An Intro to Liposuction

Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery procedure which aids in the removal of small pockets of fatty tissue. Often, even if you stick to a vegetable and whole grains diet and strict exercise routine, you may find that your body still has some areas which you are just not able to rid of fat.
For these small areas, liposuction can be the perfect answer to sculpting the final touches for your body image.
Liposuction can be performed on most any place on the body which contains a stubborn pocket of fatty tissue which you have not been able to get rid of on your own or those areas that you simply cannot exercise away. Generally, it is performed on areas such as the abdomen, calves, ankles, hips, thighs, arms, and under the chin. Some of the impossible areas are the ankles, knees, and neck. You just can't exercise the ankles.
The best person to perform this procedure is a cosmetic surgeon who has been certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. While other physicians do liposuction, it is always best to use an experienced plastic surgeon to achieve the best results possible. To find an experienced Board Certified plastic surgeon in your area you can call your local hospital or call the American Board of Plastic Surgery directly or look at their site for a referral.
Before you schedule your consultation with a plastic surgeon, you should know a bit about the procedure and if it is right for you or not.
The ideal patient is a man or woman who is of average weight and who simply wants to remove small areas of fat which have not responded to your sweating and hard work. It is important to know that it is not designed for weight loss and is a procedure reserved for targeted fat removal only. Additionally, people who are younger, who have more elasticity to their skin, are better candidates than those who are older and lack this elasticity.
Liposuction can be performed in one area or many all in the same day. Sometimes it is also performed in conjunction to other cosmetic surgery procedures such as a tummy tuck or face lift.
The procedure is fairly straight forward. Typically, the fat to be removed is first injected with a solution to liquefy it for easier removal. Then your surgeon will make a tiny incision and insert a small hollow tube called a cannula. This cannula is moved around in the fatty area, and it is vacuumed out, weighed and disposed of. It's weighed to ensure even removal from both sides of the body.
The recovery time for the procedure is typically only a week or two, and then you can generally return to most aspects of your normal life. You should still hold off on rigorous exercise which generally needs a longer period of recovery time to be safe.
Soon after your liposuction has been performed, you will notice a difference in the shape of the area where you had it done. However, it will take a couple of months to see the final end results of the work. This time is needed to allow your body to heal and for fluid and swelling to leave the area.
You will be required to follow-up with your plastic surgeon once or twice in their office in order for them to be able to evaluate your results and healing progress. At this time you can talk to your surgeon about any concerns or questions you might have.