Liposuction/Liposculpture

Liposuction Cosmetic Plastic Surgery for Northern Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, & Washington DC

Liposuction and liposculpture operations are consistently one of the top five aesthetic cosmetic plastic surgery operations performed in the U.S. today. Liposuction can be performed as a small volume reduction operation or a large volume reduction operation. When finesse is required in difficult areas and the contour result is paramount, it may be called liposculpture. Fat can be taken from one area and repositioned in another area during a liposuction procedure and further increase the sculpting aspect of the liposuction operation. The term, liposuction, still applies though. In large volume liposuction, it may be more of a volume reduction operation, as compared to a contour result. In both cases, the smaller or larger volume liposuctions, the residual contour is always important to the aesthetic sense of the true aesthetic cosmetic plastic surgeon.

Liposuction may be performed on only one area, or liposuction may be done on several areas during the same operation. Liposuction is for both men and women. Men will tend to express concern about their chest region, abdomen and flanks. Women will tend to request liposuction to the arms, abdomen, flanks, hips, buttocks, and thighs. Rarely liposuction is performed around the knees, calves and ankles. When these areas are recontoured, it is for a woman.

Liposuction is performed using both local and deeper forms of anesthesia. Typically the patients are asleep during the operations. This is usually the safest way to undergo the procedures. A board certified anesthesiologist should be responsible for administering the anesthesia.

Liposuction surgery is performed using very small incisions, placed in very inconspicuous positions whenever possible. The incisions typically heal with very little scars. Before any fat is removed during a liposuction, a wetting solution (tumescent) is placed into the fatty areas to be recontoured. This fluid helps provide additional anesthesia and minimizes bleeding. The amount of wetting solution placed into the areas to be recountoured depends on the surgeon's techniques and amount of fat to be removed in any given area.

The fat is removed during the liposuction procedure using hollow tubes. These tubes are commonly refered to as canulas. The liposuction canulas may be of various diameters and are hooked up to suction units which provide a negative pressure that causes the fat to be aspirated out of the body. The amount of aspirate that can be removed, depends on how much fat a person has in a given area and their desired result. The aspirate is composed of the fat and the wetting solution that was placed into the body to assist in the fat removal. Aspirate volumes have been an area of discussion in the press and plastic surgery community. It is typically recommended to not remove more than 5 liters of aspirate an operation. This is just a recommended guideline that is followed by most plastic surgeons.

After the appropriate amount of fat has been removed and the area correctly recontoured, the small access wounds are then closed.

These patients must wear a compressive support garment on any area that was treated. It usually will be required for 10 days to 3 3 weeks. Exercise may be resumed within approximately 14 days, depending on the number of areas that were suctioned and how much tissue was removed.

As with any surgery, learning about the risks of liposuction is very important.

Learn how liposuction surgery can be used along with buttock augmentation surgery.