Liposuction - What Is It and Who Can Use It

The battle of the bulge is something that many of us fight. It’s one of those things that all of us dread, and many of us know the feeling of defeat. There are some areas of the body that just don’t respond well to diet and exercise. Those areas can become really unsightly if you’ve managed to get the rest of your body the way you want it. Liposuction is a great way to deal with the problem of fat in places that just don’t exercise well.

What areas can you use liposuction to get rid of the fat? That’s the thing about this procedure; it can be used in multiple areas. If you have a pouch of fat on your stomach, then it can be eradicated. Have fatty ankles, those too. There is not much limit to the areas that you can remove you fat from using this method. Just about any area of your body that has excess fat can use this method to remove the fat cells. Areas such as back of the arms, under the chin, ankles, buttocks, thighs, back, and stomach are the more popular areas. Just remember to keep it within reason and you should have no issues.

How does liposuction work? To begin with your doctor will give you an anesthesia. If it is a small area that is going to be performed as an outpatient procedure in his office the anesthesia might be just a local, so that you don’t feel anything, but so that you are still awake. If it is a large area, or you are having the procedure performed in a hospital then you’ll probably be put all the way under. Once the anesthesia takes affect then your doctor will make a small incision. He’ll then insert a metal tube that is attached to a suction device. This tube is usually attached to a laser that will melt the fat which is then suctioned by the device up the tube. The time it takes for the procedure to be performed will depend on how much you are having suctioned and where.

You’re considered an ideal candidate if you are in reasonably good health and have average body weight. You can be a little over weight but this is not a solution to excessive obesity. You also need to have firm, elastic skin. This will help the skin to shrink back and not leave you with lots of loose skin as you heal. The areas that you want to deal with should be pockets of fat that don’t necessarily respond well to exercise.

Lots of people have pockets of fat that they just can’t get rid of. Liposuction will take care of those areas for you. If you have any questions or concerns you should speak with your doctor before you make a final appointment to have the procedure done. Smaller areas can be removed with a simple outpatient surgery; extensive pockets of fat might require a hospital stay. Your doctor will determine which one your procedure falls under.