Liposuction Before and After

If you've are having a difficult time losing weight in a few significant areas, with liposuction you will be able to see a huge difference before and after. There are two basic techniques used in liposuction, tumescent and ultrasonic.

Tumescent Liposuction

Tumescent liposuction is also called standard liposuction, liposuction, lipoplasty, liposculpture, liposculption, and suction-assisted lipoplasty. If you have this type of procedure, your surgeon will fill your fat cells with tumescent saline solution and a local anesthetic. Next, the fat is suctioned with long thin rods. The procedure can be performed through a few small incisions, which are hidden within your natural skin creases. The tumescent technique reduces blood loss and alleviates pain. The local anesthesia can be supplemented with intravenous sedation or general anesthesia.

Ultrasonic Liposuction

Ultrasonic liposuction also starts with filling the fat with tumescent saline solution to make the fat stiff. The difference is that the fat is not suctioned, but liquefied with high-frequency ultrasonic energy with a long thin rod that emits ultrasonic waves. The rod is inserted into the fat through a tiny incision and then, the fat is suctioned out.

Anesthesia

Liposuction can be performed under general anesthesia which means that you are completely asleep, sedation anesthesia which means that you are very relaxed in a light sleep, or under local anesthesia depending upon your surgeon and your circumstances. It can be performed in your cosmetic surgeon's office or hospital. Depending on how many areas are being worked on, your surgery can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 5 hours. In addition to fat, your surgeon will also remove body fluid in the procedure. Because of this, you will be given fluids intravenously during the operation.



After surgery, you will wear a body-compression garment. You must wear this for several weeks. After surgery, you can usually go home. You'll want to make arrangements for a friend or family member to help care for you for the first 24-48 hours. If your surgeon performed a large-volume liposuction, more than 5 liters, then you should stay in the hospital overnight for observation and safety.