liposuction

This article can be found at http://liposuction.com.

SmartLipo is by far the best kind of liposuction available today. It is a method that offers the best results with less trauma and less downtime. It has a fast recovery time and the cost is very competitive.

SmartLipo uses
laser technology to melt and liquefy the fat within the fat cells. In addition, it smoothes and tightens the skin to decrease the looseness that one sometimes sees with traditional liposuction. It can be utilized alone to treat smaller areas of fat, such as below the chin, or in combination with liposuction to remove larger areas of fat such as in the abdomen, flanks and thighs.

Over the years, liposuction has evolved into being one of the safest cosmetic procedures performed today. Liposuction was originally invented by a gynecologist in Italy in the mid 1970s. Initially it involved using a "dry" technique, but this resulted in excessive complications, such as blood loss and shock. The technique improved when the "wet" technique was developed in the early 1980's. Further refinements in the late 1980s lead to development of the "tumescent" technique which is the safest method to do liposuction today.

Tumescent liposuction is performed by instilling dilute solutions of lidocaine and epinephrine into the fatty areas of the areas to be treated. This fluid anesthetizes the areas to be treated, plus it decreases bleeding very significantly. The procedure can thus be performed while the patient is awake with minimal discomfort and quicker recovery. Many people can return to work and normal activities within one to a few days.

Once the tumescent fluid had been infused into the fatty areas, the fat could be destroyed by many methods. Several different techniques developed over the years from the 1990s that could be used to dissolve or destroy the fat in these areas. Simple mechanical disruption, high frequency ultrasonic waves dissolution, or laser lipolysis can all be utilized to break or disrupt the fat cells and allow the freed fat to be suctioned using very thin tubes called cannulas. Most of the time these procedures are combined to provide the best results for removal of the fat, for improved skin smoothness, and to tighten the skin.

SmartLipo was the first laser to be approved by the FDA to be used for fat dissolution and removal with tumescent liposuction. Introduced in 2007, this laser technology utilizes a 1064 wave length that targets red blood cells and thus results in less blood loss. In addition, it produces a burst of energy as it enters the fatty tissue that dissolves the fat so it can be removed by suctioning. This improves the safety of the procedure by being able to melt the fat without heating the tissue excessively. Smaller areas of melted fat can actually reabsorb into the body and may not even need suctioning for optimal results.

Other laser technologies include the CoolLipo laser lipolysis which uses the 1320 wavelength and the ProLipo which uses the 1319 wavelength. These produce fatty dissolution by heating the water within the cells and exploding them. The liquid fat can then be removed in a similar fashion with cannulas. All these techniques normally utilize tumescent fluid to provide the anesthesia, to decrease bleeding and to decrease infection.

By utilizing the tumescent technique, these liposuction procedures can be performed in an office-based setting while the patient is awake. No longer is it a requirement that patients be put to sleep using general anesthetics nor do they need to be admitted to the hospital for the procedure. Moreover, these new techniques, especially SmartLipo, allow patients to return to normal activities more rapidly than when the older methods were used. It is safer and provides improved results for smoother and tighter skin. Thus, SmartLipo is the procedure of choice for most physicians and patients.

For more information about liposuction techniques, go to www.artlipo.com.

This article can be found at http://liposuction.com.

The first step toward determining your candidacy for liposuction is choosing a competent surgeon for your initial consultation.

During this appointment or series of appointments, the plastic surgeon should take a thorough medical history, which includes a list of the medications you are taking, your weight, whether your weight has significantly fluctuated and whether you plan to lose weight before the liposuction. He or she will also talk with you about your expectations to make sure they are realistic.

In general, the ideal candidates for liposuction are men and women who are of relatively normal weight, but have isolated pockets of fat that do not respond to an adequate diet and exercise program. Think love handles or muffin tops.

You should have firm and elastic skin tone and have excessive fatty deposits in certain body areas. Keep in mind that liposuction removes fat, not loose skin.

Age is not a deciding factor, but many older patients have less elastic skin, so they may not get optimal results.

For more information on liposuction, go to www.artlipo.com.

This article was taken from http://liposuction.com.

Liposuction is a method of body sculpting, body contouring or "spot-reduction" involving removal of excess, unsightly fat from specific areas of the body. Liposuction can be done in abdomen, hips, buttocks, back, thighs, knees, calves, ankles, upper arms, jowls, cheeks and neck.

These localized fat deposits may sometimes be inherited and typically do not respond to dieting or exercise. Liposuction is often the only way to improve them.
Liposuction can be done alone or with other plastic surgery procedures such as breast reduction or tummy tuck (abdominoplasty). In addition, liposuction can be performed on several areas of the body at once.

Other names for liposuction are lipoplasty, suction-assisted lipectomy, ultrasound-assisted liposuction or lipoplasty, laser-assisted liposuction or lipoplasty and power-assisted liposuction or lipoplasty.

Liposuction was the number one surgical cosmetic procedure performed on men and women in 2007, according to statistics compiled by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).

Specifically, 456,828 liposuction procedures were performed on men and women that year. And these numbers have increased by a whopping 158.3 percent since 1997, when ASAPS first started tracking cosmetic surgery trends and figures.

For more information on liposuction, please visit www.artlipo.com.

This article was taken from http://liposuction.com.

Step One: Marking your territory. Using a magic marker, your surgeon will literally mark the areas of your body where he or she will remove unwanted fat. Such markings before surgery help your plastic surgeon plan the liposuction procedure.

Step Two: Anesthesia awareness. Liposuction is typically performed under general anesthesia, but in some cases local anesthesia can be used. Other options include intravenous sedation or epidural block. The decision involves both you and your doctor. It takes into account how much time the surgery will take, as well as where on the body the liposuction will be performed and how much fat will be removed.

Step Three: Wetting solution savvy. Wetting solutions are infused into the area before fat is removed. The fluid contains saline (salt water) and epinephrine (which constricts blood vessels to minimize any blood loss in the aspirate) and a local anesthetic. The reason that surgeons use a wetting solution is simple: they want to minimize blood loss, to increase the safety of liposuction. Various types of wetting solutions are used in liposuction. The main difference among them is the amount of fluid used.

- The "dry" technique. Before wetting solutions came along, surgeons went in dry. This resulted in blood loss and bruising. In fact, about 45 percent of what was suctioned out was blood (not fat!), so it has fallen out of favor.

- The "wet" technique. The surgeon will infuse 100-300 milliliters of fluid (with or without epinephrine) into each treatment site. With the wet technique, about 20-25 percent of what is suctioned out is blood.

- The "super-wet" technique. As its name implies, the super-wet technique involves the infusion of greater amounts of fluid than with the wet technique. It is about a 1:1 or 1:1.5 ratio, meaning that the amount of fluid is approximately equal to the amount of fat to be removed. With the super-wet technique, less than 1 percent of what is suctioned out is blood.

- The tumescent technique. This involves even much more fluid than is used in the super-wet technique. Basically the surgeon will infuse three to six times as much fluid as the volume of the aspirate to be removed. Proponents say the tumescent technique swells the tissues, which aids in fat removal; but detractors say it interferes with the surgeon's ability to sculpt, and it is unsafe because of potential fluid overload and an overdose of anesthetic (which is used in the solution). Learn more about tumescent liposuction.

Step Four: Fat removal. There are many different ways to vacuum out the fat during liposuction.

- Traditional suction-assisted liposuction. This involves inserting a cannula (a long, thin tube) through a tiny incision to vacuum the fat cells. The surgeon moves the cannula back and forth through the fat layer to break it up, and then suction out, the excess fat.

- Ultrasound-assisted liposuction. Here the surgeon inserts a special cannula through small "access" incisions. The cannula emits sound waves to help break up the fat, presumably making it easier to vacuum. Vaser-assisted liposuction is the cutting-edge, third-generation version of ultrasound liposuction technology. In a nutshell, the cannula used for Vaser-assisted liposuction emits gentler sound waves to break up and then remove fat. These do not disturb blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue, resulting in less bruising, swelling and pain than traditional suction-assisted liposuction.

- Power-assisted liposuction. This uses a motorized cannula to break up fatty tissue that will then be vacuumed out. It is inserted through the same tiny incisions.

- Laser-assisted liposuction. This involves a small incision and the insertion of a laser fiber probe that produces a burst of energy to liquefy the fat before it is removed. (Two of the brand names you may see are SmartLipo and CoolLipo.) Proponents say that laser-assisted liposuction is the latest and greatest and may also tighten skin. But detractors say it adds nothing to the results of liposuction except for expense and for making the procedure more cumbersome for both the patient and surgeon. And, they say, it can add many hundreds of dollars to the cost of liposuction without proven extra benefit.

- Body-jet liposuction. Using a thin, fan-shaped jet that pulsates water, your surgeon loosens fat cells from connective tissue, while simultaneously vacuuming them out. It is sometimes called water-jet assisted liposuction or water-assisted liposuction. While other liposuction techniques destroy or break apart the fat cells before suctioning them out of the body, the new water-assisted technique may loosen the fat cells first. As a result, water-assisted liposuction may be less traumatic than traditional liposuction methods. There may also be a shorter recovery time if the technique is proven to be gentler. Body-Jet liposuction does not use as much fluid as tumescent liposuction. What's more, the fluid is infused while the procedure is being performed, not beforehand as it is with other types of liposuction. The water is then immediately sucked back out with the fat; which may make it easier for your surgeon to determine if any areas need additional suctioning. Water-assisted liposuction flushes the fat instead of destroying it, so there may be an opportunity to harvest fat for fat transfer to other parts of the body where it is needed to restore plumpness. Water-assisted liposuction may be performed under local anesthesia, but general anesthesia will likely be needed for larger areas of fat removal. The bottom line is that more research is needed to determine the exact benefits and risks of water-assisted liposuction.

For more information on how liposuction is performed, go to www.artlipo.com.

This article was taken from http://liposuction.com.

The suctioned areas will be swollen and uncomfortable for several days after liposuction. In some cases, the small incisions are left open temporarily so that fluids and residual fatty deposits can empty through an inserted drain. Your surgeon may prescribe an antibiotic to reduce the risk of infection.

Usually the treatment area is wrapped with elastic bandage. Support hosiery or a girdle may be worn over this, to help compress tissue and control swelling and bruising. Your surgeon may want you to wear the bandage and/or garment for several days or weeks.

It is recommended for you to move soon after surgery, as this will decrease the risk of blood clots that can occur from long periods of being sedentary. You will be allowed to return to work or your normal activities in a few days. Some patients can return sooner, especially if conservative amounts of fat were removed. Strenuous activity, however, is a no-no for at least three weeks.

Be patient. The final results may not be evident for up to six months, but they are permanent (assuming that your weight remains stable). Depending on how gently the procedure was performed, you may see some preliminary results as early as one week.

For more information on liposuction, go to www.artlipo.com.