Liposuction

Trying to look great in a society that worships fit and ripped men and women is not just a choice – it’s an obligation for some. No matter how much you try to exercise and diet, sometimes your ideal weight or figure is difficult to attain. This is when liposuction comes in. Just to clear things up, liposuction is not a magical procedure that can transform you into those women that you see in magazines. You have your genes and your lifestyle to wrestle with in order for you to be as skinny as the ones you see in billboards. What liposuction can do is to help you get a trim body by removing unwanted fat from specific areas of the body. The most common parts are the hips, buttocks, thighs, upper arms, chin and abdomen.

Ideal Candidates for Liposuction

Not everyone qualifies for liposuction procedures. The general requirement is that you should not be overly obese and must have firm, elastic skin so that the skin can tighten up after a layer of fat is already suctioned off. Unlike the tummy tuck procedure, liposuction only suctions the unwanted fat and does not remove the stretched out skin. Hence, the skin must retain its elasticity so that it can tighten up appropriately.

Age is a factor when it comes to liposuction. The older you are, the more inelastic your skin becomes. However, that doesn’t mean that plastic surgery has completely closed its doors on you. You can still get plastic surgery but opt for procedures that remove excess skin as well as the unwanted fat.

Overly obese individuals are also not good candidates for liposuction because their skin has stretched so much that their ability to tighten back is already impaired. This will lead to saggy skin after the procedure and will have to be corrected again.

Individuals who have had surgical operations performed on the sections of the body that are to be suctioned will be advised to put off the procedure to a later date.

Pre-procedure

Because of the different plastic surgery procedures that can be performed in lieu of a liposuction, there is a need for you to discuss your options with your doctor thoroughly. You may need to have a tummy tuck procedure and not a liposuction in the end.

Once your doctor gives you the thumbs up on the liposuction procedure, you will have to prepare for the surgery. You may have to stop smoking, drinking alcohol and eating specific foods days before the surgery. Your doctor will also emphasize the need for you to be perfectly healthy and free from infections during the day of the operation. Colds and skin infections will warrant the postponement of your procedure.

During the Procedure

The length of the liposuction procedure will depend a lot on the amount of work that needs to be done. If you are having multiple sections suctioned off then the procedure will be rather lengthy. The doctor will have to make a small incision on inconspicuous parts of your body and will insert a cannula into the fat layer beneath your skin. The cannula is connected to a vacuum that will help to suck out all of the adipose tissue.

Post-procedure

After the liposuction procedure, fluid may have to be drained out of your body and a tube might be used for this purpose. Pain and soreness are normal after the liposuction procedure but pain medications should control the extent of discomfort felt. After a week to ten days, the stitches can be removed or they may have dissolved on their own by then. You should start walking as soon as the pain and discomfort allows you to. However, you should not perform anything strenuous for at least one month after the liposuction procedure.

Learn more about liposuction or fill out the form above to get in touch with an Elase representative.