What is Liposuction?
Liposuction is based on the surgical removal of stubborn fat cells and reshaping of the intervened area. In the operation performed under general anaesthesia, the amount of fat that can be removed in a single operation is limited to 3-4 kilograms. This amount means a maximum loss of 5-6 kilograms from the patient’s total weight.
Liposuction is actually suctioning of fat cells from the body. Most effective solution for permanent fat accumulation that cannot be reduced with diet and exercise is liposuction. On contrary to general belief, this method is not applied in obesity treatment or losing weight.
Liposuction has been applied since the beginning of 80s and this is the most preferred surgical operation around the world. Purpose of liposuction is not weight loss but shaping the body by removing permanent fat that cannot be reduced with diet.
Liposuction is regional thinning and body shaping operation and this method can be applied almost all areas. According to statistics, women prefer hips, belly, and thigh area while men prefer waist, double chin and belly liposuction. Since skin losses elasticity, this operation is combined with lifting operations in older patients.
Liposuction surgery is not suitable for individuals with diabetes, heart problems, lung problems, pregnant women and nursing mothers.
Ideal Candidates for Liposuction
Patients with a body mass index between 25-31 constitute a suitable candidate profile in the operation, and the patient’s skin elasticity must also be in good condition. Since lipoplasty alone will not be sufficient to provide successful results in patients with advanced age and poor skin elasticity, it is usually performed in combination with stretching operations (tummy tuck, face lift, jowl lift).
Things to Know About Liposuction
- Before the operation, problematic areas are marked with pen.
- This operation can be applied to multiple problematic areas. (like thighs, hips, belly)
- In one session, at most 3-4 kg of fat can be collected and this corresponds to at most 5-6 kg.
- General anaesthesia is applied in liposuction. There is no pain during the surgery.
- With special serums, fat in problematic area are ruptured and cleaned.
- For 80% of patients, single session is enough.
- If fat collected from the body is more than 4 kg and the operation will be applied to the same area, patients must wait 40 days.If liposuction will be applied to different region, patients must wait for one week.
Things to Consider After Liposuction
- After the operation, it is normal to experience different levels of oedema and swelling.
- It can take between 3-6 weeks to discard oedema and see the real body shape.
- Patients must use prescribed medication after the operation.
- Patients must consume plenty of fluids to accelerate oedema discarding process.
Frequently Asked Questions About Liposuction
Postoperative oedema may develop for a few weeks after the operation. Therefore, it is necessary to wait for the oedema to resolve so that the results of the operation can be noticed in the early period. It may take up to the second month to reach the peak of the effects that gradually become apparent at the end of the first month.
Lipoplasty removes fat tissues permanently. Therefore, it is not possible for the fat tissue removed in the intervened area to recur after the operation, regardless of the conditions. However, new fat cells may form with very intense weight gain. Therefore, nutrition and weight control is essential after the operation.
Visceral fat is stored in the abdominal cavity. It is a dangerous and active type of fat because of its proximity to important organs and its effect on hormones. Liposuction is a procedure designed to remove only subcutaneous fat cells. Therefore, it is unfortunately not possible to remove visceral fat with this operation. The most effective and only way to get rid of visceral fat is to follow an exercise programme that accompanies a healthy diet.
Unfortunately, no. Problems such as cellulite and stretch marks do not develop due to adipose tissue. The source of such problems is related to skin elasticity and skin quality. Although the liposhaping procedure removes a certain amount of fat cells, it does not have any effect on your skin elasticity.
If the operation and pregnancy plan are close to each other; it is generally recommended to postpone the operation to the period after pregnancy. There is no harm in getting pregnant 6 months after the operation.
An important detail about liposuction operation, which is generally requested for cosmetic purposes, is that it can also be applied as a treatment in some cases. Although it cannot be applied in obesity patients; some anomalies occur in the bodies of people with morbid obesity after obesity treatment. In such cases, liposuction can be applied as a treatment. In Gynaecomastia seen in men, the patient can be relieved from pain and discomfort with lipoplasty. Gynaecomastia is a chronic or long-term condition, rarely seen in one breast, usually in both breasts, and the breasts are larger and fuller than they should be. It can be used in the treatment of lymph oedema, a condition of accumulation of lymph fluid, usually seen in the arms or legs. Lipomas, which are benign fat tumours, can be removed by liposuction. Lipoplasty can also be applied in the treatment of lipodystrophy syndrome, which is among the rare health problems. Lipodystrophy syndrome is the complete disappearance of fat tissues in one part of the body and excessive fat accumulation in another part.