LIPOSUCTION (LIPOPLASTY) Sydney & Wollongong Clinics

Liposuction is a fantastic procedure. No other procedure has such impressive results with such small incisions. It is however not a procedure for everyone. The optimum patient is young, has some fat deposits and whose skin quality is good which goes with being young. Older people are also candidates and results depend on their skin quality. In my experience, if a patient has excess subcutaneous fat, but has good skin texture, is relatively young and the abdominal musculature is in good shape, then liposuction alone is an excellent technique and is probably recommended for this type of patient.

Liposuction is one of the very few procedures which has minimal scarring with extremely positive and impressive results. The scars are very small.

Liposuction occurs in numerous different forms, however in general there are two main techniques:

• Suction-assisted liposuction which uses suction alone to suck out the fat through metal cannulas with small holes in the tip of the cannula.

• Power assisted liposuction is basically the same as suction assisted liposuction except the handpiece has a pistol like action which moves the cannula in and out by a few millimetres. This technique is very safe, efficient and effective.

• Ultrasonic-assisted liposuction which uses ultrasound to liquefy the fat and the emulsified fat has to be sucked out through a different cannula.

• I use all these techniques in my surgery and feel that ultrasonic-assisted liposuction is much better in cases of fibrous fat, which is more difficult to remove using the conventional suction-assisted liposuction.

These fibrous fat deposits occur over the back, the upper abdomen and breast areas. I do not believe that in the softer fatty areas that ultrasonic-assisted liposuction has any advantages. There is a little more post-operative swelling when using ultrasonic assisted liposuction and the pain post-operatively might be a little worse than when using suction-assisted liposuction alone.

In general, liposuction is best for sculpting fattier areas of the body, rather than for an overall fat reduction.

Liposculpture is a new buzz word for liposuction of the superficial fat close under the skin. There is no magic behind this procedure, but similar and smaller cannulas are used and the technique is exactly the same as for liposuction.

Common areas for liposuction are lateral thighs or saddle bags, hips, medial thigh, medial knee, abdomen, neck, back. Not so common areas are anterior or front of thighs, legs, ankles, jowls and breast.

The procedure for liposuction

During the liposuction procedure, I use the Tumescent technique which involves injecting a lot of fluid into the area to be sucked. This fluid contains local anaesthetic and adrenaline (to decrease blood loss) into the fatty layer. I use this technique with all liposuction cases as it decreases bleeding and allows for better control of fat removal.

The scars from liposuction are usually very small in the region of 4-5mm, whilst the scars from ultrasonic-assisted liposuction are a’ little longer, often in the range of approximately 6-8mm. Depending on the number of areas that are treated, hospitalisation can be day only or overnight.

A few final words

If a patient is suitable for liposuction, the results after six months can be quite dramatic. This procedure does involve wearing a restrictive garment for up to 6 weeks, but the results are worth the effort.

Initially there will be a lot of swelling and some bruising.  Swelling will be mostly gone at 6 to 8 weeks. Total result when the area is soft again, all swelling has gone, feeling has settled will take almost six months.

Without a doubt, the vast majority of my patients, both men and women who have had a liposuction procedure, are extremely happy with the outcome.