FAQ

Can I undergo Liposuction?

Liposuction is useful for local area of fat excess, which causes contour deformity. These areas of fat excess are usually seen over the hip, lower abdomen, thigh, knee, arms and neck and are usually diet and exercise resistant.

You should also be in good general health and not grossly overweight with firm elastic skin.

Liposuction is not a procedure for loosing weight. It is a body contouring procedure.

What does Liposuction involve?

Liposuction or lipoplasty literally means sucking out fat (lipo=fat). This is done by means of a hollow tube (cannula) which is attached to a vacuum pump. Through small (about ½ cm) cut in the skin these tube are placed under the skin in the area of fat deposit. Once the fat is sucked out the overlying skin is expected to shrink to fit the new contour.

Do I need to have anaesthesia for the procedure?

 For small areas the procedure can be done with local anaesthetic and sedation. However for larger areas you will be required to be put to sleep (general anaesthesia).

How long do I need to stay in hospital?

If the procedure is done under local anesthetic you can go home the same evening. However when you have a general anaesthetic you will stay in hospital for 1 or 2 days.

What is the recovery period like?

You should expect some swelling bruising and numbness over the area of Liposuction. Swelling and bruising is maximum at 5^th day or so and subsides by 3 to 4 weeks. You will be required to wear some sort of pressure garment over the area of Liposuction (for example cycling shorts for the hip area). The pressure garment helps the skin to shrink to the new shape and also reduce the swelling and bruising.

The numbness over the area of Liposuction may take 2 to 3 months time to recover. Until such time you should avoid placing hot water bottle over the numb area.

When can I get back to normal routine?

You will be up and about within 24 hours of the operation. You can resume light activity within a week’s time. Usually heavy activity like going to the gymnasium and heavy exercises can be safely done after 3 to 4 weeks. However every individual is different. You should increase your level of activity according to your comfort level.

What can go wrong?

As mentioned earlier Liposuction itself is a safe procedure. However as is true for any operation Liposuction can be associated with certain side effect. Infection is rarely seen and can be treated with antibiotics.

Scars: Liposuction is done through small incisions (about 1/2 cms long). So the resultant scar is minimal and hardly visible few months later. Surface irregularity  is rare and usually seen few months following the Liposuction once the swelling subsides. This can be corrected by a second touch up procedure.

How many inches will I loose?

About ½ inch thickness of fat under the skin is preserved in order to maintain the blood supply of the skin and to prevent any surface irregularity. Any reduction in waistline or the final result will be apparent only after 2 to 3 months when the swelling subsides and the overlying skin shrinks.

How much weight will I loose?

Liposuction is not a procedure for loosing weight. It is primarily meant to improve the contour (shape) of particular area of body. However you will loose some weight depending on the amount of fat sucked out. For instance if 5 litres of fat were sucked out the amount of weight loss would be about 5 kilograms. Immediately after the Liposuction procedure you may notice gain in weight. This is due to the fluids administered during the procedure. It is temporary and you will notice weight loss in few weeks.

Can fat re-accumulate in areas, which has been treated by Liposuction?

No. Fat cells loose their ability to divide after 13 to 14 years of age. Therefore it is difficult for fat cells to re-populate the areas, which has already been treated by Liposuction. In other words, results of Liposuction are permanent provided patient follows a sensible diet and exercise regime.

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