

Ultrasonic Assisted Liposuction, or UAL, requires the use of a special type of cannula that transmits ultrasonic sound waves into the fatty areas. This method causes the walls of the fat cells to burst resulting in the fat becoming emulsified and easier to remove. This technique is suitable for working on the male breast area, the upper back, or any other fibrous areas. It also does not take longer than tumescent lipoplasty to complete and there is less blood loss. However, pockets of fluid could form during the operation which has to be drained with a needle.

Another type of liposuction procedure is the Power Assisted Technique which employs the use of a specialized cannula that has a mechanized movement that breaks up fat cells.