Liposuction

Aka: Lipo

What is Liposuction?
The most popular cosmetic surgical procedure after breast augmentation, liposuction, removes fat by sucking it out of the body through a cannula. It’s a good procedure for men or women who have larger pockets of stubborn fat – often on the thighs, flanks or abdomen.

Who is suitable for Liposuction?
Liposuction is not an alternative to weight loss, and is not suitable for the very overweight or obese, who may want to consider Weight Loss Programmes or even Weight Loss Surgery.

If, however, you are generally of a stable weight, but have large fatty areas that you find hard to shift, then this might be the procedure for you.

Liposuction is a surgical procedure, so it is important to have a thorough consultation with a plastic surgeon.

What’s Liposuction like?
Usually performed under a general anaesthetic – although some surgeons will do it under local – the fat is removed through a cannula, which is inserted into a small incision in the flesh.

Recently, some new techniques have been developed to make it easier to break up the fat cells, therefore minimising the amount of bruising and bleeding post procedure.

One of these is known as ‘wet’ liposuction, and involves administering a combination of saline, adrenaline and anaesthetic to  the treatment area, which is then sucked out along with the fat. When larger amounts of fluid are used, this is known as ‘tumescent’ liposuction.

There are also various forms afterwards, and you might find of liposuction that are performed using an energy source to liquefy the fat cells and tighten the skin (see Fat Removal – Energy Assisted). Liposuction can take up to four hours, depending on the size of the treatment area and the technique used.

What happens after Liposuction?
Most people are able to return to work within a week, but this does depend on the extent of the procedure – if you’ve had several areas treated at once, you might be advised to rest up for a couple of weeks.

Any vigorous activity should be avoided for about four weeks.  There will be some bruising  and swelling immediately afterwards, and you might find that the treatment area looks a bit lumpy, but this usually resolves iitself within a few weeks.

You can speed things up by wearing a compression garment. Fat cells are permanently destroyed by liposuction, so you shouldn’t suffer from fat in the treatment area again, but it's important to maintain a stable weight, as excess weight gain can cause you to gain fat in unusual places.

Will I have a scar after Liposuction?
Scars are usually minimal as the incision is so small.

Who does Liposuction?
Plastic Surgeon
Breast Surgeon