liposuction abroad

What is liposuction?
Liposuction enables us to remove pockets of fat from those troublesome areas that do not respond to diet or exercise. The extent of liposuction is limited by the possible loss of body fluids and blood. This is the reason why this procedure should not be considered as a general method for weight loss. The correction of body contours is not done only by removing fat but also by removing connective tissue fluid. 

After the procedure the skin starts to conform around the treated area, depending on its elasticity. If the skin is not elastic enough, we can remove the excess skin with an additional procedure (a tummy tuck or a thigh lift) to achieve a visually pleasing result. All the additional methods will be explained to you separately, if required. 
The removal of fat cells is permanent. But if you gain weight, the remaining fat cells can still grow and contribute to weight gain, so it will be noticeable even in treated areas. 

Liposuction surgery will be performed by our bariatric & cosmetic surgeon Dr. Rein Adamson.

How to prepare for this surgery?
To keep the risks of surgery as low as possible, it is important to follow these recommendations.
Talk to your doctor about all the medicines you take. Medicines that interfere with blood clotting (which are often contained in pain killers or drugs for flu) may cause bleeding. Ask your doctor, which medicines you are allowed to use before your surgery.

Nicotine causes slower blood circulation, so it may cause disruption or disorders in the circulation in treated area. In combined with some methods of birth control (contraceptive pills) it increases the risk of blood clotting and thrombosis. You should give up smoking at least two weeks before the surgery and avoid consuming nicotine at least until the wound has healed.

What happens during surgery?
The surgery can be performed under local anesthesia, along with intravenous sedation, or general anesthesia depending on your health, the extent of the procedure and whether you are having other procedures at the same time. All the details and risks of those methods will be explained to you separately.
Sometimes, if the chosen method recalls, an injection is made to the area about to be treated in order to prepare fat cells for liposuction.
Incisions are rarely longer than a couple of centimeters and they are hidden in the natural junctions on your body or places that can later be covered by clothes, so the scars will not be noticeable. Next, a special instrument is inserted into the adipose tissue. With this instrument a surgeon removes unwanted fat by liquefying the fat via sound waves (ultrasonic assisted liposuction) and/or a vacuum pump (tumescent liposuction).

After surgery you will need to wear an elastic compression garment (which resembles a girdle) to avoid swelling and pain and help the skin conform to your new figure. All the stitches dissolve on their own and they will not have to be removed. With longer incisions, we will need to insert small tubes to drain the fluids from the incision.

Are there risks or potential side effects?
Liposuction is a surgery and surgery always involves some risks. Despite the extreme care and attention there is always a possibility of complications. Here are some associated risks and conditions that might occur:

During the procedure: 
Occasionally, bleeding may occur in and around the area of surgery. Most bleeding can be stopped at once. On very rare occasions the loss of blood can be significant; in this case patients are given a blood transfusion. 
Ask your doctor, if it is reasonable or possible to collect your own blood to avoid infection. If it is reasonable to collect some blood as a security measure, it is sometimes possible to draw blood prior to surgery.
In some rare cases the procedure may cause damage to the nerves or soft tissue; in such cases it usually takes a couple of weeks to heal. Permanent damage (numbness for example), complaints or visible scars are very rare. The same goes for skin damage caused by disinfecting materials and/or electric current. 

After the procedure:
Loss of body fluids may occur, which calls for intravenous infusion.
It is possible, though very unlikely, that you may develop a significant loss of blood, so you may need a blood or blood component transfusion even days after the surgery.
Occasionally a localized swelling of fluid called a Seroma can occur. This may require a minor drainage procedure.

Occasionally, after surgery, bleeding may occur in and around the area of surgery even days after the surgery. Superficial bleeding will usually pass uneventfully in three to four days. However it may be necessary to stop the bleeding by performing an additional procedure.
Swelling and haematomas are common and usually fade in three to four weeks. In rare cases surgery is required to fix the problem.

It is fairly common for patients to experience numbness, increased sensitivity or some “strange sensation” in the treated area caused by nerve damage. Changes in sensitivity almost always pass in a couple of months. However, it is not uncommon for a small area to remain slightly numb. 
Swelling may occur in the treated area for up to three days after liposuction. You will need to wear a compression garment to help the recovery processes in your body to reduce swelling. You may feel some pain, strain or experience light swelling for months after surgery (up to 6 months). Most of the discomfort occurs in the joint areas. 
On rare occasions there can be disorders of blood circulation or interruptions in the healing of incisions. Necrosis can cause wide scars. If wider areas are infected, sometimes a corrective procedure is called for, to improve the results of the first surgery.
Inflammations which may be slow to heal and need additional surgery and medication.
On very rare occasions there is a risk of forming blood clots (thrombosis). A blood clot can be fatal if it travels to the lungs (pulmonary embolism). This is a serious condition, which is life threatening and needs immediate medical attention in a hospital. Blood clots commonly form after the body has remained immobile for a long period of time. 

Impaired incision healing: if the incisions are under pressure, they can dilate. This can cause wider, raised, discolored or painful scars (hypertrophic or keloid scars). A corrective procedure can be avoided, if the changes in healing are treated on time (as soon as they are noticed). 
In rare cases, allergic reactions to anesthesia or other medication can occur. These can result in nausea, itching or rashes and usually pass uneventfully.

In very rare cases liposuction can cause severe allergic reactions in the skin, mucous membranes, blood circulation, kidneys or nervous system (for example asthma, angioedema, circulatory collapse, shock) which need in-patient medical treatment. They can cause life threatening conditions and permanent organ damage (for example paralysis or nephropathy). 
Contour deformities: inner scarring may cause irregularities in the treated area. It can cause single skin depressions or wavy lines or they can be several irregularities closely together. The situation calls for a corrective procedure.

What to expect during recovery?
It is very important for every patient to help maintain the results of liposuction. Please make sure to follow these suggestions for better recovering.
You should try to walk as soon as one day after surgery to reduce swelling and prevent blood clots from forming. 

You will need to wear a special garment the first weeks or months after surgery, which will help to reform the tissue. 
Avoid any kind on physical effort the first three or four weeks after surgery. You should give up sports for two months. These limits may vary, depending on the scale of your surgery. Specify the time of recovery with your doctor. 
Do not sunbathe for long periods, two or three weeks after surgery, because this will slow down the recovery. It also can cause the scars to turn permanently brown.
Discuss options for continued care (massage, ointments) with your doctor.

What should I expect from this surgery?
The number of fat cells in an adult stays constant. After puberty weight losses and gains depend on how much the fat cells expand in size and nutrition. Liposuction permanently removes fat cells. As the number of fat cells is constant, the surgery has permanent results. But the changes in body contour are still possible.

The results of the surgery depend among other factors on your general health, weight and hormone balance. Weight gain, especially caused by nutrition, can lead to expanding fat cells even in the treated area. Temporary wavy irregularities or lumps, which usually disappear in one year, can also occur. On rare occasions corrective surgery is called for.
Like every aesthetic surgery you may need corrective surgery if the results of the first surgery are not as expected or because of impaired wound healing, infection, bleeding or aesthetically unsatisfying results. 
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