Liposuction first came to the United States from France in the 1980s. Originally it was a pretty violent procedure. Patients had to be under general anesthesia and the doctor had to move the cannula (the tube inserted to suction out the fat) back and forth in a very aggressive manner to break lose the fat before suctioning it out. The movements caused extensive tissue trauma and bleeding, which, as you may remember if you had a friend who had liposuction back then, caused extensive bruising that could take a couple months to fully clear itself.
Today, liposuction has come a long way. The procedure is incredibly less invasive, requiring only tiny incisions and recovery is night and day easier compared to what it was.
Why liposuction?
For some reason, certain areas of the body accumulate fat pockets that are next to impossible to target. No matter how hard the person exercises or how stringent their diet, the fat pockets just keep keepin’ on. Liposuction targets those individual fat pockets that are found in the abdomen area, on the outer thighs, the hips, the buttocks, even under the chin.
Is liposuction for weight loss?
There is a misperception that an overweight person could use liposuction as an extreme diet of sorts. But that is not true. In fact, removing too much fat at one time can actually be dangerous for a person. So, Dr. Lavey will only perform liposuction on patients who are within 10% of their ideal weight. He advises his patients against gaining weight afterwards, as well, because while the fat removed is gone forever, new fat cells can accumulate with weight gain.
Options
Dr. Lavey uses tumescent liposuction, sometimes known as the “superwet” technique. He injects a solution of dilute adrenaline and Lidocaine into the target areas prior to liposuctioning out the fat. This reduces pain, and constricts the blood vessels to reduce bleeding and bruising. He can also combine ultrasound or laser energy with the liposuction procedure to help either loosen or liquefy the fat, depending on your particular situation.
Do you want to get rid of those stubborn pockets of fat? Liposuction with Dr. Lavey may be right for you. Call us at 925-820-3633 and set up a consultation.
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