Liposuction is a procedure that uses a suction technique to remove extra fat from specific areas of the body, such as abdomen, love handles, lower & upper back, hips, thighs, arms, and neck (double chin). Liposuction is not a substitute for weight reduction, but a method for removing localised deposits of fatty tissue that do not respond to diet and exercise.
The roots of liposuction can be traced back as far as the 1920s when French surgeon, Charles Dujarier, first introduced the concept of body contouring and fat removal. Conventional (traditional) liposuction remained a high risk major surgery for many years until 1987 when “Tumescent Formula” for liposuction was developed by Professor Jeffrey Klein in California, USA.
Tumescent liposuction is a fat removal procedure that doesn’t require general anesthesia and is performed as a day case surgery in a CQC registered surgical centre as an outpatient treatment. Because there’s no risk from general anesthesia, tumescent liposuction has a much higer safety profile than traditional liposuction and is now the gold standard worldwide.
Liposuction is now one of the top aesthetic surgical procedures worldwide. Only in 2018, about 1,732,620 liposuction surgeries were performed in the world (Ref: ISAPS International survey 2018).
Tumescent liposuction
safely removes fat pockets from almost any part of your body, including:
· Double Chin
· Abdomen
· Back and flanks
· Hips and waist
· Inner and outer thighs
· Knees
· Under Arms (Bingo Wings)
· Male Breasts
While there may be varying classification of body fat, it’s easiest to consider their anatomic location as subcutaneous & visceral.
-> Subcutaneous fat is located just under the skin which accounts for approximately 90% of overall body fat.
-> Visceral fat is found in the abdominal area around internal organs. This is the type of fat that can NOT be removed by liposuction and its reduction needs a balanced diet and regular exercise.
The development of “Tumescent Formula” by Professor Jeffrey Klein revolutionised the world of liposuction. It actually eliminated the need for general anaesthesia which poses real risks to our patients health. Liposuction under local anesthesia is very desirable. It has a lower risk of complications in comparison with conventional liposuction under general anesthesia as well as a much easier and faster post-procedure recovery.
Dr Kay, with a track record of performing over 2,000 liposuctions, is one of the very first British doctors who trained by Professor Jeffrey Klein in California.
Liposuction used to be a high risk major operation when performed under general anaesthesia. After development of “Tumescent Formula” and new liposuction technologies, it revolutionised the safety profile of liposuction as it is entirely done under local anaesthesia.
The majority of our clients have scored the liposuction pain from 0 (none) to 2 (mild discomfort), out of 10.
There are several different technologies by which liposuction can be performed:
-> Laser-Assisted Liposuction (LAL)
-> Water Assisted Liposuction (WAL) or BodyJet
-> Ultrasound Assisted Liposuction (UAL) or Vaser
-> Power Assisted Liposuction (PAL)
-> Radio-frequency Assisted Liposuction (RFAL)
-> Suction Assisted Liposuction (SAL)
The combination of PAL+SAL possess the highest safety profile (Ref: Textbook of Liposuction – Shiffman M., Di Giuseppe A.); therefore, we never advise any other methods like Vaser, Laser, BodyJet, etc which can breach the patient safety and cause many complications. As a liposuction-dedicated clinic, we ONLY provide the combination of PAL+SAL to keep your safety our top priority.
The most popular form of liposuction is tumescent liposuction under local anaesthesia which is more effective, safer and less painful than traditional liposuction, and has a quicker recovery time.
In general, good candidates for liposuction include:
-> Adults within 30% of their ideal body weight who only have localised fat pockets.
-> Have firm and elastic skin with good muscle tone and minimal skin laxity.
-> Healthy individuals who do not have serious illnesses or medical conditions that can impair healing.
-> Not taking any blood-thining or over-the-counter medications.
Liposuction is NOT considered as a treatment for obesity. In fact, most of our clients have only localised areas of stubborn fat that can be safely removed by liposuction.
Liposuction:
-> Body fat removal
-> Day case procedure
-> Small tiny incisions
-> No Sutures
-> Under “Local Anaesthesia”
-> High safety profile
-> Quick healing process
-> Back to normal in 2-3 days
-> Affordable cost
Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck):
-> Abdominal surgery
-> Hospital based procedure
-> Very large cut from hip to hip
-> Disfiguring scar
-> Too many Sutures
-> Under “General Anaesthesia”
-> High risk procedure
-> Long healing process
-> Back to normal after a month
-> Expensive
The following steps are the journey towards your liposuction:
Step 1 – Study FAQs and their answers thoroughly.
Step 2 – Book your appointment for clinical assessment by Dr Kay
Step 3 – Liposuction Surgery
Step 4 – Follow up session 6 weeks after liposuction
Safe liposuction can now be done entirely under local anaesthesia which makes the surgery shorter and the recovery quicker. Liposuction can take between 2 to 4 hours and the recovery may take a few days. You may need 1 or 2 sessions of liposuction depending on the volume of fat that needs to be suctioned.
