Liposuction and liposculptureWhat are liposuction and liposculpture?Liposuction and liposculpture, popularly known as body contouring surgery, are by far the operations most in request in cosmetic surgery.Liposuction allows the body to be sculpted by removing the undesired depot fat from specific areas such as the abdomen, the sides, the nates, the thighs, the knees, the upper limbs, the chin and the neck. Liposculpture derives from liposuction in that it makes use of microcannulas to "sculpt" very selected areas of the body. Although body contouring surgery does not replace diet and physical exercise, liposuction and liposculpture allow the removal of the localized depot fat that cannot be removed otherwise. Thus, liposuction and liposculpture are not useful for losing weight but for contouring the body. Who is this kind of operation indicated for?Body contouring surgery is particularly suitable for those who, despite a fairly good physical fitness and their firm and elastic skin, suffer from depot fat in some specific areas of the body which cannot be eliminated by dieting nor by physical exercise.Are there age limits to undergo liposuction and liposculpture?There are no age limits to undergo these kinds of surgery, but the older people, whose skin has lost part of its elasticity, normally achieve worse results than the younger patients.Overweight patients should first follow a diet before undergoing liposuction and liposculpture. What surgical interventions can be performed together with liposuction and liposculpture?Body contouring surgery can be performed alone or in association with other surgical techniques such as abdominoplasty, thigh-lift and arm-lift, face-lift, reductive mastoplasty or other jobs.What are the risks and the complications of this kind of operation?Thousands of such operations are performed successfully every year all over the world.When this kind of operation is performed by a specialist in plastic surgery, experienced in body contouring and in qualified facilities, the results are usually very good. However, it is essential not to make light of this operation and not to give in to the temptation to apply to non-specialists who perform low-cost surgery inside non qualified facilities (beauty centres, consulting rooms, etc.) because this is anyhow a real surgical procedure whose complications (infection, haematomas) are rare but may occur and can be easily resolved only if the intervention is performed by a specialist in plastic surgery and within duly equipped facilities. In order to reduce the risks of complications, it is anyhow essential to follow the advice and the instructions given by the surgeon carefully before and after the operation. Smokers should reduce the use of cigarettes because smoking may increase the risk of complications and slow down the recovery. What does the preoperative examination consists in?Liposuction and liposculpture are very customized kinds of surgery that, as such, need a meticulous specialist examination.During the first examination, the surgeon will assess the amount and the location of the depot fat and the skin elasticity, and show you the target and the cosmetic results you can achieve. The surgeon will also assess your physical condition in order to exclude the presence of troubles (such as high blood pressure, clotting or healing disorders) which might affect the final result of the operation. Before the operation you will receive specific information about the preoperative and postoperative diet and the use of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes. At the end of the examination, the surgeon, in tune with you, will choose the surgical procedure most suitable for your situation. What kind of anaesthetic is given?Depending on the location and the size of the areas to be treated, liposuction and liposculpture may be performed under local anaesthesia with sedation (which means that you will be awake but relaxed and insensitive to pain), under loco-regional anaesthesia or under general anaesthesia.The operation is usually performed in outpatient care, but sometimes one or two-day hospitalization may be needed, especially when the patient is operated on under general anaesthesia. Where are the incisions made?Both in liposuction and liposculpture, the incisions are very small and are made on the folds and the grooves of the body, so that they are completely invisible.
How long is the liposuction and liposculpture operation?The duration of the operation is quite variable depending on the size of the areas to be treated.The intervention is not painful and ends with a compressive sheath that will be worn for about three weeks. Sometimes, there may be local discomfort which will disappear in few days. What happens during the post-operative period?The recovery from liposuction and liposculpture surgery is gradual and steady.During 48 hours following the operation you will have to rest up. Starting from the third day, you will be able to resume your normal life, avoiding, nevertheless, tiring activities, saunas, sweat-baths. After 4-5 days, you will be able to resume work, provided that it is not too tiring. At first, the treated area will look puffier than it will be at the end, but within 2-3 weeks of the operation the oedema and the puffiness will gradually disappear. Starting from the third week you will gradually resume all your normal activities, including the sports activity. The result, already observable after the first three weeks, will be definitive about three months after the operation. What kind of result can be achieved?The result of a liposuction and liposculpture operation is usually very good and highly satisfactory for the patient.If you have the forethought to follow a balanced diet and to perform physical exercise regularly, the results achieved through these procedures will be practically permanent. If you wish to take this subject further, we advise you to visit the FAQ page about liposuction, liposculpture, lipofilling and fat, where you will find the answers to the most frequent questions asked by the patients. |
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Chirurgia-plastica-estetica.it Prof. Mario Dini Chairman and Director of Plastic Surgery Dept. - University of Florence |
