Liposuction is a surgical procedure that removes fat in certain areas using suction connected to a hollow tube (called a cannula) inserted under the skin through very small incisions.
Liposuction is also called lipoplasty, liposculpture, lipectomy or just lipo.
How Many Types of Liposuction Are There?
- Tumescent liposuction is the “traditional” liposuction. After a local anesthetic is injected into the area(s) to be treated, a sterile solution is injected into the fatty tissue before fat is removed. This solution contains epinephrine to minimize bleeding/bruising, and Lidocaine, an anesthetic.
- Ultrasound-Assisted liposuction, sometimes called UAL, uses ultrasonic waves to liquefy the fat, making it easier to remove.
- Laser liposuction uses low-energy heat waves to liquefy the fat. It’s most often marketed under a brand name, such as SmartLipo® or CoolLipo®.
What Are the Most Common Areas for Liposuction?
In theory, you can undergo liposuction anywhere on your body but its most popular spots are the tummy, thighs, buttocks, back of the arms, calves, back, neck and chin. It’s the most common cosmetic procedure in the US, and has been for a number of years because the results are immediate and because the fat cells in the treated area(s) are permanently removed.
What Are the Benefits of Liposuction?
- Both men and women in Southwest Michigan visit my practice to have liposuction as a means to treat stubborn fat. We all know that, with diet and exercise, one can lose weight and fat. However, due to genetics, we sometimes “store” fat in areas that resist these attempts to lose it. For example, perhaps you tend to store fat in your thighs, while your friend tends to store fat in her tummy. This is genetically based, making it more difficult to get rid of that fat with diet and exercise. A benefit of liposuction is the permanent removal of fat cells in those challenging areas.
- Another benefit of liposuction is the ability to “balance” your body contours for a more pleasing appearance. Some of my Southwest Michigan liposuction patients have very large thighs compared to their upper torso, making it difficult to find clothing that fits both the bottom and top. Liposuction eliminates this problem by removing fat to create a more balanced figure.
- Liposuction can treat lipomas, which are non-cancerous fatty tumors that appear in certain areas of the body, particularly the chest and back.
- Liposuction is an excellent treatment for men with excessive fat in the breasts, often called non-flattering names like Man Boobs, Moobs, etc.
- Liposuction results are permanent because the removed fat cells are gone forever.
- Liposuction tends to influence better dietary and exercise habits, as the results of liposuction must be maintained.
- After swelling has gone down, results are immediate.
