Liposuction – The Patient Journey

If you are strug­gling to lose fat in problem areas like your flanks, love handles, bingo wings, tummy, or thighs, it can be disheartening!

Liposuction is a trans­form­ative procedure that can help you achieve the body you’ve always wanted. By using a cannula to remove stub­born fat deposits from targeted areas of the body, liposuc­tion can give you the confid­ence boost you deserve. Best of all, it can be done under general anes­thesia, so you can rest assured that the procedure will be comfort­able and stress-free Imagine being able to wear that swim­suit on holiday with pride or those fitted outfits that you couldn’t bear to wear before.

We under­stand that liposuc­tion is a signi­ficant decision, which is why we offer two consulta­tions before the surgery. During these consulta­tions, you will be provided with all the neces­sary inform­a­tion so you can make an informed decision.

At Reforme Medical, we keep things simple and straight­for­ward, so you’ll feel comfort­able and informed throughout the process. Trust us to help you achieve the body you’ve always wanted.

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT FROM A LIPOSUCTION CONSULTATION?

You’ll come with your medical history in hand, and clear real­istic goals in your minds eye. If you bring pictures of the goal in mind this really helps us to make sure that it’s real­istic and achievable.

The first consulta­tion is an important step in the patients journey, as not only do we show you what the procedure entails and give you an idea of results, it’s also the point at which the doctor will make sure YOU are the right candidate for this treat­ment. You will be given clear guide on the risks and bene­fits of the procedure and taken through some former patients before and afters, making sure that you’re aware of both the poten­tial and the limitations.

The doctor will then eval­uate the anatomy and func­tion of the area to be treated and advice you on the treat­ment options based on your anatomy and physiology, for example someone with loose skin in the area they want treated may be advised that Bodytite along­side liposuc­tion will be the best course of action as this will tighten at the same time. You may also be provided with altern­ative options such a Morpheus 8, which does a fant­astic job of remod­el­ling and tight­ening with less of a hefty price tag.

The patient is given an inform­a­tion pack, consent form and pre-care and after-care forms to read through.

WHY WE HAVE A SECOND CONSULTATION FOR LIPOSUCTION?

We offer many treat­ments that only require one consulta­tion, but for liposuc­tion it’s important that the patient is given the right amount of time to decide whether it’s the right thing for them. Having a second consulta­tion guar­an­tees that the patients has given the idea enough thought and all the inform­a­tion given on the first consulta­tion has been processed.

It gives the patient the oppor­tunity to ask ques­tions about the inform­a­tion they were given to read over and they can decide to book the date of treat­ment or take more time to consider things. And please ask!

WHAT HAPPENS ON THE DAY OF LIPOSUCTION SURGERY?

You’ll have your trans­port home pre-arranged, you will have had a shower, and a light break­fast and sports drink before you arrive, and you’ll need to have a friend or partner who can help you out for the first couple of days after surgery. The less you move the better it is for the healing process.

Once in the clinic you’ll be given an anti­bi­otic and will sign the consent form. You’ll be provided with a dressing gown and dispos­able under­gar­ments, depending on the area being treated.

The doctor will ask you to stand so he can mark up the areas that need to be concen­trated on, and will take some before photo’s for your medical records.

Some relaxing music is put on and you’ll be asked to lie on the clinic bed in a certain way that makes sure the doctor has adequate access to the area, but also making sure you are comfort­able enough to stay fairly still during the procedure, and the area will be cleaned with anti­septic cleansing solution.

You’ll be admin­istered a special­ised form of local anes­thesia, called Tumescent Anesthesia. Tumescent anes­thesia involves soaking the under­sur­face of the skin and the under­lying fatty tissue in the treat­ment area with a mix of normal saline solu­tion, ligno­caine (local anes­thesia medi­cine), Tranexamic acid (medi­cine that reduces bleeding) and adren­aline (medi­cine that reduces bleeding)(there can be other addit­ives used like Sodium Bicarbonate, to make the injec­tion more comfort­able or Triamcinolone Acetate a steroid, to reduce inflam­ma­tion and swelling in the area). This infilt­ra­tion solu­tion is installed into the treat­ment areas using very fine metal tubes (22G – 2 mm) called infilt­ra­tion cannula, these are placed into the treat­ment areas through tiny cuts in the skin.

This is also so that once the doctor is happy, you can actu­ally stand in front of a mirror to see the results before you have dress­ings to make sure you are satis­fied with how it looks.

WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE LIPOSUCTION PROCEDURE?

We then wait for 10 – 15 minutes for the effect of the anes­thesia to be estab­lished. Following this the tiny cuts that were used for the injecting the infilt­ra­tion solu­tion are then used to intro­duced the blunt liposuc­tion cannula (2 – 4 mm diameter, much thinner than a Starbucks straw (7 mm))

The liposuc­tion cannula is attached to a suction syringe or a suction machine tubing. The cannula is moved back and forth loosening and grabbing the fat cells that need to be removed. Once the desired amount of fat has been sucked out the treat­ment ends. We put dissolv­able stitches on the entry points for the cannula and cover the areas with bulky absorbent dressing. The absorbent dressing is needed to soak up the leakage of the infilt­ra­tion solu­tion that remains in the tissue.

The linked video explains how liposuc­tion works, and why it can look quite vigorous.

WHAT HAPPENS STRAIGHT AFTER LIPOSUCTION?

We will help you into a very tight compres­sion garment or dressing on top of the treat­ment area to help with the shaping and recovery. The oper­a­tion usually takes between 45 minutes to 3 hours depending on how many areas need to be treated, so we’ll give your lift home a call to pick you up.

We’ll make you a cuppa with some biscuits, and you can relax in the recovery room until you’re ready to be released, and any further medic­a­tion will be prescribed to you. We’ll take your vitals to make sure you’re in ship shape, and we’ll give you some time to make sure you’re feeling ok and there are no signs of

You leave the dressing and garment on for 3 days after which you can take them off to have a quick shower, you will have to wear the pres­sure garment after the shower and keep it on all day every day for the first 4 – 6 weeks (unless other­wise instructed).

WHEN WILL I SEE THE RESULTS OF LIPOSUCTION?

You may have some oozing for the first few days, and some bruising for the first few weeks, but this is nothing to worry about. You will see the results around 1 month post op, maybe sooner, and will continue to stabilise over the next 3–6 months.

Liposuction offers a safe and effective solu­tion for achieving your desired body contour. By choosing a double board-certified plastic surgeon and following post-operative instruc­tions dili­gently, you can enjoy long-lasting results and a newfound confid­ence in your appearance.