Liposuction, Is It For You?

I'm sure you've heard of liposuction
but what do you really know about it?

Like you, I have my own ideas, and having something sharp jabbed into me to suck fat out isn't an appealing idea at all!!

Let’s face it, it’s painful, it’s costly, and it carries risk, both to your health and to the overall result you’ll get.

Oh, and did I mention it's painful!!

But I’m getting way ahead of myself here, before I go into all of that, let’s take a closer look at what liposuction actually is.

And please bear with me as I've given you quite a lot of info, but it's a big deal and you need to know as much as possible.

Bottom line is that liposuction as a cellulite treatment is becoming increasingly popular, and it can be dangerous so I want you to have a good overview of it.

Liposuction - Your Questions Answered

• What exactly is it?
• Is it a quick fix for celluite?
• Are there risks?
• What does it cost?
• How can I know that it will work for me?
• If it does work, can the cellulite come back?

What Exactly is Liposuction?
In essence lipo is a method of body sculpting which allows targeted pockets of unwanted fat to be removed.

The fat is removed by making a small incision in the skin and then inserting an instrument called a cannula, this is a long, hollow stainless steel tube which is attached to a powerful vacuum.

The cannula is pushed through your skin into the fatty problem area, and then the fat is vacuumed out.

Larger cannulas were used in the past and they're now considered old fashioned. They were supposedly more effective in helping to speed the process up, rather than helping to get the best result.

Clearly this process does remove fat, but opinions on where and how it works best do vary.

Does It Work Everywhere?
Liposuction works very well in removing collections of fat in various parts of the body. The most common areas being the thighs, abdomen and 'love handles', but it has mixed success when it comes to treating cellulite.

It has been known to work very well, and in other cases it's actually worsened the ‘orange peel’ appearance.

It's best for getting rid of those fatty deposits on your tummy or thighs or where-ever they might be, that just won’t shift no matter what you do.

However, lipo is no substitute for exercise and healthy eating , it does however give you an option for dealing with those probem areas.

Will it work for you?
Maybe and maybe not, it's thought to work best on people who are fit and healthy and can cope with invasive surgical procedures. And that does make sense, doesn't it?

Three Main Liposuction Methods Used Today

Because the area is now swollen and firm, it’s easier for the surgeon to insert the cannula beneath the skin and target the areas from which to remove the fat.

Bleeding is minimised (cheery thought!) during the process due to the constriction of the blood vessels, and there’s also little need for after surgery pain relief as the local anaesthetic is very effective and long lasting.

2. Modified Tumescent Liposuction
This is a combination of Tumescent and some form of systemic anaesthesia, either general or heavy IV. Essentially this means you will be asleep while the lipo is done. An anaesthesiologist is needed to administer this type of sedation.

3. Ultrasonic Liposuction
This is where the fatty tissue is removed with the assistance of sound waves which are beyond the range of human hearing. This method helps the surgeon to more precisely guide the cannula.

The ultrasonic energy is specifically targeted to fat cells and this results in less damage to other tissues such as nerves, blood vessels and muscles as well as increasing the level of safety.

Is that all there is to it?
A responsible and successful liposuction practitioner will have larger goals than just sticking a sharp (ouch) vacuum pipe into your delicate butt, and then sucking unwanted fat out.

They’ll need to ensure that you’re happy and satisifed with the result. They should be ensuring these questions all have a positive answer…

• How safe did you feel before and during the process?
• Were all of your questions heard and answered?
• Were you comfortable during the process?
• Were you clear about the pre-operative process?
• Were you clear about the post-operative process?
• Were you happy with the result?

The surgeons attitude toward your safety and your comfort, their ability to communicate clearly as well as their skill and technique, is what distinguishes a good surgeon from the rest.

What Kind Of Result Can You Expect?

This takes planning, time, thought and skill to accomplish, after all it didn’t get where it is in a few moments did it?

And after you’ve had your surgery it may take a few months to get the final result, ahhh, but the wait will be worth it I’m sure.

Personally I don’t fancy being sliced and diced, although some of these before and after photos of lipo ladies are impressive.

In truth, results are as individual as you are, and will depend to a large degree on the size and shape of your (fabulous) butt to start with.

However with todays techniques, and the use of microcannulas, your butt could become the fabulous butt you’ve always wanted.

Stated a little differently, everything is a risk and the only way you'll find out what kind of result you can get is to try it.

A word of caution, educate yourself first, know the risks, check out the surgeon you’re thinking of using and talk to people who’ve already had it done.

Will You lose much weight?
Although fat's being removed, your weight loss won't be dramatic, logically it should be equal to the amount of fat you had vaccuumed out (yeach!!).

However, this doesn’t mean that the results won’t be dramatic. Remember that piece of clay, move a little bit from here and there, and suddenly you have a whole new sculpture.

However, a word of warning, the lipo does remove those particular fat cells permanently, but you can always put the weight back on that you lost.

But here’s the thing, when you gain a small amount of weight, existing fat cells just get bigger. But when you gain a significant amount of weight, say more than 10% of your body weight, then new fat cells can develop.

These new cells can develop in any part of the body, including areas previously treated by lipo.

But don’t worry, if this happens you should just be a larger version of your new shape, rather than the old lumpy, bumpy version.

And of course you’ll still be affected by the changes that time brings to us all – sorry, there's no escaping that!

One thing I want to stress is that as long as you don’t gain weight your new shape (assuming the lipo was successful) should be permanent.

What Are The Risks?

It's invasive and so carries with it all the risks of any surgery, and even more risks if you’re having it done with a general anaesthetic (sleeping through it).

The surgery generally involves two or three small access points for the cannula, usually about 2mm wide. Stitches aren’t required and the incisions are usually completely healed in a few weeks.

Despite how simple it all sounds here are some examples of risks you could be facing, there are many more…

• Infection
Most infections can be prevented simply by keeping the wound clean and watching the area carefully during the healing process. If an infection does occur most can be treated with anti-biotics. However some are more lethal. Some liposuction practitioners (not all liposuction practitioners are surgeons) prescribe antibiotics as standard procedure, and some do not. In general most infections respond to anti-biotics, however, there are some rare types of infection, such as necrotizing fascitis or toxic shock syndrome, which can be fatal.

• Disfiguring Skin Irregularities
Maybe due to the surgeons inattention to detail, the cannula being too large, or other unknown factors.

• Assymetry
Simply an uneven result with one side not quite matching the other. This is very common with people who have not had lipo so is hardly earth shattering.

• Sagging Of Skin After The Operation
Not very common and potential for this is usually dealt with during the assessment.

• Seroma
In some cases liposuction can result in nerve compression, which causes a change in sensation at the site of the procedure. Either more or less sensitive than yuwere before. In most cases this condition passes during the recovery process, but in some rare cases the change is permanent.

• Organ Perforation
A perforation is a hole, and holes can be made in your organs if the liposuction practitioner accidentially punctures an organ with the cannula. If this happens you will need surgery to repair the damage and in very rare cases the perforation can be fatal.

• Embolism
This is a rare but serious complication that can occur when something enters blood vessel and either obstructs or completely blocks it. With liposuction the most likely thing to have entered the blood vessel will be a piece of fat. There is further risk of the object entering the lungsd or the brain. Yes, this is serious. Signs of an embolism in the lungs include difficulty breathing and shortness of breath. This would need emergency medical attention immediately.

• Swelling
with careful monitoring of fluid input and output during the operative procedure, this should not be an issue. One of the important roles of your anaesthetist is to precisely monitor fluid input and output during the case.

• Skin Necrosis
This is a very rare condition that causes localized cell death in the skin above the liposuction site.

Now listen to this very carefully, these are only some of the risks you may face if you decide to go ahead and have liposuction. So be very careful and very sure about any decision you make.

Seven Crucial Things To Consider

And believe it or not there are many more risks than the ones that I've covered. At the bare minimum you need to consider the following things:

1. Your current state of health and fitness, both mental and physical.

2. Your ability to take time out from your 'life' if your recuperation takes longer than you thought.

3. Your ability to pay for the surgery itself, and then any unforseen complications that might arise.

4. The experience of the liposuction practitioner you choose, ask to speak to past clients.

5. How comfortable are you with your 'practitioner'(they aren't always doctors), are you confident that they'll have your best interests at heart.

6. Your own expectations, are they realistic and will you cope if the results aren't all you hoped for.

7. Have you done everything possible to correct your problem area before resorting to surgery?

Please...
I can't stress this strongly enough, before you have any surgery done talk to your lipo practitioner and get all of your questions answered first.

In fact talk to a friend and use them as a sounding board, surgery is a serious procedure so be very sure before you go ahead.

If you do decide to go ahead with liposuction I wish you the very best, and please, let me know how it goes.

If you decide that it isn't for you then give my workout a try, it continues to work for me.

Cost Of Liposuction
As for cost, this varies as wildly as you might imagine it could, from several hundred dollars to many thousands.

It all depends on what you're having done, how much work is involved, who is doing it and where they are doing it.

Just make sure that you and the practitioner are clear about what is being done and the cost. Well there you have it.

It’s great to have options but personally I'd go for one that didn’t involve cutting of any kind!!

Mesotherapy - this way please >>>

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