Liposuction - A Consumer's Guide

Are you feeling down and out? Do you feel even worse when you look in the mirror? Cosmetic surgeons tell us you are not alone. They say the popularity of reality television shows like ABC TV's "Extreme Makeover" has led to an increasing boom in cosmetic surgery. You may be one of the many people who are not happy with the way you look. Look in the mirror right now and tell me what you see. Do you see flabby thighs, a sagging chin or a tubby tummy? If so, then liposuction could be just what the doctor ordered.

What Is Liposuction?
Liposuction is also known in the medical arena as lipoplasty or liposculture or "lipo" for short. Lipo surgically removes excess fat from deposits beneath the skin in many areas of the body. The procedure sounds like it hurts.

How Does It Work?
Surgeons use a hollow stainless steel tube called a cannula. The cannula is hooked up to a vacuum. It is inserted into an incision in the skin. Fat deposits are then gently sucked out of the body.

Does It Hurt?
"It didn't hurt at all," says 25-Year old Jenn Rogers. Rogers is the mother of three year old twins. She decided to have lipo to get her post baby abdomen back. She says, "I tried so hard through exercise and diet to do it. But, nothing I tried would work."
Is It Popular And If It Is, Why?

Liposuction is quickly becoming one of the most popular forms of cosmetic surgery for that very reason. It targets the areas of fat we'd like to shoot away. It is commonly used to reduce fat in the abdomen, hips, butt, thighs, chin, neck, back, chest and arms. Can you believe that doctors also use lipo on the knees, ankles and calves? As you can see, liposuction will work on just about anywhere you see fat and want to hide it!

It sounds like it hurts, doesn't it?

Well, the amount of pain depends on individual circumstances. Liposuction can be achieved painlessly by local or general anesthesia. However doctors consider liposuction a mild surgical procedure. It is performed using a general or local anesthesia. A heavy IV sedation is also used in some cases. Recent advances have done a lot to ease the pain. Doctors can now precisely target fat areas which help to reduce recovery times. Despite the recent popularity, lipo has actually been around for more than a decade.
"I had my first liposuction in 1992. It was before anyone even knew about it. I wanted to reduce the signs of aging in my face," says retired school teacher, 69 Year Old Rebecca Long. The grandmother of three has had three additional procedures since then. She laughs, "People now confuse my daughter with being my sister. I don't know if that's good for her, or bad!"

How Do I Make A Decison?
You may be wondering whether liposuction is for you. Some folks figure if they have the greenbacks then they can do it. But, whether you have the money to pay for it is just one of the factors you should consider. It is important that a surgeon be board certified for the technique that they are going to use. You'll want to look at his or her experience and safety record.

Are There Risks?
Liposuction is not risk free. There are many things that can go wrong. Complications can occur due to a poor judgment on the part of the doctor. The better educated you are on the procedure, the greater you chances of spotting a problem before it occurs. You should be concerned about disfiguring skin irregularities that can occur if the surgeon tries to take too much fat away in one procedure. The use of a large cannula can also affect the outcome of your procedure.

Large cannula's remove fat quickly. However, they are more likely to lead to skin irregularities then small cannulas do. Small cannulas are less than 3 millimeters in diameter. There's a strong chance you'll need a large cannula depending on the amount of fat you need taken away.

Surgeons use the small cannula's during the Tumescent Procedure. The American Medical Association says this technique when used with local anesthesia is the safest. Under this method, the diluted local anesthesia lasts for hours reducing the need for narcotic pain relief. Doctors say there have been no reported deaths under this procedure. In addition, even if it's used with general anesthesia, Tumescent Procedure is safe if there's no large fat removal.
There is another surgical method that utilizes a modified version of the Tumescent Procedure. This modified version combines local anesthesia with general anesthesia or IV sedation. General anesthesia and IV sedation may be dangerous when used alone, just imagine the danger when they're put together. As a result, an anesthesiologist must be on hand to handle the administration.

You'll also want to make sure that you don't have any other surgical procedures the same day as your liposuction. You'll want to avoid long term exposure to anesthesia because it's dangerous. Taking away a large amount of fat can lead to serious complications. Also, removing an excessive amount from too many areas can also be dangerous. You'll also want to make sure that you don't have any other surgical procedures the same day as your liposuction. Healing can occur quickly thanks to all the advances in liposuction.

Liposuction recovery times are shorter today than a couple of decades ago. You can return to a normal lifestyle within four after surgery with most procedures. However, a little bit of local anesthetic remains in your system. It is later absorbed into the blood stream. Would you believe that draining the anesthetic solution out of your incision actually speeds your rate of healing? It also reduces swelling and bruising after surgery.

Drainage is also speeded up by leaving the incisions open instead of closing with sutures. Your surgeon can also make tiny holes in your skin to force drainage. Your surgeon may also encourage you to spandex clothes to promote more drainage. Your surgeon can also drain it through absorptive pads that are placed over your incisions. Despite the surgical concerns, liposuction is changing lives like Jenn and Rebecca's. It can improve body posture and image ultimately leading to a happier, healthier, you.

Who Do I Contact To Find A Good Surgeon?
The Ethical Cosmetic Surgery Association, The American Sociaty of Dermatologic Surgeons or the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Barry A. S. Lycka is one of North America's foremost authorities on cosmetic, skin cancer, reconstructive and laser surgery of the skin. You can find out more at www.barrylyckamd.com and www.restoringyouthonline.com

Hot Topics In Cosmetic Surgery

    Tummy Tucks And You

    Abdominoplasty, also known as a tummy tuck, is perhaps the best way to shape your lower stomach when an excess of fat accumulates in the area. There are many different types of tummy tucks a person ca...

    Implants for the Buttocks

    When one thinks of implants, it is almost always in regard to breasts. Buttocks implants, however, are becoming more and more common as a cosmetic enhancement.

    Implants for the Buttocks

    Cosmetic ...

    Tips On How To Get An Affordable Tummy Tuck

    The cost for a tummy tuck can be quite costly. There are plenty of doctors that are offering their services and there are many people having the surgery done. But, in the end, it is far more important...

    Liposuction and Other Cosmetic Surgeries

    Statistically, obesity is on the rise in our culture. If you are a sufferer and if you have tackled your weight problem, you may have to consider cosmetic surgical intervention to address any excess o...

    Better than Botox?

    What I'm thinking is, what's NOT better than Botox! Just a quick disclaimer here, I cannot speak from experience, because I have never had a Botox injection. The reason I've never had one is because I...

    Is Laser Eye Surgery Right For You?

    Laser surgery was approved in 1995 for vision correction. Since that time, improvements in technology and techniques have made it one of the most common elective surgeries in the US. Several different...

    Plastic Surgery Do You Need It?

    Very close to 11.9 million underwent cosmetic, both surgical and non surgical, procedures last year. The figure stands at 1,425,900 for the top 5 surgical procedures. Even the trend lines show that th...

    Having your Breasts Reduced with Breast Augmentation

    Many women feel that their breasts are too big and they need to have a breast augmentation done so to improve the way they look and feel. This procedure can be taken care of with the help of a plastic...

    Combating Signs of Aging with ZeroTox Wrinkle Defense System

    Has some rude soul recently pointed out your crow's feet? Up until this moment you were probably content with the condition of your skin. Nothing wrong with a few wrinkles, right? The fact is, more th...

    Facts On Ultrasound-Assisted Liposuction (UAL)

    The Ultrasonic liposuction method started as early as 1996. At present though, it is still considered as a fairly new technique in contrast to the tumescent procedure. In this process, instead of inje...

    What is Breast Augmentation?

    Many women are not happy with the way that they look and their breasts. There are some women that for one reason or another have had their bodies change on them and now they want to make themselves lo...

Most Recent Cosmetic Surgery Supplements

Newly Popular Beauty Articles

    Hairstyles 2007 - The Hottest Look For 2007

    It's a new year and with it comes change and what better way than to enter the new year with a new look and changing your hairstyle will certainly do that.

    Let's look at hairstyle...

    Tummy Tucks And You

    Abdominoplasty, also known as a tummy tuck, is perhaps the best way to shape your lower stomach when an excess of fat accumulates in the area. There are many different types of tummy tucks a person ca...

    How To Lose Belly Fat Fast And Lose Love Handles Fast

    As we age, our metabolism starts to slow down and we start to gain fat in all the wrong places. To make matters worse, it is known that the older we get,the more sedentary our lifestyle will be. This ...

    Anti Aging ~ Choosing The Right Product

    Copyright 2006 Sezeur Skincare

    There are a great many vitamins, minerals, etc to consider when choosing a skin care product especially when your aim is to reduce the signs of aging on your skin. Fro...

    How to Care for your Skin the Natural Way

    Natural skin care is a way to care for your skin without the use of synthetic chemicals in skin care products. Proper hygiene and self-discipline are the biggest factors in natural skin care. A daily ...

    Is Laser Eye Surgery Right For You?

    Laser surgery was approved in 1995 for vision correction. Since that time, improvements in technology and techniques have made it one of the most common elective surgeries in the US. Several different...

    Plastic Surgery Do You Need It?

    Very close to 11.9 million underwent cosmetic, both surgical and non surgical, procedures last year. The figure stands at 1,425,900 for the top 5 surgical procedures. Even the trend lines show that th...

    Natural Skin Care And How You Can Benefit

    Natural skin care is the buzz word in today's world - at least, when it comes to wrinkles. With the
    popularity of Botox when it first hit the market, companies were eagerly trying to replicate the...

    Anti-Aging Lotion Secrets: A Path to Beauty.

    Whether its drugstores or retail outlets youll find many kinds of lotions. Variations include crack healing lotions, wrinkle creams, aromatherapy lotions, anti-aging lotions and moisturizing lotions t...

    Know Your Bodybuilding Supplement - L-Arginine

    Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid that the body cannot make naturally. It is found in nuts, seeds, chocolate and raisins.

    Arginine is used by the body in the execution of many important ...

Interesting Today:

Most Recent Beauty Blogs:

Releated to Beauty:

Cosmetic Surgery Links: