The Skinny on Liposuction

If you or someone you know is considering liposuction, you should know that any type of plastic surgery procedure is not like waving a magic wand and giving you the "perfect" body, although it can help you maintain your body image. If you are looking for long-term changes, you must also change some of your habits and lifestyles.

In 1982, liposuction became a Godsend for removing fat cells for both men and women. The surgical procedure can target specific fat-prone areas such as the hips, buttocks, thighs, abdomen, and "love handles", as well as arms, knees, above the breast and under the chin and neck. There is no cure for being overweight but liposuction can definitely improve your body image and shape. Obese individuals do not benefit as much as a person of normal weight. A perfect candidate for liposuction is someone who is no more than 15 pounds overweight and who has good skin tone.

You may be wondering about what the surgical procedure entails if you are considering going under the knife. First, fat pockets are injected with a solution that causes the fat to swell. This is called tumescent liposuction. Fat is then removed using a long, blunt-tipped nozzle called a cannula. The plastic surgeon moves the cannula back and forth, loosing the fat cells and removing them. With the cannula, the physician can also redistribute the remaining fat and smooth it out to reduce the appearance of dimpling.

Liposection will cause you to lose some weight but, because fat is lighter than water and does not weigh much, this procedure is more about a loss of volume than one of weight. Your physician will be able to give you an idea of how much fat will be removed based on your age and physical condition.

If you have good skin tone, you most likely will not have any sagging skin after the procedure. Usually, the skin snaps back and eventually shrinks back to the size of the newer, smaller volume of skin over several weeks. Older people or women, who have had multiple pregnancies, may need to think about a mini or full tummy tuck to take off the excess skin and make the skin liter.