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Are you at or near your normal weight, but can't seem to trim
the fat from your hips, thighs or “love handles”? Even when you
lose a few pounds, do you have problem areas where those
bulges just won't go away? Liposuction might be right for you.
What is liposuction?
Liposuction, also known as suction-assisted
lipoplasty or suction lipectomy, is a minimally invasive plastic surgery
procedure that slims your body by suctioning away excess fat.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS)
reports that 403,684 liposuction procedures were performed on
women and men in 2006, making liposuction the most popular
surgical cosmetic procedure in the U.S.
What can liposuction treat?
Liposuction can trim the fat from your abdomen, outer and inner
thighs, buttocks, breasts (in men and women), neck and under
the chin, upper chest near the armpit, “bra bulge” in the mid-back,
upper arms, back of the thighs, knees, as well as calves and
ankles. Men also find liposuction can get rid of “love handles.”
What about other fat-loss methods
like mesotherapy?
Mesotherapy, or injection lipolysis, is a controversial fat-reduction
method that is getting a lot of attention these days. This technique
involves hundreds of injections and is being touted as an
alternative to liposuction. But is mesotherapy safe?
On May 14, 2007, the ASAPS issued a warning against the use
of injection fat-loss treatments: “Although marketed as fat-loss
treatments, these procedures are scientifically unproven, lacking
any objective data on safety and efficacy. In addition, none of
these procedures has received FDA approval, with the ingredients
poorly defined. The procedures may also be offered by persons
without sufficient medical training, thereby putting patients at risk
of harm.”
“Safety needs to come first,” said ASAPS President Foad Nahai,
MD. “We do not have definitive information on injection fat-loss
treatments. The bottom line for patients is this: Don't allow yourself
to be injected with an unknown and untested substance.”
“For now,” said Alan H. Gold, MD, president of the Aesthetic
Surgery Education and Research Foundation, “the only proven
method for eliminating unwanted fat cells is suction-assisted
lipoplasty [liposuction], a procedure that has a long and successful
track record for both safety and effectiveness.”
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