The Lipo Procedure
Lipos are becoming more and more common. However, most people still don't really understand what happens during the procedure or how Lipo works. This results in some people making uninformed choices when they choose whether or not to undergo the Lipo procedure.
Many people wonder what getting a Lipo is really like. What happens on the day of the Lipo surgery? How is a Lipo actually performed? This page will attempt to answer, in brief, these questions. Of course, one's Lipo experience will vary greatly depending on the Lipo doctor that you choose, the technique that he or she uses and the area that you wish to have fat removed from. This article will explain what a tumescent Lipo might be like, because tumescent Lipo is the most commonly performed Lipo technique today.
A number of things will already be decided long before the day of your Lipo. You will have spoken with your Lipo doctor and planned what target areas he or she will suction fat from. Your Lipo doctor will likely have prescribed an antibiotic that will help you avoid infections. Before the day of your Lipo, you will want to arrange for someone to drive you to and from your appointment, given that you may be unable to drive after the Lipo procedure is performed.
On the day of the Lipo surgery, your doctor will give you a physical to make sure that your body is up to the procedure. If you have a cold or other illness-especially if it is accompanied by fever-the Lipo surgery may have to be postponed, but in most cases everything is normal. At this time, it is common for "before" pictures to be taken in order to document the patient's appearance before the Lipo procedure. Then you and your Lipo doctor will consult one last time about exactly what you want done, and the Lipo doctor will mark the area(s) to be treated on your body.
Prior to the Lipo surgery, the room, table, and tools to be used in the procedure will be sterilized you will probably be given one more antibiotic to reduce the risk of infection-always a real, if small, risk when the flesh is opened. Then the targeted area on your body will be disinfected. If you are experiencing severe anxiety, a sedative may also be administered as well. Following all these preparations, you will be taken into the operating room.
Once in the operating room, most Lipo surgeons will rub a numbing agent on the injection site. After it takes effect, the Lipo surgeon injects a mixture of fluids into the area that is going to be operated on. These fluids include lidocaine, which is a local anesthetic which helps to numb the pain, and epinephrine, which acts to shrink the blood vessels. The use of lidocaine eliminates the need for general anesthesia, which significantly reduces the dangers of the Lipo surgery.
Because epinephrine shrinks the blood vessels, blood loss also tends to be minimized in tumescent Lipo. The large quantities of fluid injected during tumescent Lipo enter into the fatty tissue and cause it to "tumesce", or become firm and swollen.
Next the Lipo surgeon makes a series of tiny incisions, usually no bigger than one third of an inch in length. The small size of the incisions minimizes the length of your recovery period, and also the risk of scarring.
Through the incisions, the Lipo doctor inserts a surgical tool called a cannula-essentially a narrow metal straw. The cannula is hooked up to a vacuum machine and moved back and forth through the fatty tissue. As it does this, it breaks up and suctions out the unwanted fat. Because the fat is firm and swollen, the Lipo surgeon has a very fine level of control over it, and can be very delicate and precise in the removal fat, which leads to better aesthetic results.
As fluids drain from the incisions, more are pumped into the cavity to help prevent damage or burns and to reduce blood loss. An I.V. may also be used to keep you hydrated and supply additional medications if needed. You will also be hooked up to monitors that record your vital signs to ensure the safety of the Lipo procedure.
What will you actually feel during Lipo?
The anesthetic should effectively prevent sensations of pain. What you will feel is some pressure and the impression of something scraping. If there is pain, the Lipo surgeon can give you another dose of lidocaine to dampen it.
After the fat cells have been removed, the Lipo surgeon closes the incisions and the procedure is effectively over. Because a minimum of damage has been done to your body and only local anesthetic was administered, in most cases you should be able to walk and move without too much difficulty.
In some cases during your Lipo procedure; your Lipo surgeon may ask you to stand up in order to check that he or she is achieving optimal results.
You will probably be able to go home the same day, although you should have someone else drive you home. If the Lipo surgery has been a large one, or if there have been complications, you may need to spend a night at the hospital or surgical center before returning home.
When you return home, you will need to wear compression garments to aid in the healing process. Fluids will probably drain from the incision sites for several days to a week after the Lipo surgery. You will probably experience some swelling and bruising, but this should go down in the following weeks or months. As you begin to heal, you will be able to see the results of your Lipo surgery. Remember that you will probably not see the total optimum results of your Lipo for up to six months after your surgery.
All of this is only general information, however. The specifics of your Lipo surgery will depend a lot on your individual circumstances. One good way to find out more about Lipo is to visit your Lipo doctor's website. We invite you to visit all pages of this site to learn more about Lipo as well as to use our Lipo doctor locator to find a Lipo doctor in your area, before and after Lipo pictures from him or her, and overviews of other procedures performed by him or her. Some websites have informative videos that can help you to learn more about the Lipo procedure, your doctor's experience and qualifications, his or her staff and the medical facility where he or she practices.