Losing weight is a difficult enough task as it is, however there are some areas on the body where fat is more stubborn and harder to get rid up such as hips and inner thighs. Unfortunately the only way to shift fat from these areas is by doing general cardiovascular exercise, although this still won’t promise you the results you are after. So, more and more people are turning to surgery to at least kick start their weight loss regime, in the hope that they see results faster and have the motivation they need to stick to it. One procedure which is becoming increasingly popular is liposuction. Although you have probably heard of liposuction, chances are you do not have an expansive knowledge on it and are likely to be sitting there asking yourself what is liposuction?
Firstly, it is important to note that liposuction is not a good or adequate alternative to exercising. If you have tried to exercise and the desired fat is not budging then this is for you, if you do not want to exercise and think liposuction can produce you with a quick fix do not be so foolish. You will need to exercise after you have this surgery, so attempt to exercise before you get it.
Liposuction is a cosmetic surgical operation which removes fat from undesirable parts of the body. The areas which you can opt to get liposuction is vast, from; hips, back, thighs to the neck! It is also known as lipoplasty, both of these refer to a suction assisted fat removal or fat remodelling.
If you have lots of fat which you wish to get removed in one session there are factors which will limit this. Generally speaking, it is up to you to talk with and agree on a certain amount of fat with your physician so it can be seen that you can remove as much fat as you like. However your physician will warn you of the negative effects which can occur my removing too much fat. The negative effects can be lumpiness or dent like marks in the skin, where too much fat has been ‘sucked’ out. Another negative is that the more fat that is removed, the higher the surgical risk becomes.
Generally speaking this is a relatively safe procedure, which can be performed under a general or a local anaesthetic; this is again down to the physician and patient to discuss, although the physician may say that one type is far more suiting than another. Despite it being a safe procedure, problems can occur, for this procedure to go as well as possible it can be wise to ensure that you are in good shape, not so much body wise but health wise. Also, it is important that you lead a relatively healthy lifestyle and have not smoked for a few months as these factors could create implications.
Currently there are two main methods which are used regarding liposuction. This list is not exhaustive, there are other methods which can be used however the two main methods will be focused on. The first method is wet liposuction, this is where a small amount of fluid is injected into the area you are receiving liposuction, and the amount of fluid is less in volume than the amount of fat you are looking to have removed. The aim of this fluid is to help loosen up the fat cells and reduce the bruising which will be part of the healing regime. After the fat cells are loosened up they will then be suctioned out as they would be in a basic procedure.
The second main type is super-wet liposuction. With this method, the amount of fluid injected is usually the same volume as the amount of fat which is getting removed. When people are looking to have high volumes of fat removed, this is usually the physicians preferred technique as it has several advantages. One potential disadvantage, depending on how you see it, is that if you have this method type, then you may be required to have IV sedation or complete anaesthesia which is not ideal for some people.
Clearly your physician will go through the various methods available, and will suggest which method type would best suit you. So if you are looking to find out more about the procedures and methods used it can be wise to book an appointment with a leading physician.
An important question rattling around in your head at the moment is probably recovery. Recovery times can often be what puts most people off of cosmetic surgery however liposuction is quite good. Obviously the recovery time will depend on the extent of your surgery and the amount of fat removed, although generally speaking, patients are normally able to return to their normal everyday lives within two weeks. A compression garment will be worn around the area operated on from two to four weeks. It is important to remember after receiving treatment that it is up to you to keep up a healthy eating and exercising regime.
It is important to go in with your eyes wide open and to know what you are getting your self in for. The procedure itself is fairly straight forward; the problem is the side effects which can occur after surgery. Some of these side effects are; bruising, swelling, scarring, pain, limited movement (depending on where you have the liposuction), and often a lot of pain. You will be prescribed pain killers however you should still be prepared to be in a bit of discomfort despite the pain killers.
As previously mentioned, there is no quick fix to removing unwanted fat cells. You can attempt exercising and struggle with that, or get liposuction and handle the pain afterwards; no way of removing fat is particularly fun or pleasant.
Although you will be able to see results after a few days or when swelling goes down, you may not see the full extent of these results until up to six months after, hopefully after reading this you are not still sitting there wondering ‘what is liposuction’!
