Exercising and dieting aren’t always enough to eradicate stubborn fat, and that’s why there are different types of liposuction. Lipo treatments can permanently remove fat cells from those areas that refuse to respond to natural methods. However, there’s more than one lipo method to choose from. Knowing the differences helps you to make an informed decision when you’re choosing a treatment for you.
Traditional Suction-Assisted Lipo
Suction-assisted lipo is the best-known type and is the oldest method of liposuction. This kind of liposuction involves making incisions on the area that the surgeon will suction. Then, he or she will insert a cannula or hollow needle into the incisions. Through this, the surgeon will suction out the fat cells.
Recovery from this type of procedure can take up to three months. It may take as long as six months for the outcome to be visible. Surgeons use this kind of lipo on several body areas, including the legs, back, abdomen, and bottom. It isn’t a good choice for smaller areas, such as the chin, since it isn’t very precise.
Although this is an old method and is “tried and tested,” it has a few disadvantages. It can cause quite a lot of bruising and bleeding. Also, it’s difficult to control the removal of fat. This means there’s a greater chance of imperfections, such as dimpling and lumpiness. Patients may need to have more than one treatment to achieve their desired results.
Another big disadvantage of this kind of lipo is you require a general anesthetic. This raises a host of possibilities in terms of side effects and potential complications.
Tumescent Liposuction
This kind of liposuction is like traditional lipo, but it uses epinephrine and lidocaine to swell the fat. This makes it easier to spot the fat cells and remove them effectively. Epinephrine constricts the blood vessels to reduce bleeding. Meanwhile, lidocaine is a local anesthetic that eliminates pain and discomfort. This makes tumescent lipo highly effective.
It’s possible to use this form of liposuction on virtually any body part. The majority of pain and swelling disappears within a month of the procedure. It will still take up to six months for the full result to be visible, however.
Tumescent lipo offers a major advantage since it allows for more precise removal of fat. Also, it allows the surgeon to remove the maximum amount of fat. Even better, tumescent liposuction causes less bruising and bleeding and requires no general anesthetic. Patients can, therefore, enjoy a speedier and more comfortable recovery.
Is Nonsurgical Liposuction an Alternative?
There are also nonsurgical options available. These are noninvasive and, therefore, have considerably reduced downtimes. VASER liposuction and CoolSculpting are just two of these methods. These are only for use on small areas of fat. VASER liposuction uses ultrasound to target fat cells. Meanwhile, CoolSculpting freezes the fat.
Although the recovery time is short when opting for these procedures, the results are less impressive. They can only remove a small amount of fat. Therefore, you would require multiple sessions. Also, the outcome will be far less dramatic than that achieved through traditional or tumescent liposuction.
Which Method Is Best?
Here at Artlipo, Dr. Su specializes in using tumescent liposuction when treating his patients. Thanks to the local anesthetic he uses, the recovery time is shorter and more comfortable. Also, he can more precisely remove more fat. This means that, of all the types of liposuction, tumescent is the best for the safest and most impressive outcome.
Contact us today to learn more and arrange your consultation.
Dr. Thomas Su, is the owner and cosmetic surgeon of Artistic Lipo. He has led our full-time clinic specializing in awake-only liposuction since 2007. Dr. Su began his medical career in internal medicine, practicing that until 2005, when he began to provide a full spectrum of non-invasive cosmetic procedures.
