Liposuction

Procedure steps

• Dr.Petit will begin with questioning your medical and surgical histories, your weight and your size, as well as your tobacco consumption.
• He will listen to you in order to understand your motivations and identify the areas of your body that you wish to refine.
• Dr. Petit will carry out a global clinical examination of your figure in order to locate these fat deposits and to analyze the quality of your skin.
• He will suggest the most appropriate surgical strategy corresponding to your anatomy in order to obtain a harmonious result relating to your requests.
• Dr. Petit will provide information on the scar positioning, treatment process and procedure limits, post-operative recoveries as well as main risks, so as to make an informed decision.

Procedure limits

• The main limit of a liposuction is the quality of your skin.
• Indeed, a toned and elastic skin (of good quality) is the most favourable situation for a liposuction, fostering a good skin retraction in the treated areas.
• However, the result of a liposuction is much more uncertain when the skin is of poor quality (after a pregnancy, a massive loss of weight or relating to a cutaneous ageing). In that case, the benefit of the liposuction will have to be offset with the risk to increase the pre-existing irregularities of the skin surface.
• The liposuction aggravates the appearance of cellulite.
• The single liposuction is not the appropriate treatment if the excess fat is associated with a cutaneous excess. In this case, a dermolipectomy (exeresis of the skin and of the fat) is indicated and implies a more important scarring price.

Good candidates to a liposuction are those

• Having fat deposits located in the following regions
  • The neck (double chin).
  • The arms.
  • The breasts in men (cure of adipomasty).
  • The abdomen and the pubis.
  • The hips.
  • The inner thighs.
  • The saddlebags.
  • The inner knees.
  • The calves and the ankles.
• Not having associated cutaneous excess.
• And having understood the procedure limits.

General pre-operative instructions relating to aesthetic surgery

• Smoking cessation 1 month before and after the procedure.
• Discontinuation of medicines which increase bleeding 10 days before and after the procedure: aspirin, anti-inflammatory and anticoagulant medicines, vitamin E.

Specific pre-operative instructions relating to the silhouette surgery

• To be at your stable and ideal weight for 6 months at least.
• Discontinuation of oral contraception 1 month before the procedure in order to decrease the risk of thrombo-embolism (phlebitis and pulmonary embolism).
• Purchase of a compression garment.

Procedure stages

Pre-operative markings are carried out by Dr. Petit before the procedure.

This one can be achieved under general anesthesia, or under local anesthesia (associated or not with a sedation) if the liposuction is limited to one single region of the body. The hospitalization of one night at the clinic or the out-patient basis (hospital discharge that very evening) depends on the quantity of fat removed.

The procedure begins with the injection of an adrenalized solution in the areas to be treated, in order to limit the post-operative blood loss. Then, the excess fat is sucked up in a non-traumatic manner with blunt foam cannulae (perforated at their ends and not sharp), introduced by micro-incisions of a few millimetres.

The cutaneous closure of the liposuction orifices is performed with resorbable sutures.

A compression garment is set up at the end of the procedure.

What to expect after surgery

Pains relating to liposuction are variable according to the patients and the amount of fat extracted. Generally, they are moderate (suggestive of “stiffness”) and are well soothed by analgesics.

Ecchymosis (bruises) are classical and subside within 2 to 3 weeks after the operation. An oedema (swelling) is constant and of variable duration, gradually subsiding within a few months.

The shower with a soft soap is possible the day following the procedure.

Three preventive measures against phlebitis are established after the procedure: the affected leg elevated as well as the walk, the wearing of compression stockings and the daily injection of an anticoagulant (medicines which thin the blood) over 15 days.

The wearing of a compression garment is recommended during 1 month in order to reduce the post-operative œdema and fostering a good retraction of the skin in the treated areas.

Dr. Petit will also suggest massage sessions (lymphatic drainage) accelerating the regression of the post-operative œdema.

The progressive resumption of daily activities is possible the day following the procedure.

The resumption of professional activities is variable (a few days to two weeks) and depends on the operative gesture performed and on the patient’s job.

The resumption of sports activities can be done within 4 to 6 weeks following the operation.

Procedure risks

The complications of a liposuction are rare.

The main risks are

In the first hours following the surgery:

• A moderate bleeding through the liposuction orifices.

In the post-operative month:

• Transitory disorders relating to the cutaneous sensitivity.
• An infection: exceptional complication
• A phlebitis, a pulmonary embolism: exceptional complications with the preventive steps previously taken.

In the long term :

• An occurrence and/or an increase of irregularities of the cutaneous surface (orange peel skin, depressions, vagues, skin slackening): rare complications if the operative indication is properly set.
• A pathological scarring (hypertrophic scars or keloid).
• A poor achievement requiring a secondary surgical revision.

Long-term result

The final result of a liposuction is obtained between 3 to 6 months after the procedure, when the post-operative oedema has disappeared.

The scars initially are inflammatory (red and swollen) the first months, then they will fade gradually without disappearing. They are almost invisible full-term.

This result is long-lasting provided the patients have a healthy lifestyle.

The liposuction improves the self-respect of the patients, who feel more at ease in their bodies.