What you need to know about liposuction

The presence of heavy deposits of fat in the midsection and elsewhere can be really unappealing from an aesthetic standpoint. Many people seek to alter their appearance by removing some of the fat present in their bodies, and to that end, liposuction is one of the most popular forms of plastic surgery performed. In this article, we'll explore exactly what goes on in a liposuction procedure and let you know some details about the operation so that you can better understand exactly how it works.

Liposuction is a great surgical method for removing deposits of fat all over the body. Some common places that people seek liposuction surgery include the abs, the hips, the buttocks, thighs, arms, chin, and neck. There are actually many different techniques of liposuction that are employed to treat specific areas of the body. Those who seek liposuction are often those who are relatively normal in body size and have deposits of fat in certain areas exclusively. Diabetics and those with heart disease or lung disease are generally recommended to avoid liposuction. It is a procedure that can be performed in a surgeon's office facility in certain cases, but it is also performed in hospitals. When the liposuction procedure is relatively small it is usually an outpatient procedure. For larger size liposuctions, an overnight stay in a hospital bed may be required. The procedure is generally performed under local anesthesia, numbing the area that the surgery is focusing on. For larger liposuctions, general anesthesia may be used to sedate the patient.

The procedure itself generally begins with a small incision being made on the area where the liposuction is being performed. A tube is inserted into the incision and a vacuum-like machine works to suck the fat from the layer present in the area. This is the basic method for which liposuction has been performed for years. There are some innovations that have come into the procedure, however, which can aid the physician in performing it quickly and effectively. One of these methods involves fluid injection. Before sucking the fat out of the area, the surgeon will inject the patient with a type of fluid that works as an anesthetic and helps to contract blood vessels. This helps the fat to break away easier and it reduces the amount of blood loss that a patient experiences when undergoing the procedure. Another method of some use to plastic surgeons is the Ultrasound-Assisted Lipoplasty, in which a surgeon uses ultra-sonic energy in order to liquefy the fat present in the area, allowing it to be much easier to remove.

After the procedure is performed, recovery may take a little while. To keep swelling down and to aid your skin in tightening back up around the affected area, you will probably be asked to wear tight clothing on the area. After a week to ten days, the stitches where the incision was made will either dissolve or be removed by the doctor performing the surgery. After four to six weeks, most of the swelling will have gone away and you should be able to get a basic idea of the final result of the surgery.

Cosmetic surgery news on the Web

PEOPLE: Davis named expert by surgery group (Courier-Post) Dr. Steven Davis of Davis Cosmetic Plastic Surgery in Cherry Hill has been named an expert in the field of plastic surgery by the Aesthetic Health Dimensions Organization.

Pam Anderson winner and loser for cosmetic surgery (Orange County Register) Many people use actress as reference when describing what they want.

Elite cosmetic surgery clinic hit by the credit crunch (Times Online) One of the most renowned cosmetic surgery clinics in the country faces closure because people cannot afford vanity treatments during the credit crunch.

Cosmetic surgeons feel the pinch (BBC News) A top doctor from aclose cosmetic surgery hospital in Cambridgeshire says women are putting off operations.

Plastic and reconstructive surgery -- in brief (EurekAlert!) ( American Society of Plastic Surgeons ) Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery ... In Brief is distributed monthly and designed to keep you updated on the most current scientific news from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Many Americans Getting Plastic Surgery to Stay on Top of Their Game During Tough Economy (Marketwire via Yahoo! Finance) While economic woes continue to cause people to cut their spending in just about every area, many people are getting plastic surgery to look their best in an effort to keep their jobs and be successful in a tough business environment. According to Dr.

Aesthetic Surgery Journal (ASJ) Accepted for Indexing by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) (PRWeb via Yahoo! News) Aesthetic Surgery Journal (ASJ), an official peer-reviewed publication of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), has been accepted for indexing by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) in MEDLINE/PubMed (www.pubmed.gov), the world's most widely accessed medical database.

Plastic And Reconstructive Surgery...In Brief (Medical News Today) The following is being released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons: Can The US Really Cut Health Care Spending? A new study suggests that while health care is one of the strongest sectors of the ailing US economy, achieving a substantial, sustainable reduction is US health care spending is not probable.

Stretched budgets put wrinkle in plastic surgery (The Greenville News) Plastic surgeons say demand for cosmetic work has sagged in recent months, as economic worries cause patients to postpone or cancel their appointments. Some practices have been forced to lay off workers or reduce hours as a result.

In South Korea, cosmetic surgery falters with economy (International Herald Tribune) The downturn has forced many people to change their habits, and some clinics have gone out of business.