Liposuction Procedure and Techniques

Additionally, Dubai has many hospitals, with many offering cosmetic surgery; there are even hospitals and medical centres wholly dedicated to cosmetic surgery. Furthermore, these Dubai cosmetic surgery hospitals and hospital departments have high-tech equipment, world-class facilities, and high-calibre doctors.
 

It also helps that Dubai is an in-demand tourist destination. Medical tourists can make the most of their Dubai trip, spending the days before surgery taking in the sights and the days or weeks in recovery, enjoying the Dubai high life while staying at one of the city’s luxury hotels.

What Is Liposuction?

Liposuction, aka lipo, is a cosmetic surgical procedure performed to remove excess and stubborn fat from the body. Its name is a clue to what it is because liposuction surgery entails sucking out (suction) excess fat (lipo).

Liposuction is a body sculpting or contouring technique rather than a weight-loss procedure. It is typically indicated only to remove stubborn fat deposits that won’t be dislodged even after diet and exercise.

Liposuction can be used on various parts of the body. Doctors typically perform liposuction on the abdomen, hips, thighs, arms, buttocks, and chin.

How Is Liposuction Done?

Liposuction entails these general steps: the administration of anaesthesia, incision, cannula insertion, suction, and incision closure.

1- Administration of Anaesthesia

The procedure begins with anaesthesia administration, which can be local, regional or general. General anaesthesia is the preferred technique for large-volume liposuction. General anaesthesia may be breathed in or administered intravenously, while local anaesthesia may be injected or applied as a cream, gel, spray, or ointment.

2- Incision

Once the anaesthesia has taken effect, the doctor makes multiple small incisions on the skin. The incisions are usually from 0.25 to 0.33 inches long.

3- Cannula Insertion

Next, the surgeon inserts a cannula into the incisions. Cannulas are hollow, sterile, stainless-steel tubes that come in various sizes, lengths, shapes, and tip styles. 

Popular cannula tip configurations include:

- Spatula: a flat cannula with a broad but thin tip, like a spatula for scooping

- Mercedes: a circumferential-shaped cannula with three small openings at the tip

- Basket: a cannula with a wire-loop or basket attachment at the tip or right before the tip

- Spiral: a cannula with openings arranged in a spiral pattern along the shaft

- Tonnard: a cannula with sharp-edged, elevated and uniformly distributed holes along the shaft

At the other end of the cannula is a syringe or surgical vacuum, which provides the suction force needed to remove the fat in the next step.

4- Suction

The surgeon uses the cannula to loosen the fat deposits. They do this by moving the cannula in a series of controlled back-and-forth motions. As the excess fat gets dislodged, the syringe or vacuum at the other end of the cannula sucks the dislodged fat out.

5- Incision Closure

Once the excess fat deposits have been removed, the incisions are sutured with or without temporary drain tubes. Bandages are applied over the sealed incisions, but these are removed after a few days. Compression garments are worn in their place to support the healing and tightening process.

The doctor removes the sutures within a week to around 10 days after the procedure.

Liposuction Techniques

You and your doctor will need to agree on which liposuction technique best suits your requirements. The following are the liposuction surgery types cosmetic surgeons use:

1- Traditional Liposuction

In traditional liposuction, the surgery proceeds as described above. Specifically, the metal cannula is moved back and forth to dislodge stubborn fatty deposits, and a high-pressure vacuum supplies the necessary force to suction the fat.

2- Tumescent Liposuction

Tumescent liposuction is like traditional liposuction. However, before using the cannula to dislodge fat, the doctor first infuses the fatty tissue with a diluted anaesthetic solution. The diluted anaesthetic solution typically contains the following:
 

- Lidocaine: a local anaesthetic for a less painful procedure

- Epinephrine: a vasoconstrictor for bleeding reduction and to prolong the duration of the anaesthesia

- Sodium bicarbonate: a salt that helps reduce the pain that accompanies the injection of an acidic anaesthetic solution

- Normal saline: a solution made by combining water and sodium chloride at a 0.9% level of concentration

3- Power-Assisted Liposuction

Power-assisted liposuction involves using a vibrating cannula; this way, the doctor won’t have to manually move the cannula in back-and-forth motions. A vibrating cannula makes dislodging and removing fat easier.

4- Water-Assisted Liposuction

In water-assisted liposuction, the doctor directs a stream of pressurised saline solution onto the excess fat deposits. This stream of water dislodges the fat from the tissue, and the dislodged fat cells are then suctioned out as usual.

5- Laser-Assisted Liposuction

Laser, which is short for light amplification by the stimulated emission of radiation. In laser-assisted liposuction, laser energy is directed towards fatty deposits. This is what dissolves the fat, not the manual movements or vibrations of the steel cannula. The melted fat is suctioned out as usual.

6- Ultrasound-Assisted Liposuction

Ultrasound-assisted liposuction works pretty much like laser-assisted liposuction. This time, however, the doctor uses a grooved wand to deliver ultrasound energy to break down the fat cells. The fat is then suctioned out.

7- VASER Liposuction

VASER, which is short for vibration amplification of sound energy at resonance, is a specific type of ultrasound-assisted liposuction. It’s an excellent technique for suctioning fat from fibro-fatty tissues and for large-volume abdominal fat removal. It may also be indicated for secondary and high-definition contouring liposuction.

Liposuction for Body Sculpting

Liposuction is a body-sculpting procedure you can undertake if you are within your body weight range but need to lose stubborn fat in certain areas of your body. It involves creating an incision, breaking down or dislodging fat cells, and vacuum-suctioning the fat through a hollow steel tube. 

Cosmetic surgeons use various liposuction techniques, including traditional, tumescent, power-assisted, water-assisted, laser-assisted, ultrasound-assisted, and VASER.