Liposuction
Some people suffer from excess fat reserves in certain parts of the body, such as sides, thighs, abdomen, or buttocks. These undesired fat areas can be removed using any of the liposuction techniques.Liposuction is a surgical procedure in the area of aesthetic plastic surgery, during which a surgeon aspirates the fat tissue, accumulated in certain typical localities, which differ in women and men. In women, the fat distribution and the shape of the body are influenced by hormones and can cause a relatively large mental handicap. In women, the fat usually accumulates in the area of hips, thighs, knees and sides. In men, the fat usually accumulates in the double chin, sides and abdomen.
Even slim women and men may have larger quantities of fat in certain body areas, from which it cannot be removed by exercise or diet. In such cases, liposuction is fully justifiable.
Liposuction is a procedure during which localized fat reserves are removed in order to sculpture one or more parts of the body. Liposuction improves the body contours and shape by disintegration and removal of subcutaneous fat through a metal cannula, which is connected by a tube to the suction device generating vacuum pressure to aspirate the fat from the desired areas. The suction cannula is inserted into the body via short, maximally several centimetre long incisions, which are usually placed into natural skin folds by the surgeon, so that they are minimally visible after the healing. This method of liposuction can be used primarily for modelling of the abdomen, sides, buttocks, thighs, knees, upper parts of the arms, chin, face and neck. Liposuction is suitable if you have fat reserves in the problematic parts of the body that cannot be removed by exercise or diet. Liposuction cannot be used as a treatment of being heavily overweight or obese.
The level of safe and gentle fat aspiration during a single procedure should not exceed 2000 or max. 2500 ml of fat tissue. Aspiration of a larger quantity of fat tissue is not an aesthetic procedure, poses a high risk for the client’s health, and would require subsequent postoperative care in the intensive care unit.
Prior to the procedure, it is crucial to ensure bleeding prevention – any drugs known to increase the bleeding rate and reduce blood coagulation (salicylates, Warfarin, ACP, Brufen/ibuprofen, and others) must be discontinued prior to the procedure. A special caution should be taken in patients with a disease of the lower extremities (lymphatic and venous system, such as varicose veins, and/or swelling).
Liposuction is usually performed under general or epidural anaesthesia. Smaller areas, such as the double chin or knees, can be operated on under local anaesthesia, or in combination with conscious sedation (for more information about the types of anaesthesia, see here).
At the beginning of the procedure, the area to be operated on should be filled with a special solution. Normal saline with adrenaline is used during operations under general anaesthesia. For other types of anaesthesia, a tumescent solution should be used that contains a saline, anaesthetic (usually the least toxic lidocaine), adrenaline, which causes blood vessel narrowing, and bicarbonate, which reduces pain during the application of the solution into the area to be operated on.
Laser liposuction
Laser liposuction is used either alone or (as performed at Asklepion) as a combination of traditional tumescent liposuction and laser skin tightening. First, the surgeon will fill the tissue with a special solution, which is aspirated together with fat cells using a cannula, and thereafter laser treatment is applied. A laser fibre is inserted in the subcutaneous tissue and the tissue is heavily heated from underneath – due to this procedure, collagen and fibrous structures in the skin tighten and the skin smoothes out and adheres again to the tissue.
Laser liposuction has several advantages compared to the traditional option:
- no need to wear a long-term bandage, which is used in traditional liposuction to shape the skin properly – laser will make the skin tighten and “adhere”.
- laser will coagulate all damaged blood vessels in the subcutaneous area, which prevents the large bruises typically seen after traditional liposuction.
- laser produces better contours in the treated areas than aspiration of fat alone, and moreover the laser minimizes the risk of uneven skin.
Laser treatment combined with traditional liposuction has been shown to be an ideal method for outpatient procedures, in which only a single area is intended for treatment (such as the outer area of the thighs, sides, double chin, and so on). In such a case, the procedure can be performed under local anaesthesia and thereafter the client will go home without the need of hospitalization.
The use of laser liposuction is also advantageous in those areas where healing is very painful after traditional liposuction. This is for example in the neck and face area – the laser will coagulate the damaged small nerves and the healing is not painful.
Summary:
- Duration of the procedure: 1 to 2 hours (depending on the number and size of the areas to be aspirated)
- Type of anaesthesia: General (epidural, sedation or local)
- Stay at the clinic: One day
- Recommended stay in Prague: at least 4 days after the surgery
- Suture removal: if used, after 5 days
- Final effect: in 1 to 2 months
- Additional information: It is very important to wear an elastic compression garment after the liposuction, day and night, at least for 6 to 8 weeks. This can influence the final effect considerably.
