San Diego Liposuction

Liposuction can help sculpt your body, restore a more shapely form, and improve your fit in clothes by removing unwanted fat from specific areas, such the abdomen, love handles, hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, upper arms, chin, cheeks and neck. As we age, our metabolism changes, our body fat is redistributed, and stubborn fat pockets form that don't shrink with exercise. Liposuction is a safe and effective method that can reshape your body, and restore a healthier appearance that can match your inner health. In select patients, it can even be done as an office procedure.

There are a number of new techniques, including ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty (UAL), laser lipoplasty, and the super-wet technique, which all help to safely and effectively remove unwanted fat, just as does suction assisted lipectomy (SAL). With all of these techniques, the basic principals are similar. First, the area of concern is infused with a solution that numbs the area and helps control the bleeding. Then, a cannula is placed through a small incision under the skin and fat is removed by one of the techniques mentioned earlier. The area is carefully contoured so that it is proportional to the rest of the body, and the patient is placed into a compressive garment to help with the contouring process.

Liposuction Introduction:

Liposuction has many names such as liposculpture, lipoplasty and suction lipectomy Liposuction means removing fat at different places through cosmetic surgery. For an example you can target areas such as the abdomen, thighs, buttocks, neck, and back of the arms. A hollow tube called a cannula, and a suction device called an aspirator is used.

As we all know some fat deposits may not reduce because of dieting and exercising. For such areas liposuction is the best option.

You may have negative aspects to removing fat in any area. There are many factors which limit the fat removal from the body in one session. Both the doctor and the patient should discuss this matter. If too much is removed, you may see lumpiness and/or indentations on the skin. The surgical risk becomes higher when more fat is being removed. We can say that the more fat that is removed the more the risk rises.

Popularity:

In USA 68 % of the population is over weight. This makes it predictable that liposuction is very frequently performed there. Normally it is used to remove only 10 to 15 pounds off the body. Removing more fat than that can be life threatening and impossible too. The American society of plastic surgeons defines large as 5 liters.

Frequent areas performed are:

The abdomen and thighs in women.
The abdomen and flanks in men.

Candidacy required for liposuction:

Not every person is eligible for liposuction. It’s not a good alternative for dieting and exercising.
A person needs to be

over 18
healthy surgical candidate
A person who has already tried the diet and exercise regime and still found the 10 or 15 pounds remaining on the body.

Different techniques of liposuction:

These can be categorized by the amount of fluid injected and by the mechanism in which the cannula works
The amount of fluid injection:

dry liposuction
This method is rarely used these days.
wet liposuction
A technique in which a medicated solution is injected into fatty areas before the fat is removed. The liquid contains
- Lidocaine: as a local anesthetic
- Epinephrine: to contract the blood vessels and thus minimize bleeding a salt solution.
superwet liposuction
This technique is preferred for high volume liposuction. This technique is similar to the tumescent , except that lesser amounts of fluid are used. Usually the amount of fluid injected is equal to the amount of fat to be removed.
tumescent liposuction
In the tumescent technique, the fluid is a mixture of intravenous salt solution, lidocaine and epinephrine helps the fat to be removed more easily, reduces blood loss and provides anesthesia during and after surgery. Bruising and swelling are reduced with fluid injection.
Mechanism of liposuction
1. Suction-assisted liposuction (SAL)
2. Ultrasound-assisted liposuction (UAL)
3. Power-assisted liposuction (PAL)
4. External ultrasound-assisted liposuction (XUAL or EUAL)

Things to do before the surgery [liposuction]:

There are some important things to be noted like

Antinflammatory & anticoagulants should not be taken for two weeks before the surgery.
Fasting from midnight the night before is required if the surgery will be done in the morning, and if you are given general anesthesia.
If local anesthesia is given then you need not go through the fasting.
Smoking is to be avioded for 2 weeks pre-operatively.

Procedure of the liposuction surgery:

Before the surgery starts the surgeon should discuss the areas where the fat will be removed and also discuss the realistic outcome. The patient should be in agreement with the surgical plan.
Then as per the procedure the consent form is to be signed i.e. on the pre-op appointment.
There is a photo session at the pre-opertive appointment.
The area where the fat is to be removed is marked in the standing position.
IV will be started.
A prep solution such as Betadine is applied on the area where the fat is to be removed.
Local anesthetic is injected (and the person may also be given a sedative orally or through injection).
As the person will be losing fat and fluid therefore there would be a fluid line.
The rest would be like any other surgery.
Monitoring includes blood pressure check, heart rate check, and blood oxygen level.
If general anesthesia is given then the patient can go home the same day as the operation.

Recovery

Ace bandage or a compression garnment will be worn for 3 weeks.
Bandages should be changed as directed.
Sutures will be removed after five to ten days.
Pain killers can be taken as per the prescription.
Numbness may last for several weeks
Swelling and bruising will subside after a few days.
Normal work can be resumed according to the Doctors recommendation.

Side effects

Bruising
Swelling
Scars
Discomfort
Numbness
Limited mobility

Things to do to recover quickly:

Drinking plenty of water.
Avoiding alcohol
Avoiding the ice packs and heating packs
Working less and following the instructions given by the doctor.