• The indication for surgery stems from the presence of the fatty infiltration, but above all takes into account the elasticity of the skin which determines the quality of the result obtained by liposuction.
• The plastic surgeon will explain precisely to the patient the specific benefits and limitations of such an intervention.
• Liposuction can very easily remove excess fat.
• However, the aesthetic result much depends on skin elasticity and its ability to retract.
• It is thus skin elasticity that the plastic surgeon will have to estimate, quality of which will determine the surgical outcome.
• With a good skin elasticity, a good retraction of tissues and a harmonious result can be expected.
• If skin elasticity is insufficient, the plastic surgeon should either not proceed with liposuction, or undertake a moderate liposuction, removing only a limited amount of fat, thereby leaving the skin with a reasonable amount of tension.

• The first consultation is very important because it helps to understand your motivations and to determine the liposuction technique to be used and the possibilities of contour sculpting.
• A morphological analysis will be carried out to estimate the quality of tissues (skin texture and elasticity, fat density, quality of deeper tissues), and guide the defining of the surgical procedure.
• The plastic surgeon will take a thorough medical and surgical history. Heredity and circulatory factors as well as hormonal problems will be exposed and discussed.
• Dietary habits and lifestyle will be examined. The consultation will end by taking photographs as a basis for the liposuction procedure itself, and for the evaluation of post-operative results.

• A consultation with an anesthesiologist will be scheduled before surgery. It will involve a general clinical examination, and possibly the prescription of further tests.
• Anesthesia options will be discussed and all safety measures taken.
• The anesthesiologist will give you preoperative instructions: do's and don't's before surgery, particularly concerning food intake, smoking and medications.
• In some cases, to reduce post-operative bruising and edema, a specific treatment may be recommended.
• In other cases, a venous examination will be useful.
• In all cases, skin elasticity must be specified and preparatory treatments may be recommended to improve the skin tone.

What anesthesia is used?

• In most cases, and whenever possible, local anesthesia is used. This type of anesthesia is possible when dealing with one or two body sites, and small amount of fat to remove.
• Beyond two body sites, it is preferable from a medical standpoint and for the comfort of the patient to use a neuroleptanalgesia (local anesthesia with a sedative in IV) which will help the patient to relax completely during the procedure.
• If the amount of fat to be removed is important and the number of treated body sites is higher, a general anesthesia is performed.
• Sometimes, in cases where treated body sites are located in the lower body, a regional anesthesia such as an epidural block may be used.
• As the surgical procedure, anesthesia is adapted to each particular case.

How long does the procedure last?

• The duration of a liposuction depends on the number of body sites treated and may last 1 to 2 hours. If one or more procedures are planned (tummy tuck or inner thigh lift), the overall duration will increase accordingly.

Will I have visible scars?

• Stab cuts less than 1 cm wide are made in a natural fold of the skin where they are easy to camouflage or disguise later. After a few months, scarring is as inconspicuous as possible.
• Minimal visibility of scars is a major benefit of liposuction.

What does the procedure involve?

• The principle of liposuction consists in using a cannula attached to a vacuum device. The surgeon moves the cannula back and forth so as to break fat cells and somehow “liquify” the fat. Some fluid injection may be used at various degrees to help the process. The procedure is then referred to as tumescent or wet liposuction.
• The suction is then ensured by the suction device. Along the course of the procedure, it is necessary to assess the responsiveness and quality of the skin.
• In some cases where skin elasticity is not sufficient, or when the fat is especially hard, the procedure can involve the use of a special cannula delivering ultrasound vibrations within the fat layer to help emulsify fat cells.
• Then called liposculpture, the technique would have a positive effect on tissue ability to retract.
• A wide range of technical possibilities are therefore available to the surgeon to use according to each particular situation.

What kind of dressing will be used?

• To help the skin to react well and control the post-operative swelling, it is advised to wear a compression garment immediatedely after surgery. It is a snug elastic bodysuit, brief, vest or girdle whose model and size will be adapted to the operation and the patient.
• The compression garment will help shape contour irregularities and bulges that may occur in plastic surgery. It will be applied immediately after the procedure to obtain optimum efficiency and allow your body to take on its new contours.
• The elastic wrap also contributes to improve blood circulation, accelerate healing, and reduce post-operative discomfort and pain.
• It is recommended to wear your compression garment day and night for 8 to 10 days, then to keep it on in daytime and take it off to sleep if you wish.
• In general, it is advised to wear your garment for 3 weeks after liposuction.
• These recommendations vary according to each particular case.

Lower body pantyhoses & girdles

The fastening consists of a triple row of staples that allows precise adjustment of the garment. Composed of 70% polyamide 30% Lycra, the fabric keeps its original size. The resistance of the thread ensures a high external seams robustness without affecting the comfort of the patient. High back garments have adjustable straps that hold the clothing up to the xiphoid process. They don't roll and avoid excessive and unquantified compression. Leg length garments have a Velcro strap to adjust the compression to the circumference below the knee of the patient, and a protective microfiber eliminating the occurrence of erythema behind the knee. A strap under the foot prevents the ankle length pantyhose from going up.

© Cereplas

Compression garments - From left to right: high back mid thigh girgle, high back below knee girdle, high back foot length pantyhose, high back ankle length pantyhose, corsaro mid thigh briefs, below knee briefs, foot length pantyhose, ankle length pantyhose.

Mid/Full body compression garments, bodysuits, vests & standard briefs

The outer seams of the garnment, located on the inside of the leg are brought forward to avoid premature wear of the thread when the patient moves. The fastening consists of a triple row of staples that allows precise adjustment of the garment. The stapling is protected by 3 cm of reinforced fabric which insulates skin from metal staples.

© Cereplas

Compression garments - From left to right: female bodysuit, female below knee bodysuit, female ankle length bodysuit, male abdominal compression vest, male mid thigh bodysuit, high back abdominal brief, low waisted abdominal brief.

Other compression garments

Compression garments - From left to right: post-surgery camisole (T) and arm compression sleeves (B), tank top tummy shaper w/ dorsal support (T) and compression bolero (B), elbow wrap (T) and ankle wrap (B).

© Cereplas

What is the hospitalization time?

• It depends on the scope of the procedure, in terms of number of body sites treated, overall amount of fat removed, and the type of anesthesia used.
• If a local anesthesia is administered, liposuction is an outpatient procedure. You will be in and out of the clinic the same day.
• In the case of more involving surgery, you may be required to stay in the clinic 24 to 48 hours.

• Post-operative consequences depend on the scope of the procedure.
• There is swelling and bruising, that is to say that the regions suctioned remain swollen for several days.
• This explains the usefulness and necessity to wear a compression garment.
• Swelling and bruising usually last 15 days and then gradually subside in up to 2 months. Some degree of numbness may last for several weeks.
• After 1 month, the result begins to shape up. Your final body contour is visible within 3 months after surgery.
• In the postoperative course, follow-up consultations with your surgeon will be scheduled to monitor your progress and give advice.
• Complementary therapies such as circulatory treatment or lymphatic drainage may be recommended. Avoid strenuous activities or sport in the next 3 weeks after surgery. Exposure to the sun should be avoided until 3 months after liposuction.
• While swelling subsides, noticeable difference will be seen within days or weeks, but the outcome takes time and patience to build up, according to the amount of fat removed, skin elasticity and tone.

• As with all types of surgery, there are potential, though rare, complications associated with liposuction or lipoplasty. Risks may include adverse anesthesia reactions, bleeding (hematoma), and infection.
• In general, liposuction has very little lasting local impact. The swelling and bruising subside quickly.
• However, follow-up consultations are planned, if only to detect any infectious complication.
• As for the reaction of the skin, it is proper to each individual, which makes it difficult to fully foresee.
• It has long been reproached to liposuction to cause complications and irregularities such as dimples or wrinkling of the skin: in fact, they are due to poor skin elasticity, which the plastic surgeon usually must anticipate.
• In some cases, if the skin lacks of elasticity, the surgeon will leave a little fat to help it maintain itself more easily.
• Finally, it is possible that the result is not completely homogeneous, due to localized residual accumulations of fat. A touch-up procedure can then be performed under local anesthesia 3 to 6 months after liposuction, to homogenize the result.

• The number of fat cells is assumed finite and those that are suctioned definitely gone after surgery. As long as new fat cells don't appear spontaneously, liposuction allows for a lasting and even stable result over time.
• An overweight will eventually result in an increase in weight, and therefore an increase in volume which will distribute itself evenly.
• It is therefore advised to the patient to maintain a healthy diet and take regular exercise to prevent remaining fat cells to enlarge and cellulite to grow anew.
• Anyway, the circulatory and hormonal condition of the patient must be checked regularly by the surgeon in the long run to control cellulite growth.
• Finally, maintenance of the result is assured by standard techniques of lymphatic drainage and automatic palpate-roll.

• Liposuction is performed since long enough so one can speak of lasting and even permanent results.
• Indeed, removed fat doesn't reappear. “Saddlebags” are removed a priori forever. The same goes for other body sites.
• As hormonal and cellulite processes continue to evolve and to affect remaining fat cell neighbors to those suctioned, the plastic surgeon may suggest in follow-up consultations to perform a correction, and possibly to extend it to other body sites.

• Liposuction corrects effectively and in a sustainable way the unsightly excess fat located in different parts of the body.
• Incisions are inconspicuous and the result is marked after 6 to 8 weeks.
• If skin elasticity is good, the skin retracts well. Otherwise, insufficient retraction can cause irregularities on the skin.
• Recent technical progress in liposuction including the use of finer cannulae allowing more superficial gestures, can achieve results in body sites hitherto considered difficult to treat such as the front of the thigh or the jawline.
• The use of ultrasound devices may also be useful in some cases. Their purpose is to break up harder “fat balls” (back, hips, “buffalo hump”...) and then facilitate considerably their aspiration.