FAQ: Liposuction
What is Liposuction?
Liposuction is a surgical technique that improves the body's contour by removing excess fat deposits located between the skin and muscle. It involves the use of a small stainless steel tube, called a cannula (from the Latin word for reed, tube, cane). The liposuction cannula, typically connected to a powerful suction pump, is inserted into the fat through small incisions in the skin, and fat is removed by suction as the cannula creates tiny tunnels through the fat. During the healing process after surgery, these tiny tunnels shrink and disappear, resulting in an improved body contour.
Who is a good candidate?
The best candidates for liposuction are in good health and have realistic expectations of what liposuction can accomplish. Liposuction can provide a good candidate with a significant improvement, but it is unlikely to achieve perfection. There is no definite age or weight limit for patients who are "good candidates". Many patients are of average size but are concerned about localized accumulations of fat. However, some of the happiest patients have been individuals who are somewhat obese. A good candidate usually has one or more localized accumulations of fat that can be removed by liposuction.
What is a successful liposuction surgery?
A liposuction surgery is a success when the patient is happy with the results. The surgeon's goal is to obtain an optimal aesthetic result rather than to maximize the amount of fat removed. One of the most common causes for disappointment in the results of liposuction surgery is the removal of too much fat, which produces an abnormal or unusual appearance. The cosmetic success of a surgery is often the result of removing an amount of fat equivalent to less than a pound or two of butter from a woman's saddlebag area or from a man's love handle area. While this amount of fat is relatively small compared to a person's total body weight, it does produce a dramatic change in the patient's silhouette.
Does liposuction always remove cellulite?
Liposuction improves the silhouette of the body, but does not necessarily eliminate the pre-existing subtle "puckering" of the skin that is often referred to as "cellulite." Liposuction does reduce the degree of cellulite to a minor degree but it is unlikely to produce a significant improvement or to completely eliminate cellulite.
Does liposuction produce permanent results?
After liposuction the body's new shape is more or less permanent. If a patient does gain a moderate amount of weight after liposuction, then the figure will simply be a larger version of the new body shape. Fat cells that are removed by liposuction do not grow back. As long as the patient does not gain excessive amounts of weight, the new, more pleasing silhouette is permanent. Of course after liposuction the clock keeps ticking, and advancing age will produce the usual changes in the shape of the body associated with the aging process. If a person gains weight after surgery, she/he will not accumulate as much fat in the treated areas as would have happened if liposuction had not been done.
Does the fat come back in other spots after liposuction?
If a patient does not gain weight after surgery, then fat does not accumulate in other areas of the body. However, if a patient gains a significant amount of weight, say more than 10 pounds (5 kg), after liposuction, then the fat must go somewhere. In fact, the fat accumulates in every area of the body in proportion to the amount of fat cells in each area. Areas where fat cells have been removed will accumulate relatively little fat, while areas not treated will collect relatively more fat. For example, if a woman gains weight after liposuction of her hips, outer thighs, and abdomen, then most of the fat will be deposited elsewhere such as the woman's breasts, face, back and legs.
Contact us for a free consultation:
Cosmetic Laser & Vein Centre
3rd Floor, 1504 - 15 Ave SW
Calgary, AB
Canada T3C 0X9
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