Liposuction is a surgical procedure to remove localized fat deposits and sculpt new body contours.
Liposuction can help remove impacted fat, specifically those areas that have resided years on end, and are now immune to traditional method of weight control. It can also give you the new body contours you’ve always wanted. However, it is not a substitute for weight reduction in an obese individual.
Liposuction sculpts hips, thighs, the abdomen and love handles, knees, ankles and necks. It can also treat large breasts in men (gynecomastia). Often several areas can be treated during a single operation.
Your surgeon will mark the areas to be sculpted prior to the surgery. A small incision is made in the skin. Through this incision the surgeon will inject a special solution, sometimes called tumescent fluid. It consists of saline (salt water) and other medicines to help minimize bleeding, swelling, pain, and provide for easier and more efficient fat removal. A thin hollow stainless steel tube, called a cannula, is inserted through this same small incision. The other end is connected to a vacuum pump machine that suctions the fat and tumescent solution while the cannula is moved in a back and forth pattern under the skin.
After surgery you’ll be sore and will need to wear a special compression garment to reduce swelling and bruising. The garment will also help shrink skin to its new contours. The garment should be worn for about four weeks and is not noticeable under your normal everyday clothes. Any discomfort can be controlled with pain medication prescribed by your surgeon.
Recovery is fairly rapid after your surgery. You may return to work in two to three days and resume your normal exercise routine in two weeks. The final result of you surgery will be apparent in about six to eight weeks when most of the swelling is gone.