About Liposuction Surgery in Los Angeles
What is Liposuction?
Liposuction, also known as lipoplasty or liposculpturing, slims and shapes specific areas of the body by removing and shaping areas of fat in unwanted areas, to improve body contour, proportion and overall appearance.
Defined briefly, liposuction involves removing fat deposits from the body using narrow, hollow stainless steel tubes, called cannulas, with the assistance of a vacuum. It can be performed either under local or general anesthesia or with intravenous sedation.
Liposuction may be used to reduce localized fat deposits in many areas of the body. Areas that respond better to liposuction include:
- Hips and buttocks
- Thighs
- Abdomen and waist
- Inner knees
- Chin and neck
Areas that are more difficult to treat with liposuction include:
- Upper arms
- Back
- Inner thighs
- Chest area
- Calves and ankles
Liposuction can be performed as a stand-alone procedure or in conjunction with other plastic surgery procedures. During your consultation, Dr. Granzow will go over with you carefully what procedures may be safely performed and what may or may not be reasonably expected from liposuction.
What Will Liposuction Not Do?
Liposuction is not a substitute for weight loss and exercise. The best candidates for liposuction are individuals who require shaping or contouring in specific localized areas of the body. In general, better results are seen in patients who maintain a relatively constant weight but are unable to get rid of or contour specific areas, with exercise and diet alone. Liposuction is not an effective treatment for cellulite, which is the dimpled skin which often appears on thighs, hips and buttocks. Patients with loose or saggy skin are also at greater risk to develop contour irregularities and less favorable results.
Application and Precision of Technique
Precision is important in liposuction. Dr. Granzow uses very small-diameter cannulas for liposculpturing which decrease the risks of contour irregularities and problems after surgery and improve the accuracy of the final contouring. Because finer cannulas are used, the procedure may require slightly more time than if larger and wider cannulas were used which remove the fat more quickly in larger sections. Dr. Granzow feels that the improved shaping, precision and final result with finer cannulas are worth the slightly added time required over larger and rougher cannulas.
What to Expect During Your Consultation
During your consultation, Dr. Granzow will discuss liposuction and the specifics of how it relates to you and your body. He will go over what you may or may not reasonably expect during your procedure.
You should bring a list of questions to the consultation. Please write these down so that you do not forget them! Please be prepared to discuss the specific goals of your procedure. Please also go over any medical conditions which you might have, any medications which you take and any allergies which you have.
The Results Will Be Long Lasting
The results of liposuction are long lasting. Fat that has been removed by liposuction is gone!
However, weight gain after surgery will cause fat to reaccumulate in all portions of the body, including the area in which liposuction has been performed. The difference is that the area that has been treated will typically accumulate fat in proportion to the rest of the body. Again, liposuction is not a substitute for weight loss and any significant weight gains after surgery will likely have an overall negative impact on the body, especially the areas that have not been treated with liposuction.
The Procedure: What happens during liposuction?
During your procedure anesthetic medication will be administered. In some cases, a general anesthesia or IV sedation will be given.
The areas to be treated are surgically scrubbed and surgical drapes placed. Tiny incisions are made in the skin. The tumescent fluid, which is a mixture of normal saline and local anesthetic solution, is infused into the areas of fat to firm up the area and cause vasoconstriction or a narrowing of the blood vessels. This allows the fat to be more easily removed and reduces the amount of bleeding and swelling after surgery.
After several minutes, the narrow liposuction cannula is introduced through these small incisions with a vacuum used to loosen and gently suck up the fat in the treated area.
Dr. Granzow takes great care in gently shaping the areas to minimize the risks of contour irregularities, rippling and bruising after surgery. At the completion of the procedure, small sutures may be used and absorbent dressings and a form-fitting garment are placed.
Risks of liposuction
Liposuction is a safe procedure and the major risks associated with liposuction are low. However, as with any surgical techniques, standard risks exist, regardless of which doctor performs your procedure or where it is performed. The standard risks of liposuction include: uneven contours, rippling or loose skin, numbness or nerve damage, irregular pigmentation, infection, fat clots, blood clots, excess fluid loss or fluid accumulation, unfavorable scarring, bleeding (hematoma), changes in skin sensation, asymmetry, persistent pain, damage to the deeper structures such as nerves, blood vessels, muscles, lungs, abdominal organs, poor wound healing, persistent leg swelling, deep venous thrombosis, cardiac or pulmonary problems, risk of anesthesia and the possibility of revision surgery.
The Final Result
Swelling and some soreness will occur after the surgery. This swelling may even replace the volume of fat which was removed during the procedure, and may make it seem at first as if no significant changes have occurred! However, the swelling will gradually subside over the first several days and weeks after the procedure. As the swelling gradually subsides, the results of the procedure will become apparent. The improvements will be most obvious between 2-6 weeks after surgery, although the final result may take some time afterwards to become completely apparent.
Types of Liposuction
Tumescent liposuction:
Tumescent liposuction is the standard modern method of liposuction. It uses large volumes of saline with very dilute local anesthetic solution. This watery mixture is injected into the area of the fat, which causes the area to become tumescent, or swollen and firm. This mixture of anesthetic and solution anesthetic has greatly decreased the amount of blood loss and side effects from the procedures and decreased the pain and discomfort associated with the procedure itself as well.
Power-assisted liposuction (PAL):
Power-assisted liposuction mainly refers to liposuction performed with a hand piece which moves the liposuction cannula back and forth at a variable rate. Power-assisted liposuction is unlikely to change the overall result of the liposuction, but it may shorten the anesthesia time required for the procedure.
Ultrasound-assisted liposuction (UAL):
Ultrasound-assisted liposuction uses a cannula which has an ultrasound-emitting portable paddle which transmits ultrasonic energy and heat into the subcutaneous fat. Widely popular for a brief period, most surgeons no longer employ this technique due to increased risks of burns and damage to the tissue, including skin and fat. These risks have caused many surgeons to abandon the technique, although some surgeons feel that they obtain a better result in certain instances with this method.
Dry technique, wet technique, super wet technique:
These terms refer to liposuction which is performed with less fluid with either no anesthetic and fluid solution or much less anesthetic and fluid solution than the tumescent technique. Most studies have shown that these techniques are less effective and carry greater risks of bleeding than with the tumescent technique and they have largely fallen out of favor with most surgeons.
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Cosmetic Procedures
Breast Augmentation
Breast Lift
Breast Reduction
Brow/Forehead Lift
Chemical Peel
Dermabrasion
Ear Surgery
Eyelid Surgery
Face Lift
Facial Implants
Injectable Fillers
Liposuction
Male Breast Reduction
Rhinoplasty
Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty)
Reconstructive Procedures
Breast Reconstruction
Lymphedema Surgery
Breast Reduction
Scar Revision
Skin Cancer Reconstruction
Women may have liposuction performed under the chin, on their hips,
thighs, and stomach, and in the under arm and breast area.
For men, common sites include under the chin and around the waist.
Liposuction may also be used in the reduction of enlarged male breasts, a condition known as gynecomastia.
Healthy, normal-weight people with elastic skin and pockets of excess
fat are good candidates for surgery.
The best candidates for liposuction are of normal weight with localized
areas of excess fat – for example, in the buttocks, hips, and thighs.
The surgeon inserts a cannula through small incisions in the skin.
At the other end of the tube is a vacuum-pressure unit that suctions off the fat.
A snug compression garment worn after surgery helps reduce swelling.
Improvement will become apparent after about six weeks, when most of the
swelling has subsided.
As healing progresses, a more proportional look will emerge.
A slimmer body contour can help you feel more confident and comfortable.
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