Liposuction -
About the Operation
Indications for surgery
Any areas of excessive fat bulge can be treated by liposuction. This includes the hips, abdomen, buttocks, thighs, upper arms, breasts and neck. It is excellent at removing localized areas of fat to give an improved and refined shape or contour. It has the added benefit of firming up the skin.
Liposuction is not a method for loosing large amounts of weight, for treatment of obesity or a treatment for cellulite.
Procedure in brief
The procedure relies on the active removal of fat and then the passive process of the skin shrinking back to give the reduced and improved contour. It is therefore dependent on the ability of the skin to shrink back. This ability varies depending on the area treated, the quality and elasticity of the skin and the age of patient. The hips are an excellent area to treat. The breast, neck, abdomen, buttocks and outer thighs are reasonable areas to treat. The arms, knees, and lower legs should be treated with caution.
A maximum of four litres of fat can be removed at one operation. Small 4mm incisions are used to access the fat and when healed are hardly visible. A suction device using long blunt 2-4 mm needles removes the fat.
Incisions
The incisions are all small and when possible hidden in a skin crease.
Scars
These scars are small and tend to heal very well. Although a little pink initially in the first few weeks they then fade to white. Most patients will form extremely good quality scars over time. Some reach this quickly while others take longer.
Medicines and smoking
All medical history will be sought before any surgery. Do not take herbal medicines prior to surgery or for 3 days following (arnica etc). Also avoid aspirin, ibuprofen, and voltarol-based tablets. It is always better if you do not smoke. If you are a smoker try and stop for five days before and after surgery as it can reduce the chances of complications.
