Liposuction
When people think cosmetic surgery, liposuction often springs to mind. This makes sense, since in 2007, more than 300,000 liposuction procedures were performed in the United States alone (American Society of Plastic Surgeons). Liposuction comes up in everyday conversation as the shortcut to looking slimmer, trimmer, and sexier. There are very real limitations to liposuction procedures that potential candidates need to know, in order to decide if the good old fat vacuum is right for them.
Liposuction is not really a new idea. Since the early 1920s people have learned that surgery could be used to remove unwanted bulge. Over the decades, liposuction procedures have developed safer and better results with a heavy reliance on the latest technology. Today's liposuction providers have a litany of options in anesthesia, surgical tools, and fat removal methods.
Regardless of the method used for liposuction, this cosmetic procedure is only recommended for small amounts of fat removal. Candidates looking to lose more than ten pounds are looking at the wrong surgical procedure for their weight loss needs. SmartLipo may be a better option. The good news is that liposuction is more about body sculpting and contouring, so a small loss of physical fat can give an appearance of a much greater weight loss. When we lose fat weight naturally, we don't have the luxury of choosing the exact location, but liposuction is this very luxury of choice.
Modern liposuction procedures involve a numbing agent (anesthesia), liquid or laser technology to break up the fat, and suctioning by a surgical tool called a cannula. It is very important candidates discuss their medical history with their licensed cosmetic surgery provider, as complications can arise. For example, epinephrine is used in many liposuction procedures to constrict blood vessels. While naturally produced in the body, many people can have severe reactions to the introduction of additional epinephrine to their system, including problems with heart rhythm.
There are also serious known complications from repeated liposuction procedures. While humans may not like the look of fat, our bodies are very much fat junkies. The human body uses stores of fat for a great number of daily processes, especially energy and nutrient storage. When you start removing stores of fat cells for aesthetic purposes, there is no guarantee your body won't put fat right back where it wants it. Also, continued liposuction procedures, or those performed incorrectly, can result in unpleasantly looking skin. Ripples, sacs of liquid, and scar tissue are all possible outcomes.
Recovery time from a liposuction procedure is nothing to sneeze at either. For up to three days after the procedure, liquid may still be oozing from the incision site, and patients must be careful in aftercare to prevent infection. Most incisions are left minimally sutured or completely open to aid in draining and healing without scars. Patients will need to curtail work and other daily activities during recovery. IN addition, changing dressings and taking care of the incision site is not for the squeamish.
Rarely is liposuction covered by insurance, and so the cost of the procedure will be coming out of your pocketbook. Some insurance companies are even restrictive about coverage for complications arising from elective cosmetic surgery. This is not a scenario where it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission. Talk with your regular medical benefits representative about your options before agreeing to any elective procedures. The average costs of liposuction procedure range in the thousands, so you should be leery of any provider offering liposuction for a few hundred dollars.
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