Liposuction

Introduction

We are obsessed with the idea of a harmonious body, and there are very few women who actually put up with the excess of weight, and even in that case, the submission is apt to determine deep inner traumas that may render tragedies.
Self-confidence is a sine-qua-non for our health and success in life!
Liposuction is a surgical technique designed to remove the fat deposits from areas genetically difficult to control by diet (thighs, buttocks, hips and abdomen in women, abdomen and hips in men). It is not a weight reducing method but a method of body contouring, an excellent opportunity to reinforce the will for a better body appearance. Liposuction has been practiced since the '80 and it is considered the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure in the USA.

What can patients benefit from liposuction?

Liposuction concerns patients with normal weight, elastic skin, which are healthy (physical and mental) but have excess fat deposits in certain parts of the body. Although age has no importance, in older patients the skin has lost some of its elasticity and so the aesthetic surgery results are not so good.

Surgery risks

There is no surgery without risks. Liposuction complications are very rare especially if the patients are carefully picked, the operation room has all the necessary equipment and the surgeon has experience. There is a tendency to consider liposuction to be an easy piece of surgery, and you might think that it can be done by any doctor and in any operating room conditions. We recommend you to go only to experienced plastic surgeons which have all the necessary equipment.
Even if the doctor is very good, the clinic has the latest medical equipment, no one can guarantee that complications will not occur. The risks are greater if more areas are treated in the same surgery or the quantity of liquid that is sucked out exceeds 2-3 liters. Some times, if more than 4 liter of dense liquid is sucked out on a single piece of surgery a skin transfusion is necessary.
Infections, hematomas and seromas can appear. The greatest complication is the formation of blood or fat clots, which can migrate to lungs and which can even cause death.
At the same time, skin bumps can appear especially at persons with low skin elasticity and with sensitivity problems.

Before surgery indications

• do not eat and drink anything after midnight before the surgery;
• it is forbidden to take aspirin and other drugs that contain aspirin for 2 weeks before the surgery;
• usually the surgery must be done outside the menstruation period;
• you must tell the doctor or the anesthesiologist if you have medical problems (hypertension, vascular problems, heart failure, diabetes, lung problems, bleeding problems, epilepsy, neurological problems, allergies to certain drugs);
• you must tell the doctor if you wear dental prosthesis or contact lenses;
• if you smoke, plan to stop smoking for 2 weeks before the surgery and do not start smoking until at least 2 weeks have passed from the surgery;
• avoid extra exposure to sun before the surgery, especially of the area to be subjected to surgery;
• do not keep a strict diet before the surgery because it can delay the healing;
• if you catch a cold or you have an infection of any kind, the surgery must be postponed;

The surgery

Liposuction is done under general anesthesia or with intra venous anesthesia completed with local or peridural anesthesia. The surgery time is of about one hour for every area. The type of anesthesia is decided upon by the anesthesiologist in the discussion before the surgery.
Liposuction involves the insertion through 3-4 mm incisions of a special canula in the fat tissue. With repeated movements cell groups are separated and sucked out. Usually 2-3 incisions for every area are necessary. The resulting scars are very hard to notice and do not raise aesthetic problems.
Modern techniques inject the area that will be sucked out with a liquid that contains diluted aesthetic for reducing the post surgical discomfort and adrenaline to reduce the bleeding. These techniques are called the tumescent liposuction.
As soon as the surgery ends, elastic garments are put across the sucked out areas to prevent the formation of hematomas and seromas.

Post surgery hospitalization

On small liposuctions (less then 2 l were aspirated), the patients can leave the clinic in 24 hours. Hospitalization will be extended to 2-3 days if the quantity is bigger or in patients that need monitoring. During the period you stay in our clinic, we will give you antibiotic, antitrombotic, pain killers and anti-inflammatory medication when needed.

Post surgical retrieval

After you leave the clinic the stitches are removed, 5-6 days after the surgery; this can also be done by your family doctor. You must wear elastic trousers or belts that help at the retraction and the uniform stretching of the extra skin. At the same time, a very important element that prevents the appearance of bumps in the sucked areas is the post surgical massage. You will start it even from your stay in the clinic. Swellings and bruises usually disappear after 3 weeks, they seldom last 1-2 months. The final result usually can be seen after 3 months.
Normal activity can be resumed in maximum one week.
In order for the result to last longer it is important for one to follow a higenico-dietetical diet recommended by a nutrition doctor and one should not hesitate to practice sport.

Conclusion

The number of fat cells from our body is fixed, so after liposuction their number decreases. The fat removal is permanent but if the volume of the fat cells is increased through a fattening process, the volume of the treated area will increase, but it will never be the one before the surgery.
Take into consideration that liposuction is not a weight loss method but a body contouring one. For losing weight the best methods are diets and physical exercises.
With this surgery we have a solid medical practice: more then 4000 cases operated on, in a 14 year period.

Find out how you can benefit from this intervention. Make an appointment for an examination at Prof. Dr. Bratu.