Liposuction Surgery

In a society in which beauty is often measured by slender bodies and youth, it is no wonder that thousands of Americans chase the "flab-u-less" look by means of liposuction.

Liposuction surgery is a technique that involves the use of a small stainless steel tube, called a cannula (from the Latin word for reed, tube, cane). The cannula is connected to a powerful suction pump and inserted into the fat through small incisions in the skin. Fat removal is accomplished as the suction cannula creates tiny tunnels through the fatty layers. After surgery, these tiny tunnels collapse and thus result in an improved body contour.

Body fat on an adult tends to increase gradually over the years. After the age of 30, an individual often gains fat according to a genetically predetermined pattern. For example, the abdomen, hips, and the area under the chin are areas where fat begins to accumulate in adults. Fat in these areas is often resistant to diet or exercise. After pregnancy, the fat on the abdomen and hips may persist despite concerted efforts at dieting and exercising. For many people who have an inherited tendency to accumulate localized deposits of fat, liposuction seems the best means of significantly changing the body's silhouette. In effect, liposuction is equivalent to being able to focus the effects of dieting to specific areas of the body.

Fat cells lie beneath the skin throughout the body, but accumulate in greater amounts in certain areas. When weight is gained or lost, fat cells are not added or subtracted, but rather the amount of fat within each cell is changed. It is not surprising, therefore, that many people find that in spite of the weight they lose, they are left with bulges or fat deposits in undesirable places.
In women the most frequent areas of liposuction are the inner and outer thighs, hips, buttocks, arms, knees and abdomen. Other areas include the area beneath the chin and the rolls of the back. In men, commonly suctioned areas include the love handles, abdomen, chest, and chin. Definition of the abdominal muscles may be enhanced through specialized liposuction of the abdomen known as abdominal etching.

Liposuction has also emerged as an effective treatment for many non-cosmetic fat accumulations, such as lipomas (benign fatty tumors) and gynecomastia (fatty male breasts), and to decrease sweating under the arms.

The terms "liposuction", "liposuccion", "lipoplasty", "lipoplastie" and "body sculpture" are synonyms. Liposuction may also be called "liposculpture", "suction assisted lipolysis," "fat suctioning" and "fat sucking." Localized accumulations of fat, which are often inherited and frequently impossible to eliminate by exercise or dieting, can now be removed permanently by liposuction surgery.

If, becoming thinner and more toned is the goal then diet and exercise is the answer, not liposuction. Liposuction is not meant to change a size 16 to a size 8. On the other hand, if there are shapes, bulges, and contours that don't seem to change much regardless of the patient's weight or level of fitness, liposuction could be the solution. It is not always possible to "spot weight reduce"; or always change the unattractive shapes that have been inherited, like full "saddlebags" or love handles. But, liposuction can sculpt away these unpleasant shapes that dieting won't remove.