Is there any recommended time to undergo liposuction?
Because it is a minimally invasive surgery through 3mm incisions, hidden in natural folds of our body, any time of the year is appropriate for liposuction. However, due to the fact that during the postoperative period it will be necessary to wear a compressive garment for at least one month and the recommendation not to sunbathe for 6 months after surgery, it is advisable to undergo surgery in the cold months of autumn and winter and avoid the summer season in order to promote a more comfortable recovery.
Preparation before surgery
Liposuction does not require any particular preparation. As in any other surgery, a preoperative study must be performed, including a complete blood analysis with coagulation tests, an electrocardiogram and, if performed under general anesthesia, a chest X-ray. It will be especially indicated in those patients who exercise regularly, eat a balanced diet and maintain a stable and proportionate weight, but are not able to get rid of certain localized accumulations of fat.
Any candidate for liposuction should know that it is not an intervention to lose weight, but to define a more attractive silhouette.
Recovery after liposuction surgery
Recovery from liposuction surgery will be determined by the number of areas of the body to be treated and the amount of fat aspirated, although in general patients can return to their work and social life within 48-72 hours.
It is typical of the first days to feel discomfort such as “prick” or “needle” in the operated areas, accompanied by a hematic pigmentation of the skin that resolves in about 2 weeks.
In our clinic we are in favor of early mobilization, indicating the patient to start walking 24 hours after the intervention. From the first week we start lymphatic drainage that will contribute to a faster and more effective recovery. Physical exercise can be resumed after the 3rd or 4th week.
Liposuction VS liposculpture, do they differ?
Liposuction is one of the interventions with the highest degree of satisfaction in Plastic Surgery. Generally, it can be performed in a day hospital or half-stay regime, under sedation or regional anesthesia (epidural). The surgery is performed through minimal incisions through which a saline solution is introduced with an anesthetic (usually lidocaine) for greater postoperative comfort and adrenaline to prevent bleeding or bruising. These same incisions are then used to perform the fat extraction by aspiration with blunt cannulas.
The main difference is that with liposculpture, the fat obtained through liposuction is used to infiltrate it in other areas of the body and in this way achieve a more harmonic body remodeling and with better results.
In our clinic this intervention is performed thanks to the innovative REVOLVE® system, by which the extracted fat is subjected to a process of filtering, washing and centrifugation, all integrated in a closed circuit, which prevents contamination of adipose tissue and allows to obtain a purer fat rich in stem cells that ensures greater survival and duration of the fat graft.
This procedure is increasingly demanded by our patients, since its use allows many applications, such as buttock augmentation, breast augmentation, treatment of scars or sequelae of trauma and especially facial rejuvenation. It is precisely this last treatment that has experienced the greatest boom in recent years, since fat grafting allows us to fill dark circles under the eyes, increase cheekbones or conceal facial furrows in a much more natural and lasting way than with traditional filling with hyaluronic acid, also improving the texture and appearance of the skin and with hardly any increase in recovery time. The most recent and innovative association of the fat obtained with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has undoubtedly improved the results of this treatment and its durability.
Duration of results and follow-up
It is of absolute importance that every patient who is thinking of undergoing liposuction must understand that this procedure is an integral part of a goal: to improve her figure. And for this, it is essential that the patient understands that her lifestyle habits continue to be healthy in order to perpetuate the results. Therefore, in addition to the changes that the surgery will help you achieve, we recommend following a balanced diet and exercise with some frequency and thus the goal achieved will be maintained over time.
As in any of our treatments, we carry out a strict supervision of the immediate postoperative period and all our patients have a 24-hour telephone number. It is necessary to go to the revisions that are made in a protocol way a week, a month, 3, 6 and 12 months after the intervention. During the first postoperative month it is necessary to wear a postoperative girdle that will help reduce inflammation and improve the adaptation of the skin to achieve the best possible result. To complete the postoperative treatment, our physiotherapist performs several sessions of lymphatic drainage on the treated area which allows a better and faster recovery.
What risks are involved?
As in any other surgical procedure, the best way to minimize the risks is to go to a qualified professional and undergo the intervention in a duly authorized center, with the maximum guarantees, which has all kinds of resources. In this sense, the patient must ensure that her surgery is performed by a Plastic Surgeon qualified via MIR and that it takes place in a hospital that has all the necessary facilities (awakening room, ICU ….).
The anesthetic risks are also exponentially reduced when the whole process is supervised by qualified anesthesiologists. However, like all surgery, it is not free of possible complications. They are infrequent and usually mild, such as:
- Irregularities on the surface
- Changes in skin pigmentation
- Small residual hematomas, which mostly end up resolving with time.
However, although they occur exceptionally, it is necessary to mention other complications of greater entity associated with this procedure:
- Fat thromboembolism . The mobilization of adipose tissue increases the risk of invasion of the bloodstream by fat, which can cause this condition.
- Deep vein thrombosis. Greater risk when long liposuction is performed, with prolonged immobilization and/or absence of prophylactic measures such as compressive garments or postoperative heparin.
- Tissue infection. This rare and infrequent condition generally requires intravenous administration of antibiotics and in cases of generalized involvement, tissue debridement and hospital admission.
- Necrosis. Increased risk in patients who smoke and related to excessive trauma to the skin surface.
- Visceral perforation. In abdominal liposuction and in the presence of hernias or eventrations there is a higher risk. However, major complications in liposuction are very rare and their frequency decreases with the proper technique applied by a qualified Plastic Surgeon and in a hospital environment that offers the greatest possible safety and guarantee to the patient.