What Is Liposuction: Effective Surgery or Placebo [2024]

Some of us are not satisfied with our figures. The fast pace of life and the multitude of things to do does not allow us to exercise regularly and eat right. Unfortunately, this lifestyle leads to significant fat deposits, spoiling the aesthetics of our body.

But, technology is not standing still, and now there is a methodology that allows you to get rid of excess fat deposits, even if you do not have time for exhausting sports training. This methodology is called liposuction.

Patient profile

If you are overweight, it does not mean that you need liposuction:

• Firstly, in most cases, you can get rid of any deposits with an active lifestyle and a more or less proper diet. Only if you objectively assess that you cannot get your body in order by your own efforts, you should think about liposuction;

• Secondly, you should understand that liposuction is not a magic pill that will allow you to lose dozens of pounds quickly. It is a point surgery, which removes fat deposits in a certain area of the body;

• Third, fat deposits can be of different natures and origins. Liposuction surgery only destroys a specific type of fat deposit, namely, only subcutaneous fatty tissue.

In general, it should be understood that liposuction is only necessary for people who have excess subcutaneous fat and cannot get rid of it by their own efforts.

Types of liposuction

Liposuction is a complex surgery, so there are many variations of this procedure depending on the area of fat deposits and the patient’s wishes.

Tumescent liposuction — the most effective surgery 

Tumescent liposuction is the most common and most effective type of liposuction.

It is performed using special surgical instruments – cannulas. Small cannulas form tunnels in the subcutaneous tissue and allow effective fat removal. This technique allows large volumes of fat to be downloaded – up to 3,000 milliliters.

Because tumescent liposuction is performed by integrating surgical equipment into the patient’s body, it involves the use of general anesthesia. However, you do not have to worry that anesthesia will somehow negatively affect your health. All of the modern drugs that are used to put the patient under anesthesia undergo a large certification system and are absolutely safe for the patient.

Laser liposuction — the best for spot surgery

Laser liposuction is a much safer method of fat removal than classic liposuction. Because this technology does not integrate any equipment into the patient’s body, it is completely safe.

In this procedure, a laser is used to melt fat cells under the skin, which are then removed by suction. The laser heats and destroys the fat cells without injuring the skin or internal organs. Laser liposuction also tightens the skin by producing collagen and elastin.

The areas of the body where laser liposuction is most commonly used include the abdomen, hips, thighs, buttocks, back, and face.

Ultrasound liposuction — the safest surgery

Ultrasonic liposuction is an operation designed to remove fat point by point. That is, during this surgery, fat is pumped out of a small, well-defined area of the body.

Thanks to this methodology, it is possible to remove subcutaneous fat from the most problematic areas. In this case, interference in the patient’s body is minimal and does not require a long rehabilitation period.

During surgery, the surgeon sends an ultrasound to the fat cells, liquefies them, and removes them. There is a complete elimination of fat from a certain area of the body. It is true that such efficiency can be accompanied by a risk of certain scars, but if the surgeon has professional handling of the instrument this will not happen.

How to choose a surgeon?

Your appearance depends on the surgeon you choose, so you should take this question very seriously:

1. Firstly, every area of plastic surgery requires different skills from the surgeon, and liposuction is no exception. This procedure requires an in-depth understanding of how to work with the appropriate instruments, knowledge of operating methodology, and honed surgical skills. With this in mind, you should understand that the surgeon you choose to perform liposuction should be a subspecialist with a specialization in this particular subject;

2. Secondly, each surgeon has his own aesthetic ideas, which do not necessarily coincide with your ideas about the ideal results of the surgery. That’s why be sure to check his portfolio of works, with before and after surgery pictures, to see if your standards of beauty coincide;

3. And of course, find out about the equipment and staff of the clinic. The clinic in which you will do liposuction should have modern equipment and a wide staff of specialists in case of extraordinary situations during the operation.

In general, if you check your surgeon on these three criteria, then you can be sure that you will be satisfied with the result of the operation.

Surgery

Pre-surgery period

You will need to have a series of consultations with your surgeon during the preoperative surgical period. On them you will discuss all your surgical questions and make a personal surgical plan.

During the consultations to create a model of the surgical results, photos of the surgical areas will be taken. These will be used to model your current body contours and plan your surgery.

You will also need to have a complete physical examination and undergo certain laboratory tests to assess your overall health and to check your body’s favorability to the medications that will be used during surgery.

Surgery period

During the surgical process, the surgeon will make special surgical marks on the operable areas of your body. It is these contours that will be used for the surgery.

You will most likely be put under general anesthesia. This is objectively the most effective method of anesthesia during liposuction, because large areas of the body are being operated on that cannot be anesthetized with local anesthesia.

Then, depending on the type of surgery, the surgeon will remove excess fat from the targeted areas of the body by suctioning. This procedure will take several hours.

Tummy tuck

It is necessary to understand that during liposuction there is no automatic tightening of the tuck, so if your skin is not very flexible, then most likely you will need another operation to bring your skin to an aesthetic appearance.

Post-surgery period

After surgery, you will be taken to a recovery room where you will be allowed to rest and fully recover from the anesthesia. After you have fully recovered from the anesthesia, you may be released to go home or left for a few days to recover.

The results of the transaction will not be noticeable for at least a week. They will be hidden by swelling and bruising. All this time you will need to wear compression underwear and do physical therapy for a full body recovery.

You will be able to see visible results of liposuction after at least 3 weeks.

Side effects and dangers

Like any serious surgery, liposuction has risks, such as bleeding and reactions to anesthesia. However, you should understand that before surgery, you will undergo a very serious examination, based on the results of which the surgeon will adjust your individual surgical plan to minimize all surgical risks.

How long does the effect last?

You have to understand that liposuction is not a magic pill that will fix your body for life. If you don’t lead an active life and eat right, new fat deposits are likely to appear in a few years.

Non-surgical liposuction

CoolSculpting — the best for safe weight loss

If you are afraid of surgery, incisions, anesthesia, and stitches, but still want to get rid of extra pounds, then we recommend looking into CoolSculpting.

CoolSculpting is a non-invasive medical procedure. During this procedure, a specialist can use an instrument to pinch and freeze your fat. Within a few weeks of treatment, your body will naturally remove the frozen dead fat cells through your liver.

However, you should understand that this painless procedure is only suitable for removing small amounts of fat. That is, to achieve the results that liposuction can give you, you will need to do a whole series of CoolSculpting. Accordingly, such a procedure will cost significantly more than a surgical solution.

Cavitation — the best budget procedure

If you are too afraid of the surgery, but at the same time do not want to spend tens of thousands of dollars on fat cooling, then we recommend you to consider ultrasound cavitation.

This technology uses ultrasound waves to melt fat. These low-frequency sound waves go deep under the skin and cause the unyielding fat cells to break down under pressure without touching the surrounding tissue. This is usually followed by a lymphatic tissue massage to “redistribute” the liquid fat and help the body get rid of it naturally through the lymphatic system. The results of the cavitation procedure are immediately visible and continue to become more evident over the next week.

At the same time, this procedure costs many times less than Coolsculpting, so it won’t hit your wallet too hard.

Summary

In general, liposuction is an ideal procedure for people who want to lose excess fat, but cannot do so because of a busy and irregular work schedule.

This procedure allows you to quickly and safely get rid of large amounts of fat and at the same time bring your body into an aesthetic state. However, you should understand that liposuction is not a magic pill, and after the surgery, you will have to keep your body in shape on your own.

FAQ