Introducing Liposuction

For the morbidly obese liposuction may appear to be an easy way to rid the body of excess weight. The truth is that liposuction is not a way to lose weight but a procedure for removing excess fat in certain key areas. It is important to keep in mind that liposuction is a surgical procedure that can only be performed by a surgeon thus the health of the patient is of grave concern. The health of the patient is an important consideration to a surgeon when making a decision to perform this procedure. Before performing liposuction, the surgeon will evaluate the health of the patient in order to determine if they are a candidate for the surgery.
Liposuction is also called lipoplasty, liposculpture, or suction lipectomy. It is a cosmetic surgical procedure whose purpose is the removal of fat from various areas on the human body such as the abdomen, thighs, buttocks, neck, and backs of the arms just to name a few. In spite of what many people may think, liposuction is not an easy alternative to diet and exercise nor is it a way to lose weight. The procedure is one method of body contouring and carries significant risks. Though the amount of fat that is removed during liposuction varies by doctor, methodology and patient, the average fat loss is ten pounds or less.
There are several factors that will affect the doctor’s determination regarding the amount of fat that he can safely remove in one session. The doctor will discuss the options with the patient including advising him or her of any negative aspects that may occur if too much fat is removed. When a patient is over-suctioned lumpiness and dents in the skin can be visible. In addition, removing more fat increases the surgical risk. It’s important to remember that liposuction is a surgical procedure and as such carries certain risks. It’s essential for the surgeon to evaluate the risk to each patient and determine if the risk of surgery is greater than the risk he or she faces as a result of obesity.
One of the most important things to remember about liposuction is that it is not a going to help you lose weight. Those who claim they lost 50 pounds of fat are providing highly exaggerated statistics. It is possible, however, for a person to have the appearance of weight loss because of the contouring process that occurs with liposuction. The patient can have either local or general anesthesia when he undergoes liposuction at the discretion of doctor and patient. The safety of the procedure depends upon both the amount of fat that the surgeon removes as well as the type of anesthesia the patient undergoes during the operation. The patient needs to be as fit as he possibly can be prior to having the procedure. Many surgeons also prefer the patient to have abstained from smoking for several months prior to undergoing a liposuction procedure. Having a strong heart and lungs will greatly reduce the chance of the patient developing any complications during or after the surgery.