Liposuction (Liposculpture)
The most popular cosmetic surgery procedure in the U.S., liposuction sculpts the body by removing undesirable fat that has not responded to diet and exercise from areas such as the abdomen, waist, hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, chin, cheeks, neck and upper arms. Local anesthesia or general anesthesia may be used, and the procedure can last anywhere from one to five hours depending on the amount of fat being removed.
There are several different methods surgeons use when performing liposuction, including ultrasound-assisted lipectomy (UAL) and suction-assisted lipectomy (SAL). In both types, fluid is injected into the area to be treated. Then a tiny incision is made in as inconspicuous a place as possible, and a cannula (small tube) breaks up the fat layer and suctions it out. Liposuction is an effective way to contour the body and is often used in combination with procedures that remove excess skin in places like the abdomen, arms, and thighs. Liposuction can also help create desirable facial and neck contours.
Some refer to certain techniques as liposculpture, which is in essence the same as liposuction. The most important point, is that techniques (such as UAL vs. SAL or depth of suction) can be varied according to the location being suctioned and your body requirements.
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Body Contouring after Massive Weight Loss-Lower Body Lift and Other Procedures
Candidates for body lifts typically have loose (inelastic) skin on many or most areas of the body as a result of significant weight loss due to diet, exercise or more commonly, bariatric surgery (lap band or gastric bypass). Because of this, the procedure is often combined with others such as breast lifts, arm lifts and liposuction to retain a proper body proportion. Many times, for the safety and comfort of the patients, the numerous procedures are performed in separate stages. Body lifts tighten and tone the abdomen, back, buttocks, hips and thighs. In addition, an "auto-augmentation" of the buttock fat can be used to add fullness to a buttock region that has become deflated over time.
Fat transfers tend not to work well in massive weight loss patients as there is not enough fat to transfer. Therefore, islands of tissue are created that can be rotated into areas that need fullness. These are just some of the recent advances in this highly specialized aspect of modern plastic surgery.
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