Liposuction

• Friday June 2, 2006 ins: Body Contouring Tag(s):

  Liposuction, also known as lipoplasty or suction lipectomy, is the most popular plastic surgery procedure nowadays. It involves removing fat from different areas of the body such as the abdomen, thighs, buttocks, neck, arms and other specific areas. The fat removal process involves the use of a cannula and aspirator.

  Though liposuction generally gets rid of fat, it is not a low-effort alternative to exercise and diet. It is not a weight loss method. The amount of fat that is removed in the procedures varies by doctor, method, and patient, but on average, the amount is typically less than ten pounds or five kilograms. Going beyond this measure can cause a negative result such as unusual "lumpiness" and/or "dents" in the skin.

  There are several techniques employed in liposuction. The basic approach or the basic liposuction involves the use of a small cannula, a straw-like tool. The cannula is inserted through a small incision, and is attached to a vacuum device. The liposuction surgeon makes a push and pull motion through the fat layer, breaking up the fat cells and drawing them out of the body by suction.

  However, this technique is usually done after the patient is given a fluid injection. This is necessary because this fluid, which contains a salt solution, local anesthetic, and Epinephrine, helps loosen the fat cells and reduce bruising.

  A major improvement on basic liposuction is the tumescent liposuction. This time, not just a small amount, but a large amount of fluid is injected into the area, perhaps as much as 3 or 4 times the volume of fat to be removed. "Tumescent" by the way, means swollen.

  In tumescent lipo, the same saline fluid is used as in basic liposuction, but its increased quantity 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. Thus, the back and forth motion is much easier to perform.

  Another type of tumescent liposuction is called ultrasound-assisted liposuction (UAL), also known as ultrasonic liposuction. In this technique, a specialized cannula is used which transmits ultrasound vibrations within the body. This vibration bursts the walls of the fat cells, liquefying the fat, and making it easier to suction out.

  UAL has another variation, and it is called power-assisted liposuction (PAL). PAL uses a specialized cannula with mechanized movement. This way, the surgeon doesn’t need to make the manual back and forth movements. The good thing about PAL is that there appears to be less risk of puncturing internal organs, because of the more controlled cannula movement.

  Another technique branching out from UAL is the external ultrasound-assisted liposuction or XUAL or EUAL. In XUAL, ultrasonic energy is applied from outside the body, through the skin, making the specialized cannula of the UAL procedure unnecessary.

  The reason behind this change is that liposuction surgeons found that in several cases, UAL caused skin necrosis and seromas. XUAL avoids such complications by having the ultrasound applied outside of the body. At present however, it's not widely used and studies are not conclusive as to its effectiveness.

  It is important that patients have to do a thorough consultation with their liposuction surgeons in order to ensure a safe and effective liposuction surgery, which would eventually produce the desired results.

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