With all the improvements in liposuction technology and techniques that have evolved in the past thirty years or so, you can have liposuction done on pretty much any body area.

Originally, in the early 1980s, liposuction was done on the abdomen. To reduce bleeding and remove larger amounts of fat with less discomfort, tumescent liposuction was developed, where large volumes of fluid are first injected. The fluid is a saline solution (salty to match the body’s saltiness) with ingredients to shrink blood vessels and anesthetize the area. Then high-powered suction removed fluid and fat together.

That enabled people to have fatty tissue removed from much of the lower body:

· Abdomen

· Thighs

· Buttocks

· Flanks

A remaining problem was that some body areas have more fibrous fatty tissue which is harder to suction out. Examples are the back, chest and hips. In efforts to solve this problem, ultrasonic liposuction was developed in the early 1990s.

Ultrasound (vibration with sound beyond our hearing range) is used to break the fibrous cell membranes, emulsifying the fat before it is removed by suction. This approach has the added benefits of reduced bleeding and bruising, and smaller incisions because the cannulas used to remove fat are narrower. Ultrasound also helps the skin shrink over the reduced body area.

Ultrasonic liposuction is effectively used for both males and females in:

· Breast reduction

· Love handles

· Fat removal from the upper back

SmartLipo™

SmartLipo, also called laser liposuction, uses a laser to dissolve fat instead of suctioning it out of the body. This is a very different procedure from tumescent or ultrasonic liposuction, although the goal is the same. The targeted area is given local anesthetic and a very small incision is made. The laser is a hand-held device like a pen, inserted beneath the skin and moved so as to target the designated treatment areas. When the laser light is directed to fat cells, they break up instantly. The fatty fluid thus released is naturally excreted by the body’s lymphatic system.

As with all procedures using medical lasers, there is the added benefit that the laser seals the blood vessels, reducing bruising, and reducing bleeding to virtually none. It also tightens the skin’s collagen, causing the skin to shrink more tightly over the reduced body area. This is especially helpful on facial areas.

Because of the greater precision and subtlety of laser liposuction, smaller body areas can be treated, such as:

· Below the chin

· Face

· Knees

· Waist

· Neck

· Arms

All liposuction procedures are customized. If you are wondering about your own particular areas of excess fat and whether they can be treated with some form of liposuction, the first step would be to schedule a consultation with an experienced cosmetic surgeon.

If you are in the Indianapolis, Indiana area, you could not do better than to see Dr. Richard Linderman. He has been in the vanguard of liposuction improvements since 1982 and was the first cosmetic surgeon to offer liposuction in Indianapolis.



Thanks to Patricia Woloch for contributing this article to our Plastic Surgery blog:

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Liposuction was originally designed for body contouring. Liposuction is one of the commonest and most popular cosmetic procedures for removal of localised areas of fat. Facial liposuction is a youth-enhancing cosmetic procedure that is quickly becoming a popular choice among men and women alike. Some patients are genetically predisposed to carry excess fat in their jaw line, creating a jowl-ed appearance. Liposuction surgery is not a treatment for obesity. Liposuction surgery can be of many types such as, facial liposuction and stomach liposuction. Liposuction Surgery should be thought of as a way of improving the contour and shape of the body rather than as an easy way of losing weight. Facial Liposuction may be done alone. In older patients, it may produce optimal results when combined with a facelift, browlift, eyelid or nose surgery. This surgical liposuction procedure may involve either an intra-oral or extra-oral incision.

Liposuction surgery is also referred to as lipoplasty or lip sculpture. Liposuction surgery in fact is a plastic surgery procedure which reshapes the body part by getting rid of unwanted fat by suction from specific fat pockets. Facial liposuction does present some possible risks to the patient and will be discussed prior to the operation. Asymmetry, hematoma, lumpiness, and numbness are possible. Facial liposuction in most cases is able to make a dramatic change in the way a person looks by removing the excess fat from under the cheeks, chin and neck. Facial and neck liposuction is an effective liposuction procedure for removing localized fatty deposits in the undersurface of the neck area and the neck region. It is also effective in region in front of the ears. Some persons are at higher risk of complications due to liposuction surgery.

A pregnant woman must never resort to liposuction surgery. One thing most prospective patients should know is that liposuction is a real medical procedure. It requires incisions and sutures, and a lengthy recovery time. Many people confuse liposuction with a tummy tuck. However, these are not the same procedure. Sometimes they go together, but lipo is the more popular alternative in today’s culture. Facial liposuction surgery is an excellent procedure that can benefit those who want to remove unsightly fat deposits from localized areas of the face. This technique can be performed in a specially equipped doctor’s office using local anesthesia and the recovery is usually rapid. Microcannalicular liposuction is an outpatient procedure performed through tiny incisions under the jaw line or at the bottom of the ear. Patients are generally quite comfortable as they recover at home with a facial bandage under the chin to provide mild compression.



Thanks to Juliet Cohen for contributing this article to our Plastic Surgery blog:

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