Centro Médico Teknon
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Liposuction – Liposculpture – ELMA


Liposuction operations are a surgical technique to eliminate fat deposits in specific areas of the body, including the face, neck, arms, torso, abdomen, buttocks, hips, thighs, knees, calves, and ankles.

It can be done as a primary procedure to improve the shape of the body, or in combination with other surgical procedures like facial lifting, abdominoplasty, or thigh lifting, to tighten relaxed skin and support structures.

The best candidates for liposuction operations are people with relatively normal weight, but with excess fat in specific areas of the body.  Firm and elastic skin gives the best results after the surgery.  Hanging skin doesn’t readapt to the new shape by itself, and can require additional surgeries to eliminate excess skin and tighten.

Anesthesia for Liposuction Operations

For Liposuction Operations we could use general anesthesia, local anesthesia, or epidural anesthesia depending on the zone we are treating.

You will be given medicine before entering the operating room to make you feel calm and relaxed.

Surgical Process for Liposuction

The aim is to eliminate fat using cannulas of 3 or 4mm, and an aspirator which extracts the fat.  The incisions are from 3 to 4mm.

The process for liposuction operations varies depending on the part of the body:

  • Neck:  Double chin treatment and improvement to the angle of the neck.  It is commonly done with liftings.
  • Arms:  We have extracted great quantities of fat (1000 cc) with very good skin retraction.  It only requires some post-operation care suggestions which if followed will help the skin retract.
  • Abdomen: In young patients or patients with good skin tone, fat can be removed from the middle-sides (spare-tire) with a good result.
  • Hips and Buttocks:  This is the most popular area for liposuction.  The important thing is not to take out a lot of fat, but to mold the new shape, which is known as liposculpture.  To get good skin retraction the cannulas have to be inserted just below the surface of the skin, leaving it as thin as possible.  At the same time the buttocks are redefined to give a younger appearance.  For cellulite the cannula is used to break partition fibers and loosen the attachment to the skin.  Cellulite which causes the orange peel appearance is caused by an excess of fat between the partition fibers of the skin.
  • Knees and Inside of the Thighs:  It is possible to remove the accumulation of fat from the inside of the knees and thighs.
  • Legs:  We remodel all around the area of the ankle, which is where many women tend to accumulate fat.

Pre-Operation for Liposuction Operations

Medical photographs are taken before the operation, which show the body in great detail.  This allows us to evaluate the problematic area in relation to the rest of the body.  The photos will be carefully studied before the surgery and are placed in the operating room during the surgery to be used as reference points.

Surgical Time for Liposuctions

The exact time of the operation will vary depending on the amount of fat to be removed from each patient.

Liposuction operations normally take between one and three hours.

Post-Operation

The results aren’t immediate.  After the liposuction, an edema is produced which has to be treated with compressive bandages and lymphatic draining.  You don’t see the result after 24 hours or even after a week, but the reduction of volume causes the skin to retract which gives a new appearance in the first 2 – 3 months.

Complications can arise with any kind of surgery.  The ones that sometimes appear in liposuction are normally minor.  Irregularities can appear in the contour of the operated area.

Other problems are also possible, like depigmentation of the skin surface which could last up to twelve or eighteen months.

Sensitivity usually returns to normal, but it could vary during those months.

During the scarring process some people have noticed discomforts and burning sensations which disappear after a few weeks.