Generality
Liposculpture (also known as " lipoaspiration ") is a cutting-edge cosmetic surgery that allows the body to be remodeled through the localized removal of fat cells.
Of course, liposculpture cannot be considered as a substitute for diet or exercise, but it can be useful to remove localized fat deposits that cannot be eliminated with a low-calorie diet and with physical activity. Therefore, liposculpture cannot and absolutely must not be considered as a therapy for obesity or overweight.
What is Liposculpture
Liposculpture is an operation of aesthetic surgery which consists in the aspiration of fat cells from localized areas of the body, through the use of small cannulas 12-15 cm long.
Liposculpture is an evolution of liposuction, since - compared to the latter - it uses the use of cannulas with a smaller diameter (2-4 mm compared to 5-10 mm used in liposuction), thus allowing an operation to be performed less traumatic.
At the same time, liposculpture allows for a more precise and harmonious body shape remodeling, avoiding the formation of unsightly depressions or irregularities in the treated areas.
How to do it
Liposculpture is a real surgical procedure and, as such, must be performed by doctors specialized in plastic surgery and be practiced in suitable facilities, adequately equipped for this kind of operation.
Liposculpture can be performed in different parts of the body, such as the abdomen, arms, thighs, hips, calves, knees, ankles, neck and even cheeks.
Depending on the vastness of the area on which it is necessary to intervene, liposculpture can be performed under local anesthesia (with or without sedation), or under general anesthesia if the areas to be treated are rather extensive.
Normally, for operations performed under local anesthesia, the patient is hospitalized as a day hospital; on the contrary, in the case of general anesthesia, the patient will remain in the clinic for at least one night.
The duration of the intervention varies depending on the extent of the area to be treated. However, indicatively, a liposculpture surgery can last from 30 minutes to about three hours.
Before the surgery
Since liposculpture is a real cosmetic surgery, before undergoing such an operation, a specialist visit and an accurate pre-operative evaluation are essential.
The surgeon must therefore carefully assess the patient's state of health, making sure that there are no contraindications or particular conditions that could complicate the intervention (such as, for example, cardiovascular pathologies, coagulation problems, etc.).
After that, the doctor will evaluate which areas need to be treated, their extent and the degree of skin elasticity. This last factor is of fundamental importance. In fact, following the removal of fat cells, if the patient's skin is not sufficiently elastic, it may not adapt to the new (reduced) volumes of the body. For this reason, in individuals whose skin has lost elasticity, worse results could be obtained compared to patients whose skin is, instead, still endowed with good elasticity.
In any case, before proceeding with the actual intervention, the surgeon will ask the patient to undergo specific tests, which may vary depending on the case (such as, for example, blood tests, electrocardiograms, X-rays, etc.). ).
Only after a careful evaluation of all these factors, the specialist can decide if it is the case to perform the liposculpture and how to perform it.
Finally, if the surgeon believes that the operation can be performed, it will provide a series of indications that the patient must carefully follow before undergoing the operation.
Among these, we recall:
- Follow a low calorie diet, so as to be able to identify and perform liposculpture only on the fat actually resistant to diet and physical activity;
- Stop smoking ;
- Avoid taking acetylsalicylic acid (contained, for example, in Aspirin®);
- For women, stop taking any oral contraceptives, at least one month before the surgery;
- Always seek your doctor's advice before taking any medication.
The surgery
The operation is performed by making very small incisions (generally in correspondence with furrows and folds of the skin) through which, first of all, a particular anesthetic mixture containing saline, an anesthetic drug and a vasoconstrictor is injected, necessary to reduce any loss of blood during the aspiration of the fat.
After that, the surgeon can proceed with the execution of the actual intervention.
Inside the small incisions previously made, insert the cannulas, connected to a syringe or a pump, through which the fat cells are aspirated.
After the surgery
Immediately after the liposculpture procedure, the surgeon will apply a special liposculpture containment sheath in the treated areas, which must be worn for a period of about 2-3 weeks. The role of this sheath is to promote the healing of the treated areas, maintaining the remodeled shape that the surgeon has given to the body.
Any post-operative pain can be kept under control by taking pain-relieving or anti-inflammatory drugs.
Generally, recovery from liposculpture takes place in a fairly short time. The normal activities can be resumed after 2-3 days of the execution of the intervention; while for the resumption of more intense activities and sports activities it is better to allow a period of at least 15-30 days to pass.
Finally, it is necessary to avoid sun exposure for at least 30-40 days after performing the liposculpture. In any case, for any doubt, it is always good to ask the surgeon for advice.
Results
The results obtainable with liposculpture are usually good and fully satisfy the patient. Normally, however, these results are visible only after two or three weeks, since in the post-surgery the treated area tends to be swollen and characterized by the presence of ecchymoses, which need some time to be completely reabsorbed.
Furthermore, the success of liposculpture depends heavily on the experience and skills of the surgeon who performed it, just as it can depend on the elasticity of the patient's skin.
Following liposculpture surgery, it is essential that patients continue to have a healthy lifestyle, characterized by regular physical activity and a balanced diet. Only in this way can the results obtained be permanent. In this regard, it is right to spend a few words to dispel the myth that, following the liposculpture intervention, it no longer gains weight. In fact, it is true that the fat cells removed by liposculpture are no longer able to reform themselves; however, if the patient does not adopt correct eating habits and does not carry out adequate physical activity, the remaining adipocytes will tend to expand (due to the further accumulation of fat); as a result, the bearings and grease accumulations will again appear.
Risks and Complications
As mentioned, if the liposculpture is performed by a plastic surgery specialist in clinics adequately equipped for any eventuality, it can give excellent results and can be considered a safe and low risk intervention.
On the other hand, since it is still a surgical operation, you could face complications, such as:
- Infections . As with any other type of surgery, even with liposculpture there is a risk (albeit low) of developing infections. Normally, to prevent this complication, antibiotic therapy is performed both during and after surgery (peri-operative and post-operative antibiotic therapy).
- Pain . Immediately after the operation it is common to experience pain at the treated areas, but this can be kept under control with the simple use of pain medication.
- Edema and ecchymosis . Even the appearance of bruises and swellings is very common; however, they will tend to reabsorb and disappear within two or three weeks.
- Scars . Scars can form at the incisions made to insert the cannulae. However - in addition to being very small (about 3 mm) - these incisions are generally made in correspondence with furrows or folds in the skin, so that they can hide and mask the scars that could later form.
Furthermore, to decrease the occurrence of any complications - both during and after the operation - it is essential to carefully follow all the indications provided by the surgeon, both before performing the liposculpture, and during the recovery period.
Associated Interventions
Liposculpture can be performed alone, or in association with other types of interventions.
For example, a common practice is to associate liposculpture with lipofilling, or a technique that allows the use of removed fat cells to fill and define certain areas of the body that are depressed or "emptied" (such as, for example, the cheekbones, the neck, the breast, the cheeks, the buttocks, etc.).
Furthermore, liposculpture can be performed in association with other cosmetic surgery procedures, such as, for example, abdominoplasty, reduction mammaplasty or lifting of arms and thighs.
However, the decision to perform liposculpture alone or in association with other interventions is solely up to the surgeon, following an accurate assessment of the patient's condition and the relationship between the results to be obtained and the potential associated risks to the same interventions.
