Liposuction

Plastic Surgery Cyprus

Liposuction, also known as lipoplasty ("fat modeling"), liposculpture suction lipectomy ("suction-assisted fat removal") or simply lipo is a cosmetic surgery operation that removes fat from many different sites on the human body.

Despite good health and a reasonable level of fitness, some people may still have a body with disproportionate contours due to localized fat deposits. These areas may be due to family traits rather than a lack of weight control or fitness. Liposuction surgery can be used to treat stubborn fat pockets in many parts of the body including the thighs, arms, neck, hips, waist, back, inner knee, chest, cheeks, chin, calves, and ankles.

Liposuction surgery is not a treatment for obesity and is not a replacement for regular exercise and good eating habits. The more fat removed, the higher the surgical risk. This is the reason why the amount of fat that can be safely removed should be limited to 2 or 3 liters in each session.

Although many techniques can be used, the tumescent technique seems to be the safest and the most effective technique.

The tumescent technique for local anesthesia involves the injection of large volumes of very dilute lidocaine (local anesthetic) and epinephrine (drug that shrinks capillaries) into subcutaneous fat. The word tumescent means swollen and firm. With the tumescent technique, the volume of dilute lidocaine that is injected into fat is so large that the targeted areas literally become tumescent (swollen and firm).

The local anesthetic lidocaine in the tumescent solution provides such complete local anesthesia, that it eliminates the need for general anesthesia, or IV sedation. The drug epinephrine (adrenalin) provides profound localized vasoconstriction that it virtually eliminates surgical bleeding during tumescent liposuction. By eliminating the risks of general anesthesia and the risks of excessive surgical bleeding, the tumescent technique for liposuction totally by local anesthesia has eliminated the greatest dangers associated with the older forms of liposuction.

Then a thin hollow tube, or cannula, is inserted through small incisions to loosen excess fat using a controlled back and forth motion. The dislodged fat is then suctioned out of the body using a surgical vacuum or syringe attached to the cannula. As this fat is removed, the layer of fat left behind is sculpted into aesthetically pleasing curves.

Once your procedure is completed, a compression garment or elastic bandages will cover treatment areas. These help to control swelling after liposuction and compress the skin to your new body contours. In addition, as the small incision remains open any excess blood or fluid will drain out. This will last from 24 to 48 hours. The recovery is very fast and in simple cases the patient will be able to return to the work in a few days. Eventually pain can be easily control with pain medication.

It may take several months for the swelling to fully dissipate after liposuction surgery. As it does, your new contours and enhanced self-image should continue to develop. The fulfillment you feel from the initial results of liposuction should continue as long as you control your weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle. A significant weight gain can reverse your results. Following liposuction, your slimmer and better-proportioned body should more accurately reflect the healthy and active life you lead.

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Dr Georgiou Ioannis

Plastic Surgery Cyprus