Liposuction
Early liposuction was associated with significant blood loss, which limited the amount of fat that could be removed in a single procedure. In 1987, Dr J. Klein introduced the tumescent technique in liposuction surgery. This tumescent technique involved the infiltration of solution which contained local anaesthetic agents and epinephrine to the site of fatty tissue prior to liposuction. This technique enables removal of larger volumes of fat without excessive blood loss which translates to better safety and patient care.
During the liposuction procedure, specially designed cannula(probes) of varying size are use, depending on the deposition, volume and characteristic of the fat at the target sites. Liposuction by itself is not a technically difficult procedure but the challenge lies in having the aesthetic sense to achieve a great contour and smooth transition that fit the aesthetic ideal for the patient. With better surgical techniques and medical advances, liposuction has become one of the safest procedures in cosmetic surgery. In addition, liposuction has also become a common procedure being used in combination with other surgery such as tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), breast surgery and fat grafting surgery.
The success of surgery is in ensuring that the operating surgeon and the patient are agreed the same page operative goals and expectations. There are inherent risk and complications, these include, but are not limited to, bleeding, infection, bruising, seroma, contour irregularity and asymmetry.
