How Liposuction Can Help

The most popular cosmetic surgery in 2007, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), was liposuction. There were 456,828 liposuction procedures done that year in the U.S. – almost half a million. The next most popular cosmetic surgery was breast augmentation – 399,440 procedures done.

Since we are confronted every day with images of “beautiful people”, it is not surprising that many of us aspire to look more like them. Add to that the daily finger-wagging in the media about diet and exercise and living a “healthy lifestyle”, and add to that the abundant amounts of fatty and sugary stuff offered to us every day. It’s no wonder that many of us feel we need to look better somehow. Cosmetic surgery such as liposuction and breast augmentation seems like an excellent answer to a perpetual problem: how to look like a beautiful person without having to live on celery sticks and water.

Actually, liposuction is not a way to lose weight. It does remove fatty tissue, but no reputable cosmetic surgeon will give you a liposuction procedure until you have used diet and exercise to get close to your ideal weight. Then if you have any remaining areas that won’t lose the fat, such as the abdomen, upper arms, saddle bags or buttocks, liposuction can take care of those specific areas for you.

Types of Liposuction

All liposuction procedures are body contouring, also called body sculpting. Liposuction emulsifies unwanted fat and removes it with suction. Once those fat cells are gone, they do not grow back. However, you could still gain weight because the body would enlarge the remaining fat cells and store fat in other body areas.

· Traditional liposuction uses very small incisions designed for insertion of the cannula which will suction out the fat cells. First a certain amount of saline solution is injected into the area to help break up the fatty tissue. It contains an anesthetic (lidocaine) and some adrenaline to reduce bleeding, as well as the right proportion of salt to match the body’s natural fluids. Suction removes the fat along with the injected fluid. It can be done with local anesthetic over and above what is contained in the saline solution, or with general anesthetic.

· Tumescent liposuction is similar but uses a much greater amount of saline solution. The greater amount of fluid makes fat removal easier and the greater amount of adrenaline keeps bleeding to a minimum. This is a safer procedure for many than traditional liposuction.

· Ultrasonic liposuction uses ultrasound to break up the fat before it is removed. This method is easier on the body, faster, and keeps blood loss very low. That all makes for a shorter recovery time.

By having liposuction done on specific body areas, and at the same time sticking to a reasonably healthy diet with at least some moderate exercise, you can acquire and keep a new contour. You can look more lithe and youthful, and feel less weighed down by accumulated unwanted tissue. You can also combine liposuction with other cosmetic surgeries, such as a breast lift, a facelift, or Botox injections.