Preparing for your surgery
You will be given specific instructions on how to prepare for surgery, including guidelines on eating and drinking, smoking, and taking or avoiding vitamins, iron tablets and certain medications. If you develop a cold or an infection of any kind, especially a skin infection, your surgery may have to be postponed. This should be discussed with the surgeon.
Your doctor may recommend that you have blood drawn ahead of time in case it is needed during surgery, although it is rarely necessary.
It is important, while you are making preparations, be sure to arrange for someone to drive you home after the procedure and, if needed, to help you at home for a day or two.
What is the place your surgery will be performed at?
Smaller-volume liposuction is usually done on an outpatient basis for reasons of cost and convenience. However, if a large volume of fat will be removed, or if the liposuction is being performed in conjunction with other procedures, a stay in a hospital or overnight nursing facility may be required. Liposuction may be performed in a surgeon’s office-based facility, in an outpatient surgery center, or in a hospital.
What anesthesia will be used for liposuction?
Together, you and your surgeon will select the type of anesthesia that provides the most safe and effective level of comfort for your surgery. Various types of anesthesia can be used for liposuction procedures.
If you prefer, the local is usually used along with intravenous sedation to keep you more relaxed during the procedure. Regional anesthesia can be a good choice for more extensive procedures. One type of regional anesthesia is the epidural block, the same type of anesthesia commonly used in childbirth. However, if only a small amount of fat and a limited number of body sites are involved, liposuction can be performed under local anesthesia, which numbs only the affected areas.
Some patients prefer general anesthesia, particularly if a large volume of fat is being removed, so if this is the case, a nurse anesthetist or anesthesiologist will be called in to make sure you are completely asleep during the procedure.
What is the surgery itself?
The time required to perform liposuction may vary considerably, depending on the size of the area, the amount of fat being removed, the type of anesthesia and the technique used.
There are several liposuction techniques that can be used to improve the ease of the procedure and to enhance outcome.
Through a tiny incision, a narrow tube or cannula is inserted and used to vacuum the fat layer that lies deep beneath the skin, so the cannula is pushed then pulled through the fat layer, breaking up the fat cells and suctioning them out. The suction action is provided by a vacuum pump or a large syringe, depending on the surgeon’s preference. However, if many sites are being treated, your surgeon will then move on to the next area, working to keep the incisions as inconspicuous as possible. Liposuction is a procedure in which localized deposits of fat are removed to recontour one or more areas of the body.
Fluid is lost along with the fat, and it’s crucial that this fluid be replaced during the procedure to prevent shock. Patients need to be carefully monitored and receive intravenous fluids during and immediately after surgery, because fluid is lost along with the fat, and it’s crucial that this fluid be replaced during the procedure to prevent shock.