Cosmetic surgeries have for many years been a go-to solution for people who want to change their physical appearance. Many people see cosmetic surgery as a way to achieve their desired goals, such as being an ideal weight, looking more beautiful, or removing unwanted features. According to data from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, in 2018 18 million people in America went for cosmetic surgery.
A global study about cosmetic surgeries that is generated annually is conducted by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Together with the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the Brazilian Society of Plastic surgery, the study provides a worldwide outlook on trends and behaviours towards cosmetic surgery. Results show that liposuction is the most frequently performed cosmetic surgery in the world, and makes up 19.9% of the total number of global aesthetic surgeries. Followed by breast augmentation at 18.9% and then there’s blepharoplasty (eyelid reconstruction) at 11%.
With liposuction being so popular, it means many people are becoming more and more aware of what it is and it’s benefits. And while initially this procedure has been more popular with women, men have been contributing to its boom in popularity according to the latest statistics.
What to consider before having liposuction?
Often with cosmetic surgery, many people question how effective it really is. With liposuction in particular most people are curious about how much weight can actually be lost.
It’s important to understand that liposuction is a procedure that sculpts and shapes the body by removing fat from stubborn bodily areas such as the abdomen, hips, thighs, arms, buttocks, and neck through a suction technique. The procedure should not be considered as something that replaces a good diet and exercise regimen to achieve weight loss.
The procedure is recommended to those who, despite many attempts and effort, have failed to achieve their goal weight.
What is involved with the procedure?
Liposuction, also known as lipoplasty, lipectomy, liposculpture suction, or lipo, is a cosmetic surgery that involves breaking up and sucking the fat off of body. After the fats cells are broken off into liquid form, a high-pressure, powerful vacuum is applied to the cannula, a hollow instrument that is inserted through the skin.
While it is supposed to deal with the fat cells only, also called the lipids, a liposuction procedure may remove 4000-5000cc of fat or 4-5L which is approximately 11 pounds. This is the maximum amount of fat which can be removed, and any more than this amount is considered unsafe.
CBS News published an online article in 2015 regarding research conducted by the board-certified plastic surgeon and a clinical associate professor at the University of Illinois, Dr Karol Gutowski and his colleagues. They have put up a database that tracked liposuction results from procedures done by board-certified plastic surgeons. This database of 20 years shows that if you have a higher BMI, you could remove more fat safely in which calculation and estimates should also be based on a patient’s unique body status.
Liposuction, however, does not necessarily mean that patients will experience a continuous amount of weight reduction post-surgery. Although liposuction destroys the fat cells, regrowth and accumulation of fat in other parts of the body can still happen. It is also important to be aware that weight reduction from liposuction may not be experienced right away as the procedure may result in postoperative inflammation. An increase in weight may also be noticed because of the produced fluid. For most patients, they usually observe the true results of their surgery up to three months after the surgery.
