Liposuction is a body contouring procedure that uses the suction technique to eliminate excess fat from specific body areas, including the arms, thighs, neck, hips, and abdomen. While liposuction is known to help you attain the desired shape,Liposuction Shreveport can help slim and refine your facial features. However, it is essential to remember that liposuction is not a weight-loss procedure; your specialist may only recommend this procedure to help you tone certain body areas after diet and exercise prove futile.

Why is liposuction done?

Liposuction eliminates or reduces fat in areas that hardly respond to diet and exercise. For example, the procedure can remove fat in your:

• Hips and thighs
• Abdomen
• Upper arms
• Chin and neck
• Buttocks
• Calves and ankles
• Chest and back

Specialists also use liposuction to treat gynecomastia – a breast reduction procedure. The procedure works by reducing the number of fat cells in a particular area; the fat cells increase in size and volume during weight gain. The amount of fat suctioned out depends on the volume of fat in the area and your desired outcomes. The resulting contour changes are usually permanent, given that you don’t add weight.

After the fat has been removed from an area, the skin takes the shape of the new contours. The skin is likely to appear smooth if you have good skin tone and elasticity, but the skin in treated areas may appear loose with poor elasticity. Other skin surface irregularities such as stretch marks and cellulite dimpling may still be there after liposuction. Most people with localized body fat in specific spots but otherwise have stable weight are good candidates for liposuction. However, your healthcare provider may caution against liposuction if you have conditions that could complicate surgery, such as a weak immune system, coronary artery disease, restricted blood flow, and diabetes.

How safe is liposuction?

Liposuction carries several health risks as with any other major surgical procedure. Some of the possible complications after liposuction include:

• Fluid accumulation. Fluid pockets can form beneath the skin; these are usually temporary, but a healthcare provider may need to drain them with a needle.
• Contour irregularities. Uneven fat removal may cause your skin to appear bumpy, withered, or wavy, as can unusual healing and poor elasticity. The skin may also have a spotted appearance if the cannula damaged the skin during treatment. Skin changes due to poor healing and poor skin elasticity can be permanent.
• Any skin puncture puts you at risk of infection; without proper care, an infection may form at the surgical site after liposuction. Severe skin infection (sepsis) can be life-threatening.
• You may experience reduced or total loss of sensation in specific areas; you may also have nerve irritation.

Although unlikely, a cannula may penetrate too deeply and puncture an internal organ; such cases require emergency surgical repair. There is also the risk of fat embolism, whereby loosened fat particles gather in the lungs or become trapped in a blood vessel; this is usually a medical emergency.

If you are considering liposuction, discuss how these risks apply to you with your surgeon at Kenneth Sanders Facial Plastic Surgery.