The Many Uses of Liposuction
According to statistics outlining the most commonly performed plastic surgery procedures in 2014, published at the end of February by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, liposuction continues to be extremely popular. But of the top five cosmetic surgical procedures, which also include breast augmentation, nose reshaping, eyelid surgery, and facelifts, only liposuction can produce such a diverse array of potential results virtually anywhere in the body. Here are some of the most common uses for this amazingly versatile procedure.
The most well-known use for liposuction is as a body contouring procedure, to slim and reshape specific areas by removing excess fat that has proven resistant to diet or exercise, typically in the thighs, hips, buttocks, abdomen, or waist. In these cases, the goal of the procedure is not to reduce the patient’s weight, per se, but rather to improve the overall shape of the patient’s body. First, a wetting solution containing fluid to magnify fat cells along with a vasoconstrictor, like epinephrine, to reduce bleeding, is injected into the treatment area. In some cases, this initial fluid may also contain a numbing agent to reduce patient discomfort. Then a narrow, hollow tube, called a cannula, is inserted into the area and moved in a gentle back and forth motion to dislodge excess subcutaneous fat so that it can then be suctioned out of the body using a surgical vacuum or syringe.
Liposuction is also frequently used to address extremely small, highly localized areas of excess fat for finely detailed body contouring, such as the upper arms or inner knees, calves, and ankles. Moreover, liposuction is often an integral part of procedures designed to reduce the size of the breasts, particularly in cases of gynecomastia, or enlarged breast tissue in men. It can even slim and contour the thin and delicate tissues that make up the cheeks, chin, and neck, areas that are virtually impossible to exercise effectively. Advanced liposuction techniques allow any of our plastic surgeons to sculpt these hard-to-reach areas with only minimal surgery or scarring.
Finally, liposuction has gained a significant amount of popularity in recent years due to the role it plays in fat transfer procedures. These techniques take the fat that has been removed from the patient’s body during liposuction, refine and purify it, and then re-inject it to augment or enhance key areas of the body. Fat injection has long been used in facial plastic surgery procedures to add definition to the chin, cheeks, or jaw, but is also integral to buttocks augmentation procedures which have increased dramatically in popularity in 2014.
If you are interested in learning more details about liposuction or one of the other procedures we perform at Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C., contact us at one of our Atlanta, Alpharetta, Cumming, or Newnan offices to schedule a consultation. Additionally, we are proud to provide a variety of options for financing, including CareCreditSM and Alphaeon®, in order to assist you. Please contact Atlanta Plastic Surgery with any questions you may have concerning the financial planning of your procedure and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ for the latest news.
