What is liposuction?
Liposuction is a surgical procedure, in which, using a specialized suction device, fat is removed from the desired body part through small dot-like cuts. Areas for liposuction can be, for example, the stomach, thighs, sides, limbs, neck, or multiple areas at once.
Liposuction is not a weight loss method, and it doesn’t suit those who solely want to lose excess weight.
Liposuction – The Procedure and Recovery
Rasvaimu tehdään joko nukutuksessa tai paikallispuudutuksessa rentouttavien lääkkeiden kanssa. Jos leikkaus tehdään nukutuksessa, tulee leikkausta ennen olla syömättä ja juomatta kuusi tuntia.
Kirurgi tekee ennen leikkausta tarvittavat suunnitelmat tussilla ihoon asiakkaan ollessa pystyasennossa. Tavoitteena on aina mahdollisimman luonnollinen ja symmetrinen lopputulos.
The Procedure
The procedure typically lasts 1–3 hours, depending on the extent of the area. The procedure can almost always be done as day surgery, meaning that you can go home the same day. However, when leaving after surgery, you must have someone to accompany you and stay with you for the first night after general anesthesia.
In liposuction, small cuts, around 5 mm, are made in the desired skin areas. Through these cuts, a mixture of salt solution, adrenaline, and local anesthesia is injected into the adipose tissue. This numbs the suction area and causes the blood vessels to contract, minimizing bruising.
After this, a thin liposuction cannula is inserted into the adipose tissue, and it carefully sucks out a suitable amount of excess fat. Suction allows the amount of fat removed to be controlled, shaping the contours of the body.
After the procedure, a compression garment is placed on the suctioned area. The purpose of the compression garment is to squeeze the tissues, minimizing swelling and promoting tissue recovery. The compression garment is typically recommended to be worn for 2–4 weeks.
Recovering from Liposuction
There is no severe pain after the procedure. However, painkillers may be needed during the first few days after surgery.
The most uncomfortable thing is that the entire liposuctioned skin area is tender and partially numb for approximately 1–2 weeks.
The liposuction areas may be painful for several weeks after the procedure, depending on their location, and small uneven areas in the adipose tissue of the treated area are possible. However, these uneven areas typically disappear over time. The complete recovery, smoothing, and softening of the subcutaneous tissue in the suction area takes 6–12 months altogether.
More Information
Physical Recovery and Exercise
The length of recovery varies individually, but it is typically approximately 1–2 weeks. The recovery time needed before returning to work depends on the nature of your work, but it is usually short, only a few days.
Normal movement is allowed immediately after the procedure. Exercise can be started gradually according to how you feel, approximately one week after surgery. Heavier physical activity should be avoided for two weeks.
Stitches and Supporting Tape
Dissolving stitches are mainly used to close the wounds, and they do not need to be removed.
Supporting tape can be continued for 1–2 months after the procedure to make the scars as unnoticeable as possible. We will provide instructions for scar treatment after supporting tape to optimize the aesthetic result.
Possible Complications of Liposuction
Surgical procedures always involve risks. In liposuction, the greatest risks of complications are related to hematomas in the tissues and possible infections.
Hematomas
After liposuction, the treated area typically has bruising and swelling for approximately 1–2 weeks.
Sometimes, hematomas can be larger. In rare situations, they may even need to be removed in a new surgery. This does not affect the final aesthetic result, but it may slightly slow down recovery from surgery.
Infections
Although surgery is performed under sterile conditions, bacteria on the skin can pass through the surgical wound and cause infection in the tissues even after surgery.
Minor infections can often be treated with medication. In rare cases, a more severe infection may even lead to revision surgery, in which the tissues are cleaned in the operating room.
You will receive more information about possible complications during the surgical evaluation appointment.
You can also find an excellent information package about body WAL liposuction on the website of our partner, Hilkka Peltoniemi, a pioneer in aesthetic plastic surgery:
https://www.hilkkapeltoniemi.fi/vesisuihkurasvaimu (LINK).
