Contributed by: Dr. Lori A. Brightman Director, Dermtology Services,
Dept. of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery,
New York Eye and Ear Infirmary
Regularly Lectures at National Meetings
Associate, Laser & Skin Surgery Center New York
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Video:
Laser Lipo Featured on CBS
Laser Liposuction helps remove localized deposits of fat. CBS News
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Liposuction is a surgical procedure that uses a hollow pen-like instrument (cannula) and sometimes an ultrasonic probe to break up fat. The emulsified fat is then suctioned out of the body.
Invasive Treatment
Liposuction helps remove localized deposits of fat from the abdomen, buttocks, thighs, back, legs, neck and face. It's also used to reduce large breasts in men, a condition known as gynecomastia. Liposuction is not recommended for weight loss. In fact, people who are overweight and trying to shed unwanted pounds are not good candidates for this procedure. It is also not recommended as a treatment for cellulite.
The Liposuction Process
Liposuction may be done in a doctor's office, an outpatient surgical center, or a hospital. Any licensed doctor is permitted to perform the procedure. Make sure, however, that your doctor has received specialized liposuction training and that he or she has performed this particular surgical procedure many times before.
Before the surgery, your physician will mark your body to indicate where the fat is to be removed. Then you'll be given anesthesia—either a general one (which will put you to sleep), a local one (administered either by mouth or by an injection), or a tumescent one (a local anesthesia that's pumped into the treatment area along with fluid and a drug that reduces bleeding). Tumescent liposuction is generally considered the safest form of this surgery.
Once the anesthesia is working, your physician will make an incision and insert the cannula, which will be moved back and forth to suction out fat. Sometimes an ultrasound probe is attached to the cannula to help break up and emulsify the fat. To make sure you aren't losing too much fat and/or fluids, both will be collected in a container and closely monitored by your physician. If your physician believes it necessary, more fluid will be introduced into your body through an intravenous line.
Your doctor may either send you home after the surgery or recommend you spend one night under observation in the surgical center or hospital. When you do go home, you'll be instructed to wear a compression garment for several weeks to help minimize swelling. The incision may leak fluid for a few days; sometimes a drainage tube is inserted to drain excess fluid away. Sometimes, too much fat is taken out, causing the skin of the treated area to develop cellulite-like indentations. A further surgical procedure called LipoShifting may be needed to correct this problem.
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I'm considering a tummy tuck. What are the alternatives?
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