Another new liposuction
technique has also appeared in recent years: ultra-sound liposuction. In this
technique the point of the needle vibrates, with the result that the fat cell
melts. It has been claimed that this method stimulates the skin to contract,
but this has not been scientifically proved yet. Risk for skin burns exists
and patients normally experience more pain in the skin during healing, however.
In the early days of liposuction the guideline was that approximately two
liters (or less than 5% of the body weight) of fat could be removed with very
little risk if the patient was average size and healthy. Newer techniques,
such as injecting a saline solution with a substance to contract the blood
vessels, allow even more fat to be removed with limited additional risk to
the patient. Of course, the amount of blood lost by the patient must always
be carefully monitored during the operation. It is also essential that the
amount of fluid injected and the doses of local anesthetics added are adequate.
In the late 1990s neglect to respect these basic rules even led to fatalities.
However, in the plastic surgery community these rules are today carefully
followed. It is thus possible, with modern techniques that minimize blood
loss, to remove more fat via conventional liposuction. The comparative advantages
of ultra-sound liposuction thus don’t seem quite so great and some assessment
remains to be done before the limitations and advantages of this technique
are clearly demonstrated. There is reason to believe, however, that ultra-sound
liposuction will become an established complement to conventional liposuction.
“Cellulite” is the popular term for the ripples and dimples in the skin. In
recent years the cause of cellulite development has been clarified. In women
cellulites are considerably more common than in men, and this has been shown
to be highly dependent on differences in the anatomy of the fat layer. The
fat layer under the skin always contain small bands of connec-
Liposuction of stomach, hips and inner thighs. In young individuals without overweight the skin is normally elastic and contracts well after liposuction. These are the best candidates for liposuction.
