Liposuction: Meaning, Uses, Side Effects and Results

In recent times, news of Ghanaian female celebrities going under the knife to get additional fat on some parts of their bodies or get rid of excess fat in other parts of their bodies have been rampant. Some of these celebs including Nana Ama McBrown have publicly admitted undergoing surgery.

One of the methods of getting rid and adding these excess fat is liposuction. In this article, I am going to take you through everything you need to know about liposuction.

What is Liposuction?

Liposuction can be explained as a surgical procedure that employs a suction technique to take out fat from specific areas of the body, including the abdomen, hips, thighs, nnyyash, arms or neck.

One of the end results of liposuction is that it shapes (contours) these areas mentioned above. Liposuction can also be referred to as lipoplasty and body contouring.

Liposuction is not for people who have excess body weight and want to shred them. You can achieve better results on that by dieting or exercising. Liposuction is more effective for taking excess fat from specific areas of the body.

Why Lipsuction

Liposuction is done to get rid of excess fat from areas of the body that haven’t responded to diet and exercise. These areas include:

• Abdomen
• Upper arms
• Buttocks
• Calves and ankles
• Chest and back
• Hips and thighs
• Chin and neck

After gaining weight, fat cells become increased in size and volume. Hence, liposuction reduces the number of fat cells in a specific area. The amount of fat removed depends on the appearance of the area and the volume of fat deposited there. Your new body shape contour are generally permanent — provided your body weight remains stable.

After liposuction, the skin molds itself to the new contours of the treated areas. If you have good skin tone and elasticity, the skin is likely to appear smooth. If your skin is thin with poor elasticity, however, the skin in the treated areas may appear loose.

Before you decide that you want to go in for liposuction, you must be in good health without conditions that could complicate surgery. These conditions include restricted blood flow, coronary artery disease, diabetes or a weak immune system.

Risks of Liposuction

Just like surgery, there are some risks related to liposuction surgery. And they include bleeding and a reaction to anesthesia.

Further complications specific to liposuction may include:

• Contour irregularities. Your skin tends to appear bumpy, wavy or withered due to uneven fat removal, poor skin elasticity and unusual healing.
• Fluid accumulation. Temporary pockets of fluid (seromas) may form under the skin.
• Numbness. You may feel temporary or permanent numbness in the area worked on.
• Infection. Skin infections are rare but higly possible.
• Internal puncture.
• Kidney and heart problems. Shifts in fluid levels as fluids are being injected and suctioned out can cause potentially life-threatening kidney, heart and lung problems.
• Lidocaine toxicity. Lidocaine is an anesthetic often administered with fluids injected during liposuction to help manage pain.

The risk of complications increases if the surgeon is working on larger surfaces of your body or doing multiple procedures during the same operation. Talk to your surgeon about how these risks apply to you.

Precautions

Before you go for the procedure, discuss with your doctor what to expect from the surgery. Your doctor will go through your medical history and ask about any medical conditions you may have and any medications, supplements or herbs you may be taking.

What you can expect

Before the procedure

Before your liposuction procedure, the surgeon may mark circles and lines on the areas of your body to be treated. Photos also may be taken so that before and after images can be compared.

During the procedure

Some liposuction procedures may require only local or regional anesthesia — anesthesia limited to a specific area of your body. Other procedures may require general anesthesia, which induces a temporary state of unconsciousness. You may be given a sedative, typically through an IV injection, to help you remain calm and relaxed.

The procedure can last up to several hours, depending on the extent of fat removal.

After the procedure

Expect some pain, swelling and bruising after the procedure. Your surgeon may prescribe medication to help control the pain and antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection.

Results

It’s natural for skin to lose some firmness with aging, but liposuction results are generally long lasting as long as you maintain your weight.

If you happen to gain weight after liposuction, your fat distribution may change. For example, you may accumulate fat around your abdomen regardless of what areas were originally treated.