Letty's Liposuction Directory

Liposuction on Love Handles

Author: Letty's Staff Writer

Whether its swimsuit season, your wedding day, or just for life in general – many of us want trimmer waistlines, and beautiful slender curves.

Problem is we aren't built that way.

And we have little hope that power crunches, and treadmills will get us there.

That is precisely why we are going to talk about "liposuction surgery" as a solution to your mid-figure flaws.

The question is, "Can liposuction flanks give us something our genetics could not?"...

Let's talk about it.

How does liposuction of the flanks work?

Liposuction is the surgical removal of subcutaneous fat on a patient's sides by means of an aspiration "cannulae" (a wand-like surgical probe).

During the surgery a numbing fluid is introduced into the treatment area through small skin incisions. Those incisions allow the cannulae to be inserted underneath the skin. Next, the numbing fluid and fat are "vacuumed" out of the body and into a retaining vessel.

The ideal patient who presents for liposuction treatment is a healthy individual within 15 to 20 percent of his or her ideal weight.

However, even though small amounts of superficial fat are being removed – if used correctly – liposuction flanks can make a dramatic improvement to a patient's proportionality.

What happens after liposuction surgery during post-recovery?

About 24 hours after liposuction of the flanks, you should be able to walk around.

There is typically some swelling and bruising associated with the surgery. Many surgeons will send patients home with compression garments to control swelling after surgery. These recovery garments may need to be worn for a month or longer.

Recovery from liposuction can take several weeks, but generally you can return to full physical activity within 2 to 4 weeks. And depending on the liposuction technique employed during surgery, you may not see the final result until up to 6 months after surgery.

Some risks involved:

Although liposuction is not perceived as being as invasive as some other plastic surgery techniques, there are still risks associated with it.

Those risks include (but are not limited to) the following:

1. Infections.
2. Embolisms (blood clots).
3. Asymmetrical (off-balanced) results.
4. Nerve damage.
5. Scars.

Liposuction is actually not for everyone.

The best way to determine if you are a good candidate for the surgery is to consult with a qualified (board-certified) plastic surgeon in your area. He or she will go over risk factors associated with your particular health profile and make recommendations specific to you.

What is the take-home here?

Liposuction can give you the hour-glass figure that none of the women in your family have through genetics. But it cannot make you a thin woman when you are an obese one. Nor can it improve your health status with regard to risk for diabetes or any other lifestyle-related diseases.

Those of you who aren't ideal for the surgery should to lose weight prior to lipo.

Actually, losing extra pounds may reveal that 'liposuction flanks' is NOT appropriate for you at all, but some other procedure all together.

Liposuction Flanks References:

• "Love Handles & Flabby Thighs." Woman' Day [Australia] (22 Nov 2010). General OneFile (8 May 2011).

• "Liposuction. (Adult Health Advisor)" Lee A. Mancini. Clinical Reference Systems. Gale, 2008.

• "The Skinny on Liposuction" FDA Consumer Health Information. Gale, 2009.

• "Tips Help Consumers and Patients Considering Lipoplasty." AORN Journal 73.3 (March 2001): 712. Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale (July 2009).