Procedure name:
Liposuction/Body Contouring

Anticipated result of the procedure:
Liposuction has achieved the distinction of being the most popular cosmetic surgical procedure. By removing unwanted deposits of excess fat, liposuction improves body appearance and smoothes irregular or distorted body shapes. The procedure is sometimes referred to as body contouring. Liposuction may be useful for contouring under the chin, neck, cheeks, upper arms, breasts, abdomen, buttocks, hips, thighs, knees, calves, and ankle areas.

Procedure Description:
Improve body shape by removing exercise-resistant fat deposits with a tube and vacuum device. Can be performed using the tumescent technique, in which targeted areas are infused with saline containing solution with a local anesthetic before liposuction to reduce post operative bruising and swelling. Common locations for liposuction include chin, neck, upper arms, abdomen, buttocks, hips, thighs, knees, calves and ankles. For fibrous body areas, ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty (UAL) may be used. UAL uses an ultrasound probe which is inserted beneath the skin to "liquefy" the fat before it is suctioned.

Liposuction is a procedure in which localized deposits of fat are removed to recontour one or more areas of the body. It is a recontouring procedure, not a weight loss procedure. Patients who are planning on losing weight should do so prior to any liposuction to insure good long term results.

Length:
1 to 2 hours or more, depending on the number of areas treated.

Anesthesia:
General or local with sedation.

In/Outpatient:
Outpatient procedure

Temporary Side Effects:
Bruising, swelling, numbness, soreness, burning sensation. Tumescent-temporary fluid drainage from incision sites.

Recovery:
Back to work 1-3 days. More strenuous activity 2-4 weeks. Full recovery from swelling and bruising 1-6 months or more. Compression garment recommended for 4-6 weeks.

Duration of Results:
Permanent, accompanied with sensible diet and exercise.

Risks:
The combination of these factors can create greater hazards for infection; delays in healing; the formation of fat clots or blood clots, which may migrate to the lungs and cause death; excessive fluid loss, which can lead to shock or fluid accumulation that must be drained; friction burns or other damage to the skin or nerves or perforation injury to the vital organs; and unfavorable drug reactions.

There are also points to consider with the newer techniques. For example, in UAL, the heat from the ultrasound device used to liquefy the fat cells may cause injury to the skin or deeper tissues. Also, you should be aware that even though UAL has been performed successfully on several thousand people worldwide, the long-term effects of ultrasound energy on the body are not yet known.

In the tumescent and super-wet techniques, the anesthetic fluid that is injected may cause lidocaine toxicity (if the solution's lidocaine content is too high), or the collection of fluid in the lungs (if too much fluid is administered).

The scars from liposuction are small and strategically placed to be hidden from view. However, imperfections in the final appearance are not uncommon after lipoplasty. The skin surface may be irregular, asymmetric or even "baggy," especially in older patients with less elastic skin. Numbness and pigmentation changes may occur. Sometimes, additional surgery may be recommended.

• Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)
• Weight loss

Top Duke specialists:
Michael Robert Zenn, MD
L. Scott Levin, MD
Gregory Georgiade, MD
Detlev Erdmann, MD

FAQS

Are there some prerequisites for having liposuction ( Suction Lipectomy )?
In principle everyone with a healthy heart and without a serious illness can have liposuction. The best results can be achieved for patients who are more or less at their ideal weight and who want to reduce and recontour diet-resistant areas of fat. The most problematic areas for women are: legs, thighs, the, abdominal region, hips and buttocks. For men: Abdominal region and hips.

How large and visible are the scars?
Usually the incisions are not larger than 4-6mm. Thanks to their careful positioning, in time the suture lines will be practically invisible. Although small scars can be thick sometimes.

How much fat can be removed during one session?
The quantities of fat that can be removed vary greatly in each individual case, depending on such factors as the physical condition of the person and the area to be liposuctioned. But for patients safety, no more than three liters of fat will be removed per case.

Can the fat in the treated areas accumulate again post-operatively?
Fat cells, once removed, do not grow back. However, liposuction does of course not protect against an increase in body weight. The remaining fat cells can become larger as a result of weight gain; although after Liposuction any new accumulation of fat will be much more balanced on the entire body than before. Liposuction is ideal for sculpting of the body and harmonizing body proportions. It is not an alternative to a diet nor should it be used primarily for weight loss.