In recent years the demand for liposuction increased significantly. Liposuction has always been a highly sought-after procedure. However, advances in technology have made the procedure more effective, the recovery easier, and the cost more affordable.
You may be surprised to learn that surgical fat removal has been around since the 1920’s. However, it wasn’t until the 1970’s that doctors started using a cannula, which is a hollow tube, that enables the fat to be suctioned out. Initially, a saline solution was injected into the fat, to make suctioning out the fat easier. Eventually, lidocaine and epinephrine were added to the saline solution, which shrinks the capillaries and limits the amount of bleeding during the procedure. By the late 1980’s, doctors were performing liposuction successfully under local anesthesia, with beautiful results.
Now, with the growth of social media platforms like Instagram, body contouring using liposuction has seen a dramatic increase in interest. Liposuction can be used to remove fat from almost anywhere on the body. It is also the first step in fat transfer, which allows surgeons to re-inject treated fat cells to other parts of a patient’s body to increase volume, provide a lift or correct an imperfection. Plastic surgeons are able to perform many liposuction procedures in the office, under local anesthesia, which significantly reduces the costs associated with the procedure. For safety and comfort, patients having large areas of their bodies treated, or those with certain medical conditions, will need to have liposuction done in an out-patient surgery center under general anesthesia.
The most popular areas of the body where liposuction is performed are the abdomen, waist (love handles), back and thighs. The upper arms and neck are also very popular areas of the body to treat with liposuction. Liposuction is also commonly used to treat gynecomastia (male breast development) and occasionally to reduce breast size in women.
Increasing the size of the buttocks using fat transfer is rapidly gaining in popularity. This is commonly referred to as a Brazilian Butt Lift or BBL. Since liposuction is the first step in any fat transfer procedure, this has contributed to the increase in its demand. During a BBL, the fat is carefully suctioned out, and the fat cells are separated and “cleaned”. The fat cells are then injected into the desired part of the body. It can be used not only to plump buttocks, but it can also be used to fill in dips or imperfections in the body from scars, as well as parts of the body suffering from collagen loss, such as the under-eye area.
At Gulf Coast Plastic Surgery, we use the MicroAire System for both in-office and hospital-based liposuction. The in-office liposuction we offer is REAL liposuction. The results are far superior to “laser lipo” or “cool lipo”. Unlike other systems, MicroAire can only be used by a qualified plastic surgeon. The MicroAire System allows fat to be removed very precisely. It causes less swelling and bruising for the patient and gives an amazing result.
If you’ve been thinking about fat removal or body contouring and have questions, schedule a consultation with one of our award-winning, board-certified plastic surgeons, Dr. Jocelyn Leveque or Dr. Peter Butler.
