RIGHT CANDIDATE

The people who can undergo Liposuction

• Must be physically fit and must have good overall health.
• Must have a stable weight (within the 30% of their ideal body weight)
• Must have good skin elasticity and muscle tone.
• Must be bothered by fat deposits that don’t go away with diet regimes and exercise.
• Must be a non-smoker.
• Must have a positive outlook and have realistic expectations and goals

The people who should avoid Liposuction

• Who can’t quit smoking
• Who are overweight or obese
• Who are having weak immunity system
• have a lot of sagging skin
• Who are suffering from any kind of chronic health problem
• Who are consuming blood thinning medications
• Who have a history of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

Most importantly, you must not consider it as an alternative to diet and exercise. If you are overweight and planning to lose some weight in the future then you must do it before the surgery. Ideally, liposuction is for those people who have tried all the diet regimes and exercise but are still unable to get rid of stubborn fat deposits.

Before the surgery

Your first and foremost step should be to choose a right, well-qualified and well-experienced surgeon who has an extensive knowledge about all the techniques used to perform liposuction. Thereafter, you must seek clarification on every possible question you have in your mind from your doctor. You must take this decision after a thorough discussion. Talk about your goals and expectations, ask about the most appropriate technique that he is going to use for your surgery and the reasons for the same, enquire about all the do’s and don’ts. You must be aware about the possible risks and complications and how you can avoid all those. You can also gather information regarding cost and the insurance coverage of the surgery.

After deciding, your surgeon will guide you about various things. He will give the following instructions to get prepared for the surgery.

• He may refrain you from some sort of medication like pain-killers, blood thinners,anti-inflammatory drugs and some herbal supplements as these can increase bleeding.
• He will certainly restrict you to stop consuming alcohol and nicotine for some specific period.
• Photographs may also be taken so that before and after images can be compared. The surgeon may use the photos to show you the areas to be treated through circles and lines.
• He will get some health tests for medical evaluation and to ensure that you are fit for the surgery.
• He may prescribe certain medications or may adjust your current medications.
• Female patients may be asked to stop taking the contraceptive pills.

LIPO PROCEDURE

A well-experienced surgeon will select the most appropriate technique on the basis of your expectations and goals. He will further consider the fact if you already have undergone any liposuction procedure or not and the most important point is the area of your body that is to be treated. After considering all these points, he will decide the technique that will help you to acquire your desired results.

All the various techniques have one thing in common that is the use of a thin hollow tube which is called a cannula, connected to a vacuum (which is called an aspirator, the suction device) to suction the fat from your body. Liposuction techniques can be categorized by the amount of fluid injected and by the mechanism through which the cannula works. Your surgeon may use a general or local anesthesia during the surgery. A local anesthetic might be used when liposuction is done on very small areas of the body and in such cases patients might be asked to stand up during the procedure to ensure proper fat removal.

Various techniques that can be performed are as follows:-

• Ultrasonic liposuction (Ultrasound-assisted liposuction) (UAL) –This technique is opted in the cases where liposuction has been performed earlier and is suitable for fibrous areas such as the back or male breast. In this technique, the surgeon inserts a metal rod under your skin that is energized with ultrasound wave energy. The ultrasound vibrations burst the walls of the fat cells and melt the fat on contact for easier removal with suction-assisted tubes.
• Laser-assisted liposuction(Laser guided lipo) (LAL)- The surgeon inserts a small tube that releases high intensity laser light under your skin through a small incision. The energy and heat produced by laser helps to melt the fat and then it is removed with the help of a cannula, the same as done in tumescent.
• Power-assisted liposuction (PAL) - This technique is also called powered liposuction. The surgeon uses a specialized cannula that rapidly moves in a back-and-forth motion. The vibration it creates allows the surgeon to pull out the tough fat quite easily and quickly. This technique is performed when you have already undergone liposuction earlier and also while harvesting a large volume of fat for transfer to other areas. PAL may cause less pain and swelling than the traditional liposuction procedure. Moreover, it allows the surgeon to remove even the difficult fat with precision.
• Dry liposuction- No fluid is injected before the fat is removed. This method is seldom used today. There is a higher risk of bruising and bleeding.

After the procedure

After the surgery, the surgeon may leave your incisions open and place temporary drains to promote fluid drainage and to remove excess blood. Those drains will be removed when the surgeon sees it right.

The effect of anesthesia:- If you had a general anesthesia, you will have to stay at the hospital for a night or two. On the other hand, if you had local anesthesia, you are able to come back home on the same day.

Medications:- Your surgeon will prescribe you some medicines to apply and also to take orally. The painkillers will help control the pain and some antibiotics will reduce the risk of infection and some will help in inflammation and aid the healing process.

Compression Garment or Support Bandage:- You will be guided to wear a tight compression garment for 1 to 2 months after surgery to control swelling. It will also aid the skin to adopt to your new body contours. During this time, you may face some irregularities as the remaining fat settles into position.

Bruising and numbness:- You may experience bruising and numbness in the treated areas for some specific period. It will be subsided on its own.

Resuming your daily life:- You may need to wait a few days before returning to work and a few weeks before returning to your normal activities including exercise depending upon your own physical condition.

Special Instructions:- Your surgeon will guide you to take care of the surgical site and your general health. He will certainly inform you about the follow-up visits.

RESULTS OF LIPO SURGERY

The result of your surgery will be clearly visible once you recover from swelling and bruising. Moreover, the people who maintain their weight and general fitness will enjoy permanent results. The evident fact is your skin will lose some firmness with age. In some cases, there may be a requirement for another surgery. The most important point is to follow your surgeon’s instructions which are the basic need for the success of your surgery.

Risks

Liposuction surgery is not an exception. It also has some risks and complications like other surgeries. Possible complications are as follows:-

• Adverse reaction to anesthesia
• Infection
• Change in skin sensation or Numbness
• Contour irregularities or asymmetries
• Irregular pigmentation
• Persistent swelling
• Bleeding
• Poor wound healing
• Fluid accumulation
• Uneven fat removal
• Scars
• Skin burns
• Blood clots
• Need for revision
• Internal organ puncture (quite rare)
• Kidney and heart problem
• Female patients may experience irregular menstrual cycle for sometime

These risks will be thoroughly discussed prior to your consent to the surgery. It is necessary that you follow all the instructions that your surgeon gives you to avoid all these complications or to minimize the potentials which can increase the risks. You must ask the questions and clear all the doubts related to the surgery and recovery to your surgeon.

COST

As this is a cosmetic surgery, most health insurances don’t cover it. Therefore you must keep in mind that you are going to bear all the bills this surgery will have. It ranges between 100,000 to 150,000 in India.