4 Facts About Liposuction Before You Talk to Any Cosmetic Surgeon
5 min readLiposuction is the technique used to suction the fatty deposits from certain body parts that refuse to go away in spite of dieting and exercising. It is now one of the most sought after methods of removing excess body fat. Although a relatively safe procedure, liposuction methods are constantly being fine tuned to improve the results. The most common areas of fat removal are the thighs, the stomach and the buttocks.
History
Several people claim to have invented the liposuction procedure, which makes the history a little difficult to decipher. There is some sketchy information available stating that liposuction was first attempted in the early 1920’s with less than satisfactory results. Supposedly, Charles Dujarier, a surgeon in France, performed the procedure on a model from Paris who later died as a result of gangrene complications. This ended the method of removing fat by suction for many years.
Liposuction again came to the forefront in the year 1974. This time it was reinvented by Dr. Georgio Fischer and his son, Dr. Georgio Fischer, Jr., both Italian gynecologists. Using an electric rotating scalpel they were able to cut fat tissue out of the body through small incisions that were made. The tool used was basically an oscillating blade inside a cannula, or a thin tube made from metal. The fat cells were essentially destroyed and along with bits of tissue and blood, were removed from the body by suction. Not as evolved as it is today, the method nonetheless paved the way for modern liposuction methods.
Side Effects
Unfortunately, many early attempts at liposuction resulted in patients experiencing side effects such as profuse bleeding, numbness that became permanent and less than perfect results in the area where the fat had been removed. Different surgeons began to develop their own special methods of liposuction techniques. During the 70’s and 80’s liposuction was constantly being revised and fine tuned. Different equipment was used including various oscillating blades inside metal cannulas, and even bladeless cannulas were tried. The downside to these attempts was that the patient was the one who became a guinea pig for these newer methods, and suffered the consequences if the procedure didn’t work as expected.
Advancement
In the year 1977, the blunt tipped cannula was introduced by Dr. Yves-Gerard of France. Less bleeding occurred, and nerves and blood vessels weren’t damaged in the way of the older methods. It made it much easier for the fatty tissue to be manipulated. The recovery time after surgery was much shorter, and post-operative discomfort was reduced. With much less loss of blood there were far fewer complications to be concerned about. The liposuction procedures were far from perfect as of yet, but the results were better than they had been in earlier years. The surgery continued to be performed in this manner for several years.
In 1985, liposuction underwent a new change with the invention of the Tumescent method developed by Dr. Jeffrey Kline from California. Dr. Kline, a dermatologist, figured out how to enable patients to have liposuction with only local anesthesia. There was much less bleeding, and the skin didn’t appear to be as dimpled as it once would have been. The cannula was much smaller and more slender than the one used prior to this time. The surgeon was better able to ‘sculpt’ the area. Microcannulas used in Tumescent liposuction remove less fat per minute that a larger cannula, but the fat removal is much smoother and the volume greater.
In 1987, UAL liposuction was developed by Dr. Michelle Zocchi. UAL means ultrasonic assisted liposuction, which offered a much more refined method of fatty tissue removal. The cannula was further reduced in size by 1998, being about the diameter of a small straw. This allowed for the procedure to be done much less invasively and resulted in a more satisfying appearance when the surgery was finished. The bleeding was minimal and recovery time was reduced to a matter of a few weeks.
Areas of Enhancement
In the year 21st century, liposuction is a relatively routine procedure performed on a daily basis for both women and men alike, worldwide. The procedure is performed in a hospital or a clinic by a qualified surgeon. Either general or local anesthesia is used for sedation or numbing.
Several different methods or techniques are now used for doing a liposuction procedure. The tumescent procedure is the most popular but other methods are available. They include the Wet or Super Wet Technique, the UAL, Vaser Liposuction, PAL or power assisted lipo, LAL or laser assisted lipolysis, SmartLipo, CoolLipo, ProLipo Plus, LipoLite, LipoThereme ans LipoControl, and Water Jet Assisted Liposuction. The Tumescent method however, remains the most preferred by liposuction patients and surgeons alike.
Liposuction has developed from the early stages of fat removal techniques that often carried great risk to the patient, to an everyday procedure with little side effects, less pain, reduced recovery time, and satisfying results. Thousands of people are turning to liposuction as a method of removing unwanted fat from various body parts after all conventional methods have failed. It is no longer considered to be a ‘risky’ procedure. Patients have excess fat deposits removed from the more common areas like stomach and thighs, to certain parts of the face like the cheeks, jowls and the neck. Men who have fatty deposits in the chest area that produce a ‘breast-like’ effect benefit from having liposuction performed on these areas.
Who should go for Liposuction?
Many people mistakenly think that liposuction is the cure all that can reduce a person’s weight, and once performed can give a person a slim and beautiful body. Liposuction does not make a fat person slim. It’s a procedure that corrects abnormal body figures. As a result, exercise and a good diet program is the recommended method of choice for general weight loss, and only when there are particular areas that need further attention is liposuction going to be an effective method for removal of fat in those areas. The procedures involved have been fine tuned and perfected over the years with results being nothing short of dramatic. Modern equipment and innovative methods make liposuction the ideal choice for improving your overall appearance and bringing about a new you.
