Liposuction, the surgical technique that allows the removal of fat deposits in localized areas, ensuring their disappearance.
What is liposuction?
Liposuction or liposculpture is a surgical technique to remove unsightly fat deposits from certain areas of the body, including the face and neck, arms, trunk, abdomen, buttocks, hips and thighs, knees, calves and ankles.
However, liposuction is not a substitute for or synonymous with weight reduction, but rather a method of removing localized deposits of fatty tissue that do not respond to diet or exercise. With liposuction, the surgeon has the ability to redefine the body by permanently removing excess fat in these localized areas. Also, the patient should keep in mind that liposuction by itself does not improve areas of irregular skin known as “cellulite”. Liposuction can be performed as a primary procedure to improve body contouring, or in combination with other surgical techniques, such as abdominoplasty, or thigh lifts, which will also tighten the relaxed skin and reposition the supporting structures.
Liposuction, how it is performed
According to the amount of fat to be removed and/or the extent of the treated surface, the surgery can be performed under local, epidural or general anesthesia. The procedure can last between 20 minutes and 2 hours and recovery will be practically immediate for small cases.
During the days following the procedure, patients are advised to get ready for early mobility; after the first week they can gradually return to their normal daily routine.
Can I have liposuction?
The best candidate for liposuction is the relatively normal weight individual who has excess fat in specific areas of the body. Tight, elastic skin leads to a better final contour after liposuction. Sagging skin does not readjust itself to the new contour, and may require additional surgical techniques to remove and tighten the excess skin. In this type of liposuction it is essential that the patient, during the operative technique, is perfectly hydrated to be able to leave the clinic between 6 – 24 hours after the intervention and start a practically normal life, wearing a girdle.
The first few days you may feel a little tired and with some pain similar to stiffness. The girdle must be worn 24 hours a day, and can be removed at the time of the daily shower.
Liposuction, the postoperative period
After liposuction, patients can resume physical exercise after 2 weeks, depending on the extent of the surgery. It is advisable to wear a compression garment for a period of 4-6 weeks. The quality of the result will depend largely on the elasticity of the skin of each person before surgery.
It is highly advisable to stay out of the sun until all the bruising and most of the swelling has disappeared, which usually takes about 15 days.
The results of liposuction are very satisfactory. They will be more visible as the months go by, since the loss of volume and the remodeling of the skin will occur continuously and progressively until a notable improvement of the line is achieved, as well as a more harmonious body silhouette. The great news is that the fatty tissue does not have the ability to reproduce, so it will not reappear in the treated areas.