In the fast-growing business of cosmetic surgery, liposuction has become the world’s most popular procedure to deal with belly fat, as well as flabby arms, hips and thighs.
Particularly in America, the root cause driving demand for liposuction is obesity resulting from an unhealthy appetite for fast foods. Time-stressed Baby Boomers find it increasingly difficult to eat heart-smart meals while ignoring the need for regular exercise.
By foregoing jogging and weight-training that tones and firms those flabby arms, hips and thighs, patients are turning to liposuction to deal with the symptoms of overeating unhealthy foods and avoiding healthy exercise.
Conventional Liposuction
A cosmetic surgeon applies conventional liposuction by inserting a thin tube called a cannula into incisions made through the patient’s skin. The cosmetic surgeon then uses the cannula to pump out from the insertion point. Few surgeons still practice conventional liposuction because of risks like uncontrolled bleeding from the suctioned areas of the patient’s body.
Tumescent Liposuction
Today, the most popular method of liposuction is tumescent liposuction. The cosmetic surgeon injects the area to be suctioned with fluids containing life-sustaining sugars and salts. In addition, a local anaesthetic and a bleeding control agent called epinephrine are inserted into the suction site.
These measures make tumescent liposuction much more efficient than conventional liposuction, enabling the cosmetic surgeon to safely remove over 20 pounds of fat at a time. According to The World’s Greatest Treasury of Health Secrets, the cost for tumescent liposuction in 2006 was US$2,500 per suctioned site.
Ultrasonic Liposuction
Some cosmetic surgeons use a new procedure called ultrasonic liposuction. An ultrasonic probe is used to break down fats into liquids before being suctioned from the patient’s body.
Risks Of Liposuction Surgery
Both tumescent and ultrasonic liposuction introduces the risk of extracting too much fat from a suction site during a single procedure.
In 2007, a 32-year-old mother and realtor in Toronto died when a family doctor made 23 liposuction incisions on her during one session. The patient’s vital signs stopped after the family doctor removed an excessive amount of body fat from suction sites on the patient’s legs, back, buttocks, back, abdomen and chest wall.
The family doctor claims that she performs liposuction on only one body site per procedure and limited to 2 liters of fat at a time. However, court records show that 2.7 liters of fat were suctioned from 23 incision points.
In the Canadian province of Ontario, this Toronto family physician with no surgical designation nor accreditation as a plastic surgeon is allowed to run a busy cosmetic surgery clinic and perform liposuction procedures. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario has been lax in defining compliance regulations for the fast-growing and highly lucrative field of cosmetic surgery.
Finding A Safe Plastic Surgeon
In the United States, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (plasticsurgery.com) can provide a list of surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
Prospective liposuction patients should also:
- Interview 3 or more accredited plastic surgeons to find out their experience with specific liposuction procedures.
- Ask for references from patients who had their liposuction treatments with the plastic surgeon.
- Check with 2 or 3 acquaintances who have already had liposuction with positive results and can recommend their plastic surgeon.
Safest Liposuction Treatment
The safest liposuction procedure may well come down to Benjamin Franklin’s old axiom that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. People must commit to regular exercise and a long-term commitment to healthy eating, mitigating the need for liposuction in the first place.
Sources for this Article
This article presents independent insights based on the July 23, 2008 article in Toronto Star, "Lipo patient’s wounds excessive" (reported by Tanya Talaga and Robert Cribb)and World’s Greatest Treasury of Health Secrets (2006, Bottom Line Publications).
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