There are three major techniques of liposuction, involving different kinds of suction equipment.

Tumescent Liposuction

Developed about 15 years ago, this is the most common, and safest, method of liposuction. The term “tumescence” refers to the swelling and firming of fatty tissues by the means of infusing fluid into the tissue. After tiny incisions are made where the patient’s skin covers fatty tissue, the area is soaked with a saline solution that contains an anesthetic (Lidocaine) and adrenaline to reduce blood loss and bruising. This reduction of blood loss through the shrinking of capillaries has been a great advance, enabling plastic surgeons to remove much fat with little blood loss.

Tumescent liposuction involves swelling the areas to be suctioned with a solution that equals two to three times the amount of the fat and fluid that will be suctioned out. In the Super-Wet technique of liposuction, however, the tissues are infused with an amount of fluid that equals the fat and fluids that will be suctioned. Super-wet involves the use smaller amounts of, or no, Lidocaine, thereby reducing the risk of Lidocaine toxicity.

Power Assisted Liposuction

In essence, this is liposuction hastened by a vibrating suction cannula. Developed by a German surgeon, this technique employs an electric-powered cannula, which like a jackhammer sucks out the fat faster. In my opinion, while it might help the surgeon to do his or her job faster, it takes away from the surgeon’s ability to feel the contour and the topography of tissue as this machine vibrates. Also, this machine might not be safe to be used in delicate or potentially dangerous areas such as the neck and face.

Ultrasonic Assisted Liposuction (UAL)

This method was first used in the 1990′s, and was considered an advance in treating especially fibrous areas, such as the male chests, back, and flanks. It uses cannulas that bombard subcutaneous fatty tissues with waves of ultrasound, thereby liquefying them through ultrasound energy and heat. An external method also delivers this energy by applying a paddle-shaped instrument to the skin. The higher general complication rate of this technique as compared to other conventional techniques has recently drawn surgeons away from this fad.

Specifically, ultrasonic assisted lipoplasty (UAL) carries an increased risk of skin and tissue burns, permanent tissue damage and scarring, nerve damage causing lasting skin irritation or pain, and fluid buildup or formation of seroma cavities of fluid beneath the skin. Because there is insufficient proof of the safety of UAL devices, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has never approved the marketing and advertising of UAL devices to be specifically used for liposuction.

• Liposuction Surgery Techniques in Body Contouring
• Liposuction Surgery Information – Technique Variations
• Tumescent Liposuction: Brigitte Nielsen Plastic Surgery

Liposuction is a way to remove fat quickly and can help sculpt your body. Specific areas may include the abdomen, hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, upper arms, chin, cheeks and neck. Although no type of liposuction is a substitute for dieting and exercise, it can remove stubborn areas of fat that do not respond to traditional dieting and exercise.

Over the last 10 years, surgical liposuction (also known as lipoplasty or suction lipectomy) has undergone some refinements. New techniques in the market now include ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty (UAL), the tumescent technique, and the super-wet technique.

Surgical Liposuction

During liposuction, localized fat deposits are removed to re-contour certain areas of the body. Through a tiny incision, a narrow tube or cannula is inserted and used to vacuum the fat layer that lies beneath the skin. The cannula breaks up the fat cells, suctioning them out. The suction action is provided by a vacuum pump or a large syringe, depending on the surgeon’s preference.

The problem with liposuction plastic surgery is that fluid is lost along with the fat, and it is vital that this fluid be replaced during the procedure to prevent shock. For this reason, patients need to be carefully supervised and receive intravenous fluids during and immediately after this procedure.

Fluid injection: a medicated solution is injected into fatty areas before the fat is removed. The fluid is a mixture of intravenous salt solution, lidocaine (a local anesthetic) and epinephrine (a drug that contracts blood vessels). The fluid helps to remove fat easily, helps reduce blood loss and provides anesthesia pre and post surgery and also helps reduce bruising.

Tumescent liposuction: a technique used on patients who only need a local anesthetic. This procedure can take up to 5 hours. Large volumes of fluid, often as much as three times the amount of fat to be removed are injected in this technique. The injected fluid contains an adequate amount of anesthetic, which could cut the anesthetists costs.

The Super-Wet technique: similar to the tumescent technique, except that lesser amounts of fluid are used. Usually the amount of fluid injected is equal to the amount of fat removed. This technique often requires IV sedation or general anesthesia and typically takes one to two hours of surgery time.

Non-surgical Liposuction
A new breakthrough in non-invasive body technology is Body Contouring, which removes excess fat cells without surgery, focusing on the hips, stomach, thighs, bottoms and flanks.

This non-surgical liposuction is a safe, painless, surgery-free body contouring treatment. The process sends ultrasound beams into the problem area to destroy fat cells. The entire procedure is guided by innovative tracking technology that ensures smooth, uniform contouring.

Body Contouring is the latest successful technology for the effective removal of excess fat. Together with Ultrashape, a scientific breakthrough which redefines the contours of your body, it is a great alternative to surgery. There are no side effects to this treatment that takes between 1 and 2 hours, and it is possible to resume your daily routine immediately thereafter.
Liposuction can give you the body you so desire, but do remember to know all about the procedure before you decide to take the plunge.

• Liposuction Techniques
• Liposuction Surgery Techniques in Body Contouring
• Liposuction Surgery Techniques and Information

Liposuction, also known as Liposculpture, is the most commonly performed plastic surgery in the United States – where more than 400,000 men and women annually undergo this procedure. A cosmetic surgery that contours and sculpts your body into a slimmer profile, Liposuction removes unwanted and excess fat. By reducing total body fat, it can help to lower cholesterol, and reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Candidates

Three categories of men and women seek Liposuction to achieve their ideal appearance, after trying unsuccessfully to do so through diet and exercise.

The first category of patients includes those who wish to reduce their size, including women who have gained weight due to pregnancy, hormonal fluctuations or medications. This category also includes men and women who undergo Large Volume Liposuction. Normally, this procedure involves the removal of about two litres of fat, about the size of a “Coke” bottle. During Large Volume Liposuction, however, five or more litres of fat are removed – resulting in a dramatic reduction in size.

The second category includes those who have disproportionate areas of fat in their abdomen, hips, thighs, buttocks, knees, cheeks and neck. These problem areas are commonly known as “saddlebags,” “thunder thighs,” “love handles” and “double chins.” Often, these stubborn areas of fat have genetic origins, and cannot be reduced by diet and exercise.

The third category of patients includes men who suffer from Gynecomastia, excessive breast growth due to the enlargement of breast glands, and excess fatty tissue.

In all cases, men and women who undergo Liposculpture should have had a stabilized weight for at least six months. Lipoplastyis not a solution for ridding of stretch marks or of cellulite.

Techniques

There are three techniques which vary in safety and effectiveness. All involve the insertion of a cannula — a small wand-like instrument connected to a high-powered suction machine — into tiny incisions made by the plastic surgeon into the targeted area. It is through this instrument that the plastic surgeon draws fat from beneath the skin.

Tumescent Liposuction refers to the commonest, and safest, method. “Tumescence” is the swelling and firming of fatty tissues through the infusion of a saline solution that contains Lidocaine, an anesthetic with adrenaline, which reduces blood loss and bruising.

Your plastic surgeon will soak the area with a solution that is two to three times the amount of fat and fluids to be removed. In Super-Wet Tumescent Liposuction, however, tissues are infused with fluids equal to the amount of fat and fluids to be removed. Super-Wet Liposuction uses a solution that has smaller amounts of, or no, Lidocaine, reducing the risk of Lidocaine toxicity.

Once the area is sufficiently plumped up, the plastic surgeon removes the loosened fat cells, suctioning fat and fluid through transparent vacuum-like tubes.

Power Assisted Liposuction hastens the process by an electronic-powered cannula which, like a jackhammer, suctions fat more quickly. While it lessens the plastic surgeon’s exertion, it also reduces the ability to contour with precision, especially in delicate areas like the neck and the face. Likewise, Ultrasonic Assisted Liposuction, which bombards subcutaneous fatty tissues with waves of heat and energy and was developed for use in more fibrous areas, has a high rate of risks and complications such as burns, and is not a patient’s best option.

Results

For optimal results, this procedure should be performed by a plastic surgeon who has a honed aesthetic sense, as well as excellent surgical skills. The surgeon must work diligently to locate the appropriate areas of subcutaneous fat in order to successfully sculpt and contour those areas. It is therefore of the utmost importance to select a cosmetic surgeon who has the highest credentials, a fine artistic sense and who is highly experienced.

• Liposuction Surgery Techniques in Body Contouring
• Liposuction Surgery Techniques and Information
• Liposuction Surgery Information – Technique Variations

One of the best advancements to date in liposuction technology is the invention of microcannulas and tumescent liposuction which allows for procedures to be performed on the upper arm region of the body.

Generally, it is women who choose to have upper arm liposuction because they are unable to remove excess fat in this area through regular diet and exercise. Microcannular tumescent liposuction produces excellent results when used on the upper arms of women.

- The Goal of Upper Arm Liposuction

The primary goal of upper arm liposuction is to reduce the appearance of fat upper arms which often comes with weight gain or simply age. Fatty upper arms generally result in self-conscious feelings in women when they need to wear short sleeved clothing or a bathing suit.

Thankfully, with today’s advanced techniques, upper arms can be contoured and excess fat can be easily removed. This results in much more proportional looking arms and helps to promote self-confidence in the women who undergo the procedure.

- The Upper Arm Surgical Technique

Using the Microcannular tumescent liposuction technique, very small incisions are placed in various places around the arms, and microcannulas are inserted to remove excess fat tissue all the way around the arm.

The goal of the surgery is to remove the excess fat but at the same time to leave a thin layer of residual fat to ensure that the arms remain soft and supple, as would be expected for the arms of a woman.

If all of the fat of the upper arms is removed the woman can end up looking masculine or like she has some from of physical deformity.

- The Anterior Axillary Fat Pads

The anterior axillary fat pads are located in the front of the arm-pit area of the chest. While they are not technically part of the upper arm, they are often enlarged on women as they age and should also be reduced during the procedure.

Fat deposits in this area often bulge when you wear a bra, and if not included in the procedure, often appear out of place next to a newly shaped upper arm.

- The Posterior Axillary Fat Pads

In addition to the anterior axillary fat pads, are the posterior axillary fat pads which are located on the back near the arm-pit area. Just as the anterior axillary fat pads cause unsightly bulging, so do those on the posterior.

These also should also be removed at the time of upper arm liposuction to achieve the best result possible.

- Post-Operative Care

Once your procedure is completed on your upper arms and axillary fat pads, absorbent bandages and compression bandages will be applied to the area. Within 48 hours you should notice that drainage has stopped from the surgical area, and soon there after you will be instructed to remove all bandages.

While any surgical procedure has risks, you can greatly reduce your risks from having upper arm liposuction by working with a skilled, experienced plastic surgeon.

• Why Laser Lipo
• What You Should Know About Tumescent Liposuction
• What is Tumescent Solution and How Can it Help your Liposuction Procedure?

As with any cosmetic surgery, it’s important that the candidate have realistic expectations about what the procedure can do for him or her, and what the results might be. The finest plastic surgeons will have some process in place for assessing what a patients’ understanding is of how the surgery may or may not match someone’s ideal, or what he or she thinks others will think of their appearance.

Liposuction is no different, and it’s especially important for those considering the surgery. The best candidates for liposuction are at or close to the healthiest weight for their height. The candidates who achieve the best results are those who have elastic, firm skin with pockets of excess fat in areas that are impervious to exercise and diet. Usually, these are genetic or are more difficult to change because of age. (Though age is not necessarily a major consideration in determining whether someone is a good candidate for liposuction or not – elasticity is the primary consideration).

Also, there are different kinds of liposuction, which may be a consideration when a person and their doctor are considering the procedure. The tumescent technique is a relatively new method, which can reduce the pain, swelling and bruising involved because blood loss is minimized during the procedure. And, because of this, the possibility of needing a blood transfusion is greatly reduced.

Specifically, using the tumescent technique, pockets of excess fat are injected with large amounts of anesthetic liquid before the surgery. Because the pockets of fat become swollen and firm, it allows the liposuction cannula to move easily beneath the skin and remove the fat. Typically, people who have large areas of excess fat can be good candidates for tumescent liposuction, as well as those who need more precision on places such as the face, neck, ankles and calves.

Another relatively new liposuction is done by ultrasound, which “liquefies” the fat molecules and makes it easier for the doctor to remove it and make the contours necessary. Sometimes a doctor will use a combination of these techniques.

However, though it sounds easy and is performed millions of times a year, it should be understood that liposuction is not for everyone. It is very risky for people with medical issues, particularly diabetes, heart or lung disease, bad blood circulation or anyone who have had surgery near the site to be sculpted so consult with a certified liposuction doctor to find out if you are physically able to handle this specific type of surgery.

• Liposuction Recovery – How To Achieve The Best Outcome
• Why Laser Lipo
• What You Should Know About Tumescent Liposuction