Am I a Candidate for Liposuction?
Liposuction in aesthetic plastic surgery is the process in which fatty deposits, whom seem to be resistant to diet and exercise, are removed from the body. It is important for a surgeon to differentiate between whether your areas of concern are fatty deposits, or excess loose skin. Fat can be removed via a liposuction procedure, however, it will not improve the skin turgor (elasticity). Liposuction is designed to remove smaller areas of concern, after diet and exercise seem to have provide a lack change. It is not a weight loss solution.
Some of the areas of the body in which liposuction is primarily preformed:
- Abdomen
- Flanks (“Love Handles”)
- Back
- Neck
- Thighs
- Arms
Many advancements have been made in the liposuction techniques regarding efficiency, safety and wound care. Liposuction is a procedure that in most cases, can be combined, safely, with an additional procedure. There are however appropriate limits as to how much surgery can be done safe and effectively, and during a consultation with Dr. Bianca Knoll in her Frankfurt office, a clear plan, realistic expectations and thorough examination will be jointly discussed.
What to Expect During Liposuction
A liposuction procedure is most of the times performed safely in an ambulatory setting, and not described as very painful by our patients. Most patients compare it to the feeling after a heavy workout. Depending on the extent and operative length of your procedure, and if liposuction is performed in combination with other procedures, your general health, and your personal comfort, an overnight stay in the hospital might be preferred to monitor your recovery and to provide adequate pain control. Liposuction is usually performed under light general anesthesia without the use of drains.
Liposuction Recovery
The recovery after a liposuction is rather quick compared to some other procedures in plastic surgery. Since fatty tissue is not very sensitive to pain, the procedure is well tolerated by most patients. After your liposuction procedure you will wear a garment for about 6 weeks to support healing. Some bruising and swelling, which gradually subsides within the weeks following surgery, is expected. You will be limited in your physical activity during your immediate recovery period to ensure adequate healing.
Can Liposuction Be Combined with Other Procedures?
In many advanced body contouring procedures liposuction became a well established integral part, allowing better contouring, safer and larger resection of excessive skin, sometimes shorter incisions, and better aesthetic results. Whether it be a tummy tuck, an arm lift, a thigh lift or correction of a double chin, liposuction has played an important role in optimizing these surgical procedures. In the past decades many technical advances have been made in the area of body fat transfer. This means, that fat that is too much in one place will be removed with liposuction, processed during surgery, and transferred in an area where volume is missing. Most commonly fat transfer procedures are the Brazilian Butt Lift, and fat transfer (lipofilling) to the breast in body contouring surgery.
For some of the combined liposuction procedures an overnight stay in the hospital is recommended to monitor your recovery and provide adequate pain control.
Which Liposuction Technique is Right for Me?
Currently there is a broad variety of liposuction devices and techniques out there on the market. They usually fall in 2 categories, devices with skin tightening potential, for example – SMARTlipo®, VASERlipo®, LASERlipo, and the ones without traditional tumescent liposuction, power assisted liposuction (i.e. vibration liposuction), and water-jet liposuction. There is also a broad variety of non-surgical lipolysis treatments devices out there as well. It is important to understand their pros and cons, indications and limitations when it comes to making a decision which liposuction method will be best for you. Choosing which method or device will be the best procedure for you, also depends if the fat removed by liposuction will be used for a fat transfer procedure. Undergoing a fat transfer requires gentle handling and removal of your fat cells in order to maintain as much vital, healthy cells to be transferred where needed. In order to understand the differences of the devices and methods, their indication, risks, and which method will be the safest and most effective in your individual case, we recommend an in person consultation with Dr Bianca Knoll in Frankfurt.
Will the Removed Fat Come Back?
The fat that has been removed is gone. Your body will not produce new fat cells in that area, because of the fat cell removal by liposuction. However, there are still fat cells remaining in the area where your procedure was performed, who can enlarge with weight gain, less drastic, but still possible, and fat storage may occur in other body parts as well. It is important to understand, that liposuction is a body contouring procedure that does not replace the effects of exercise and a healthy lifestyle, but rather helps to contour areas that are rather resistant to weight loss and exercise for different reasons.
Liposuction Safety
In general, liposuction can safely be performed. The safety of liposuction clearly depends of the experience of your surgeon, a surgeon’s knowledge about anatomy, physiology of fluid exchange post operatively and its management, surgery length, patients overall health status, and dosage and side effects used of the drugs contained in the tumescent solution. Pre-, intra-, and postoperative measures can be taken when performing the procedure to reduce the threatened risks of liposuction ( i.e. deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, fat embolism). This is especially important in combined liposuction procedures (like large lipoabdominoplasty procedures), large volume liposuctions, and fat transfer procedure, notably Brazilian Butt Lifts.
During your office consultation with Dr. Bianca Knoll you will be thoroughly examined, allowing us to provide you with information pertaining to surgery, post operative expectations, and the cost associated with your individualized body contouring surgery plan. For these reasons a consultation in our Frankfurt office is strongly encouraged.
