What Is Liposuction? A Cosmetic Surgery To Shape Body, Not To Lose Weight

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What Is Liposuction? Is It A Solution To Your Weight Problem?

My Concern about you Having Liposuction

I touch on this topic - "what is liposuction" not because I'm for it but because I'm concerned lots of people want to go for it, to lose weight.

It's a bad idea, really.

The most obvious ones?

First and foremost, it's a cosmetic surgery hence I would say it isn't medically necessary (though there could be some rare exceptions to this).

Secondly, it's a procedure to "shape" your body; it's not a procedure to make you lose weight. In fact, it's a bad way to lose weight.

Thirdly, the results may not be permanent. You could still gain weight after the surgery and the fat may return to areas where you had liposuction or to other areas even.

Fourthly, the outcome may be less "glamorous" than what you were expecting and it can be disappointing, even to the point of causing you a lot of unnecessary depressions and emotional traumas.

OK, after giving you all the "no-gos", I feel it's good that I take you through the whole subject on what is liposuction, good and bad sides of it (err.....mostly bad, I think.....), so you can make an informed decision whether to go for it or not.

What is Liposuction?

It's a surgical procedure to remove fat deposits primarily for the purpose of shaping your body.

The surgeon removes fat from under your skin using a vacuum-suction canula (a hollow pen-like instrument) or an ultrasonic probe that emulsifies your fat and then removes it with suction.

This procedure is more to remove localized fats like those deposited in your abdomen, arms, thighs, buttocks, back, neck or face.

The procedure itself may encompass more than one area, for example, your abdomen, back and thighs all on the same day.

Plastic surgeons or dermatologists or any licensed physician may perform liposuction. While some professional bodies may recommend training before performing liposuction surgery, surgeons normally do not require standardized training.

As a result, you can expect to have differences in experience and training in surgeons performing the liposuction.

You can ask your surgeon whether he or she has had specialized training to do liposuction and whether he or she has successfully done liposuction before.

But sometimes things happen....even the best trained and experienced surgeons may get you into complications.......

What to Expect

Before

Ask all questions on what is liposuction procedure, the potential problems, the risks, the dangers, the complications, the cost, your concerns and any other relevant issues.

Your surgeon should answer these and any other questions that you might have about liposuction.

You should learn as much as you can about what is liposuction and take your time to decide whether it's right for you and whether you're willing to take the risks of going through the procedure.

Don't get carried away with commercials and advertisements that display perfect body shapes after liposuction.

You know, they're selling a service so they won't tell you all the likely potential problems that could arise as a result of liposuction......

Don't feel pressured either just because you've consulted a surgeon, therefore you must go through with it.

Discuss the procedure thoroughly with him or her before deciding if you want to go through with it. You can still change your mind even after discussing the procedure with a surgeon.

During

The surgeon marks the area where the fat is to be removed. Then the anesthetist administers anesthesia, which is either a local anesthesia (i.e. anesthesia injected into the area where liposuction is to be carried out and you're awake during surgery ) or a general anesthesia (i.e. to use anesthesia that puts you to sleep during surgery).

(P/S: Along with the anesthesia, the anesthetist also injects fluid, usually buffered salt water and epinephrine, which is a drug to reduce bleeding. He or she may inject large volumes of fluid, until your skin is firm and tight)

The surgeon then makes an incision in the marked area for liposuction. He or she uses a canula to insert into the incision.

The surgeon moves this canula back and forth to suction out the fat. He or she then collects the fat and the fluid that have been injected, in a flask.

The surgeon monitors the amount of fluid and fat that he or she removes. As you'll be losing fluid and fat from your body, it may be necessary to replace some of these lost fluids vide intravenous (i.v.) line.

Are you getting more edgy as you travel down the journey enquiring "what is liposuction"?

Hmmm......More "unpleasantness" awaits you!

After

These are the things you've to "endure":

When the anesthesia wears off, you would have pain. You would also have swelling and in some cases, the swelling would remain for weeks or even months

(P/s: If you've prolonged pain and swelling, this may be sign you're having infection. You should contact your surgeon immediately)

You would be able to leave (surgeon's office, surgical center, hospital) immedaitely after surgery or you may need to stay overnight.
This depends on the amount of fat removed. The more fat removed, the riskier it becomes hence the surgeon would ask you to stay 1 or 2 night, to monitor your condition

The incision may be leaky or drain fluids for several days. Some surgeons may insert drainage tube to drain fluid away from the wound

You would need to wear special elastic compression garments, usually for weeks, to keep your skin compressed. I heard that it's no joke putting on this garment because it causes pain and you may need someone to help you.....

You would have to be careful of the activity you can do and considered as safe. This means limited physical movement and activity, most of the time

You would have to look out for signs of problems that you should be aware of, like signs of infections or other problems that you need to know about

You would have scars, where the surgeon cuts your skin and inserts the canula to remove fat tissue

I can see you grimace at these already.....Not pretty, huh?

Still want to know what is liposuction?.....

Right, let's move on.....

Would you Look the Way you Want after Liposuction?

I've said in the beginning that liposuction surgery is mainly for cosmetic shaping of your body. The result may be "good". That's good news for you.

What happens if you don't get the results you wanted?

This is where you might get a "shock"......

In other words, your appearance after liposuction may not be what you expected or wanted.

Some surgeons counsel you that reasonable expectations are important.

Well, the point is - it would be difficult to have reasonable expectations after reading advertisements and looking at glamorous pictures of men and women who have had liposuction, while yours is a disappointment and a far cry from what you dream about......

"Crest fallen" would be mild to describe how you feel now about what is liposuction .......

Hence, you've to be mentally prepared for this and be realistic about the results so you won't feel depressed or traumatized. And let's face it, you know what is liposuction all about when opting for the procedure......

Also, expect these cosmetic shortcomings that could surface after liposuction :

Scars at the area where the surgeon made the cut to insert the liposuction canula. These scars are usually small and fade with time but for some people, these scars may be larger or more prominent

The liposuction area may have a wavy or bumpy appearance after surgery

I don't want to sound like a recording machine.....I said in the very beginning - the results may not be permanent. You could still gain weight after the surgery and the fat may return to areas where you had liposuction or to other areas even

What is liposuction? The picture sure doesn't get better, does it?

Well, some "pretty" pictures coming your way!

Alternatives to Liposuction?

The whole thing about the subject on what is liposuction is this - I don't mean to scare or intimidate you just because I don't favor it.

But my take is this - when there are other better alternatives around, why risk your body and sometimes even your life (no joke, I come across a case where this lady went for an abdominal liposuction and died of complications arising from the surgery....)?

Are there better alternatives?

Sure, there are. I'm in for all these better, healthy options:

1. Change your diet to shed off some excess body fat.

2. Exercise.

3. Accept your body shape and appearance as it is.

And after my long "lecture" on what is liposuction, if you still want to go ahead with it, I've no problem at all because you know your body best.

The one thing I ask of you - ask questions, do research, weigh carefully the pros and cons, then only decide.

I'm not an expert on liposuction. But I've researched thoroughly on the entire subject, to help you here.

So feel free to check out these liposuction info: