We all know that liposuction can remove stubborn pockets of fat and reshape body contours. But the concept of “liposuction” today has evolved beyond what it was only 3 decades ago.
Redefining Liposuction
Technically speaking, liposuction refers to the process of removing fat deposits under the skin with a cannula (a long, slender silver tube) while a vacuum helps to suction the fat out. Liposuction is considered a surgical procedure because small incisions must be made in the skin to allow the cannula to pass through. However, it’s not the procedure itself that has the potential to have the most traumatic effect on the body so much as it is the anesthetic method.
Liposuction first made it’s debut in the United States back in the early 1980s. It was marketed on television and the idea of having your unwanted fat simply removed by a plastic surgeon was considered “magical” by the general population. What they didn’t see, however, was the gruesome procedure that it really was.
Patients were completely sedated and laid out on an operating table.
So much blood was lost during the procedure that it was standard practice to perform a blood transfusion afterwards.
What was just another day in the operating room for plastic surgeons, didn’t sit well with the lone dermatologist in one of the earliest training sessions. California-based Dr. Jeffrey Klein wondered if the procedure could be performed under local anesthesia. Within months, Dr. Klein put it to the test. After performing several liposuction procedures under local, he discovered many benefits, including less blood lost and a faster recovery.
Dr. Klein called his technique tumescent liposuction, which today has become standard practice around the world. By infusing excess liquid with epinephrine to the fat compartment to be treated, thereby creating a dilute local anesthesia, blood loss and bruising is reduced and the process is easier for the MD and more effective for the patient.
The New Generation
Today, the demand for non-surgical liposuction has provided alternative options for those patients willing to accept a more modest result as a tradeoff for even less procedure-related pain and down time. There’s the fat-freezing technology of CoolSculpting and Zerona, the radio frequency energy of Accent and Exilis, and the ultrasonic power of Liposonix. In general 4 to 8 treatments with non-surgical technologies can slim the waistline, tighten the tummy, or refine body contours with no incisions and little to no downtime whatsoever.
What’s next? Why a combination of the two, of course. Early research shows that using non-invasive radio frequency energy a week after liposuction can improve results, ease pain, and shorten the healing process in general—the best of both worlds!
The industry certainly has come a long way since those “magical” treatments 30 years ago. Can’t wait to see where we go next!