Liposuction Surgery

Liposuction is a form of cosmetic surgery that helps shape and contour body areas by removing excess fat deposits. This is accomplished by inserting a thin hollow stainless steel tube (known as a “cannula”) through an incision in the skin and using vacuum-suction to remove the undesired fat.

While body areas that can be treated by liposuction differ between men and women, generally speaking, you can get liposuction on problem areas such as the abdomen, hips, thighs, arms, buttocks, back, neck, female breasts, and face.

Absolutely. While the stereotypes of cosmetic surgery typically revolve around women, between 15-25% of liposuction patients are men. Male patients mostly receive treatment on the chin and neck, abdomen, and love handles. While typically the benefits of liposuction are purely cosmetic, men can also use the procedure to reduce their breasts if they live with gynecomastia (a condition in which the fatty and glandular tissue of the chest are over-developed).

Liposuction, particularly when performed by an experienced, registered surgeon, is a safe and relatively routine procedure. That said, liposuction is still surgery and as such carries certain inherent risks such as complications related to anaesthesia, the possibility of infection, and excess swelling and bruising.

The main risks, complications, and unpleasant side-effects associated with liposuction include:

• Infection
• Fat Embolism
• Inflammation
• Organ & Nerve Damage
• Skin Death
• Burns
• Excessive Bruising
• Toxicity from Anesthesia (Lidocaine Toxicity)
• In Rare Cases, Fatality

All risks associated with liposuction can be exacerbated if a large area is being operated on, a high volume of fat is being removed, or more than one procedure is being performed on the same day. This includes doing “complementary” cosmetic procedures such as tummy tucks, face-lifts, and breast reduction. That said, most patients do not experience major complications.

The best way you can protect yourself and your health is to learn as much as you can about liposuction. Consulting your registered plastic surgeon at Clinic 360 (and being totally honest with them about your medical history) will also ensure that liposuction is in fact the procedure for you. Your surgeon will help you find the safest procedure that best suits your needs.

In most cases, you can go home the same day that you undergo liposuction. On average, the whole process requires spending 6 hours in hospital. If your liposuction requires general anaesthesia, a large area is being treated, or a high volume of fat is being removed, you may be asked to stay overnight.

Due to the lingering effects of the anaesthetic, it is highly recommended that you arrange ahead of time to have a friend or family member come drive you home following surgery.

Yes, it is surgery after all. However your doctor will administer painkillers (analgesics) immediately following surgery to help ease the pain and reduce swelling. The two main painkillers given in the post-surgery healing period are paracetamol and ibuprofen, as they do not exacerbate bleeding and swelling.

The area treated (particularly surrounding the incisions and stitches) will be swollen and bruised following your liposuction surgery. Compression garments and elasticized bandages are prescribed immediately afterward to discourage and contain swelling – these should be worn for several weeks.

Yes, you will have to clean your surgical wounds regularly and diligently in order to avoid infection. Your surgeon will give you care instructions on how to keep the affected area appropriately sanitized. You should also be sure to keep the sutured areas as dry as possible.

Rest and sleep as much as possible! Sleep in particular is an integral part of recovery following surgery. The general rule is the more you sleep, the faster you heal. Avoiding physically strenuous activity until your stitches are removed is also highly recommended.

Yes, liposuction and tummy tucks are different surgical procedures; however, they can be used to complement each other. The main difference between the two is the areas of the body on which they focus. Regions of the body that liposuction can treat include (but are not limited to) the stomach, the face and neck, legs, chest, flanks, back, arms, and buttocks. A tummy tuck (also known as an abdominoplasty), on the other hand, treats the midsection exclusively.

Yes. Many patients who opt for liposuction now also seek out the aesthetic benefits of fat transfer. Through liposuction, adipose tissue can be harvested and used for various fat transfer procedures.

There are a number of possible fat transfer procedures, each with their own benefits. Lipografting (also known as ‘fat grafting’), for instance, can be used to smooth out dermal regions affected by acne, scarring, injury, or past surgeries. Autologous fat grafting can also help reconstruct female breasts after single- or double-mastectomies. A major benefit of autologous fat transfers is that the tissues used for the procedure are taken from the patient’s own body. Consequently, plastic surgeons often recommend lipografting over collagen injections, since collagen injections introduce foreign agents into the body that could potentially cause allergic reactions. Fat transfer procedures also tend to have more lasting results compared to dermal fillers.

No, liposuction is not covered by health insurance. This is because it is considered “cosmetic surgery” and therefore not medically necessary. You should consult with a plastic surgeon ahead of time to receive a pricing estimate.

You should be cautious if a plastic surgeon offers you a price estimate over the phone prior to a face-to-face examination. There are many physical factors that can affect costs and a professional surgeon should want to review these in person.

Estimates provided by plastic surgeons should include three components: surgical fees, non-surgical fees, and an anaesthesiologist’s fee (if general anaesthesia is necessary). Further fees include pre-operative laboratory test fees, charges for post-operative elastic compression garments (engineered to decrease swelling in the weeks following surgery), and prices for antibiotics and other drugs. Also, a surgeon’s experienced and good reputation may increase the cost.

1. The number of areas being treated.
2. The size of the patient.
3. The degree of difficulty the surgeon anticipates.

Liposuction is a surgical method designed to slim parts of the male or female body. As a general rule, liposuction works best when targeting deposits of fat rather than sagging skin. While liposuction is typically a cosmetic procedure for body contouring and beautification, the procedure can sometimes be used for medical purposes. Men, for instance, can use liposuction to reduce their breasts if they live with gynecomastia (a condition in which the fatty and glandular tissue of the chest are over-developed).

The submental (below the chin) fat compartment is located in the area underneath the mandible and the jowl. This compartment plays an important role in the appearance of a youthful neck, as well as in the overall attractiveness of the face. An excess of fat in the submental area tends to be coincident with a loss of the visible contour of the mandible, resulting in what is referred to as a “double chin.” In the vast majority of cases, the “double chin” is a result of the patient’s overall weight – this is the ideal scenario for a liposuction candidate. For double chins resulting from skin laxity, however, liposuction is not the ideal treatment option. Results are most successful when patients still have enough elasticity to the overlying skin to allow for a rebound effect after surgery. This procedure is comparatively brief, occupying only about 30 minutes of time, and often takes place in the clinic itself. Commonly, local anaesthesia will be employed; occasionally, oral sedation may be necessary if the patient is nervous. Submental liposuction comprises roughly 25% of all liposuction procedures. While more women undergo the surgery than men, there is a growing number of males who are opting for the procedure.

“Bat wings” are the colloquial term for loose upper arm skin located in the triceps region. In this procedure, surgeons make small incisions of less than one centimetre for fat extraction. A successful surgery results in a reduction of arm circumference and an overall slimmer appearance. As in all cases, liposuction for “bat wings” is optimal if the targeted area is comprised of fat; it is not the preferred treatment if the skin flaps are the result of loose, aged skin. In the latter scenario doctors recommend a brachioplasty, also known as an “arm lift,” to re-smooth and contour the area. The disadvantage of this alternative is that it requires larger incisions and internal sutures, which leaves a scar in virtually all cases. However, in some cases, both liposuction and brachioplasty are recommended. Both procedures require either general anaesthesia or local anaesthesia with sedation, and frequently take between one and two hours to complete. Unlike many liposuction procedures that target larger areas of the body, patients can return home on the day of surgery. In subsequent days, patients are recommended to limit arm movement as much as possible. Practitioners will provide a compression garment to restrict motion, which will help reduce swelling.

The medical term for male breasts is “gynecomastia,” and it indicates a condition in which the fatty and glandular tissue of the chest are over-developed. Causes of this condition include a variety of habits, behaviours, and afflictions, such as obesity, steroid use, and hormone imbalances. Male breasts can be among the more complex liposuction procedures, given the relative density of the male chest. In less extreme scenarios, surgeons and patients opt to treat the condition using a breast lift instead. If liposuction is decided upon as the desired procedure, VASER liposuction is a popular option for gynecomastia, as it is minimally invasive and effectively differentiates between fat and vital tissues such as nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissues. As is the case for liposuction on numerous other bodily areas, VASER liposuction involves the insertion of a cannula, which is carefully moved in a back-and-forth motion, to loosen the excess fat. Surgeons then remove the fat from the body using vacuum suction. In cases where the areola requires reduction or the nipple is being repositioned, the surgeon will tend to use excision, where lumps of adipose tissue are removed using external cuts. Excision can be used in conjunction with or instead of traditional liposuction.

You can get liposuction on problem areas such as the abdomen, hips, thighs, arms, buttocks, back, neck, female breasts, and face. Other fatty areas that benefit from liposuction include, “buffalo humps” (the deposit of fat on the upper back and neck), bra fat, and “belly pooches” (the fat localized around the lower belly, but not throughout the abdomen).