What is Liposuction Surgery? – Different Types of Lipo
Liposuction procedures have been conducted for many years beginning in the 1920’s. People have various reasons to want liposuction, whether it be cosmetic or as a medical procedure. Liposuction, or lipoplasty, has the interest of many people, men and women alike, which brings many to wonder what is liposuction surgery exactly and how the procedure is conducted?
What is Liposuction Surgery?
So, what is liposuction surgery? Liposuction is the removal of excess fat from the body using medical tools like a cannula, which is a small, hollow instrument that extracts the fat out.
Before beginning, the patient is sedated and the area needing lipo is numbed. Once the anesthesia and numbing agent have kicked in, the procedure begins. The operation starts with a cosmetic surgeon making a small incision in the removal area. The incisions are very small and the equipment isn’t very large and the scarring in recovery will be minimal. Using the cannula, fat is sucked out into a container in small chunks. Overall, the duration of the procedure can be at least an hour, depending on the amount of fat.
A more popular form of modern liposuction is tumescent liposuction, which is conducted similarly. The difference that makes it more appealing than the non-tumescent version is the sedation and saline that is injected directly under the skin in the extraction area with smaller tools and smaller incisions which leads to less bleeding and a quicker, less painful recovery period.
Ultrasound or laser assisted liposuction is also a very well liked operation. This is when the cannula is heated, burning the fat cells upon contact. Sometimes this is known as “Smart Lipo.” This is not the same as mesotherapy or LipoDissolve. Mesotherapy is the act of inserting a solution in the fatty area expecting it to dissolve the fat cells over a period of time.
After the procedure, the patient is brought to a recovery area and is dressed in gauze, wraps, bandages and a special garment that is meant to be worn for a duration after for proper recovery. The special garment varies and is worn for different amounts of time depending on the area that was operated on. For the face, it is usually worn for only a couple of days. With larger areas, the garment may need to stay on for about a month or so.
The patient is observed in the hospital for a couple of hours, then is sent home to be cared for and looked after for the next 24 hours or longer. Some side effects that patients experience are dizziness, swelling and soreness. It is best that each patient is tended to by a friend or family member for the best recovery. Medication will be given and the caregiver should understand how to be in charge of giving the medication to the patient as prescribed by the plastic surgeon.
Bottom Line
Liposuction has been around for decades and only continues to improve with modern medicine and science. When people wonder “what is liposuction surgery?” they are already considering the procedure for either medical or cosmetic purposes. Although, be sure to check with your insurance provider or Medicare specialist to see if you have any sort of coverage for the procedure.