Fatty areas and bulges annoy all of us, and to simply suck those stubborn fat deposits out of the body seems to be a natural and straightforward idea. Liposuction emerged from this simple idea, and today liposuction is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic surgeries.The safest liposuction tech...
Fatty areas and bulges annoy all of us, and to simply suck those stubborn fat deposits out of the body seems to be a natural and straightforward idea. Liposuction emerged from this simple idea, and today liposuction is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic surgeries.
The safest liposuction technique is known as tumescent liposuction. It typically produces smooth and pleasing results with a tolerable recovery time and limited complications. The development of the tumescent technique was the breakthrough that allowed liposuction to become so popular and provide so many people with an effective form of cosmetic enhancement to their physical appearances.
In the early stages of the development of surgical fat removal, however, results varied and complications threatened to keep liposuction from becoming the successful procedure that it is today.
Liposuction Began in Italy
From the land of pasta and cheese came the first attempts at Liposuction. It was in Italy where gynecologists Dr. Gorgio Fischer and his son Dr. Gorgio Fischer, Jr. developed a method for cutting away adipose tissue within the body. Essentially, the Fischers used an electric rotating scalpel within a cannula (a metal tube meant for insertion in the body to draw out fluid) that was hooked up to rubber tubing and a vacuum.
The results of this original technique were mixed. Side effects such as numbness from nerve damage, excessive bleeding, and rippled skin were unappealing, but the act of sucking fat out of the body for cosmetic purposes had doctors intrigued. Two French doctors experimented with liposuction and sought to improve results.
French Improvements
Bleeding was reduced during the procedure by the innovations of Dr. Yves-Gerard Illouz, who started using a blunt-tipped cannula as fat was suctioned out in 1977. With a blunt tip, the surgeon had greater freedom to navigate fatty tissues without causing as much damage to blood vessels and nerves. Recovery time and post-operative pain were also reduced by Dr. Illouz. A collaborator with Dr. Illouz, Dr. Pierre-Francois Fournier, also contributed to these liposuction improvements.
Plastic surgeons from the United States traveled to watch and study the liposuction techniques being developed by Drs. Illouz and Fournier, which caused liposuction to be introduced in the United States by the 1980s.
Continuing Progress For Liposuction
One of the significant improvements pioneered by Dr. Illouz was the injection of saline into the tissues to be modified. The saline injection expanded or made the tissue tumescent, which helped make it easier and safer to work upon.
This technique was further improved when epinephrine was added epinephrine to the saline injection, which helped to constrict blood vessels and impede bleeding. Lidocaine, as a pain blocking agent, was added to the saline and epinephrine mix, and surgeons began to inject an equal amount of solution into the area to be treated as fat and tissue that would be removed. This higher ratio of saline solution to tissue removal significantly helped improve liposuction results and reduce complications.
Liposuction Today
The tumescent technique is generally considered the safest method for liposuction, which accounts for it being the most common liposuction method currently used in the United States. The popularity of liposuction, however, is still prompting further innovation. More techniques are being refined all the time as surgeons seek to expand the fat removal options for patients.
One such technique is ultrasound-assisted liposuction. Ultrasound waves are used to soften and liquefy the fat cells that make them easier to remove. An ultrasound emitting device is part of the cannula inserted in the tissue. Not everyone is a good candidate for this newer technique, which does not always produce the smooth results of tumescent liposuction.
Although liposuction will continue to be advanced by surgeons, it is at a state of success right now that allows hundreds of thousands of people every year to remove fat from their bellies, love handles, arms, necks, legs, breasts, and even chin.
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