Liposuction (also known as lipoplasty) is a procedure to remove excess fat from under your skin.

Often, this is done in the doctor’s clinical procedure room under conscious sedation with local anaesthetic, so your body is numb, but you are able to talk to the doctor. You may not, however, remember much about the operation. In some more intricate cases, or lager cases, the operation is done in a theatre with full anaesthetic.

Rapidly evolving technology means that now lipoplasty can literally be done anywhere on your body where there’s an accumulation of fat including the chin, upper arms, stomach, thighs, back, buttocks and even ankles and knees. This process can also be used to remove non-cosmetic fat, e.g. a benign fatty tumour (lipoma), or breasts, in the case of a man. The most popular cases are upper legs, stomach and even double chins. The different areas require different techniques of course.

How it’s done

A thin, hollow metal tuba known as a cannula has a suction apparatus attached is introduced through a keyhole incision (3 mm) to where the fat is situated. This incision is normally made in an unobtrusive spot where it can’t be easily seen.

During the operation, the overlying skin remains attached to the connective tissue and underlying muscles of the skin. A thin blanket of fat is left under the skin to help prevent rippling or bumpy skin occurring after the liposuction is over. Once the suction is complete, a pressure garment is applied and usually worn for 6 weeks post-operatively. This decreases bruising and swelling and encourages the skin to contract to the new shape.

How long is the recovery?

Returning to your normal activities is an individual matter and works on a case-by-case basis. We can advise you on your schedule, but most activities may be resumed within a few weeks and many return to work after 1 week, and some even sooner.

Am I a candidate?

Liposuction may be something to consider if you have thought about the following:

• You have a small fat roll you just cannot get rid of, despite extreme amounts of dieting and exercise, e.g. around your hips, waist or on your thighs. Perhaps your genes are preventing your fat cells from shrinking and liposuction should be an option.
• Your expectations are realistic. Adele cannot be transformed into Kim Kardashian through liposuction so be aware of your bodies realistic capabilities.
• Your weight is normal or you are slightly overweight, but your weight remains constant. If you are seriously overweight, it will not be of much help to remove one roll, if you’re left with another three.
• Your skin is firm and elastic. The younger you are, the more elastic your skin and the better your results will be.
• You are healthy and without aches and pains.
• You don’t have a lot of cellulite. If you do, you are not a good candidate because your skin then tends to end up looking uneven and lumpy and only making it appear worse.

If you’re looking to improve your overall body appearance, liposuction can help by reducing and re-contouring localised collections of fat. It can address collections of fat on the thighs, buttocks and abdomen, as well as the arms, neck and under the chin. With more than 20 years’ of experience to call on, Dr John Flynn combines your needs with compassion and sensitivity to truly understand your concerns and desires. To find out more information about liposuction at our Gold Coast cosmetic practice, or to book in a consultation, please contact us today.