 Liposuction is a surgical procedure for removing localised deposits of subcutaneous fat anywhere in the body. This technique uses small incisions and high vacuum to remove fat cells in selected regions and so improving the body contour in these areas.
The first time fat was ever aspirated was in Paris, in spring of 1977. A French woman had a large lipoma (fatty lump) on her back and she had refused excision, as the long scar would show with a low neckline. Her plastic surgeon friend, Illouz, found he could suck out animal fat, so tried it out on her. It worked! He also discovered that using back and forward movements avoided destruction of large vessels and nerves, leaving good nutrition for the skin. The skin is an elastic tissue that is capable of retraction – the question remained as to how much?
To improve fat removal and reduce blood loss, the tumescent technique for liposuction was developed by Klein in the late 1980s. In this technique, large amounts of fluids (normal saline) containing dilute adrenaline (for vaso-constriction) and a local anaesthetic, lignocaine or naropin (for pain) is used. This improves fat extraction and can also safely remove 4-5 litres. Smaller amounts (eg 500ml) can be removed with local anaesthesia only, sometimes combined with sedation.
Fat distribution is determined by two factors – heredity and diet. Heredity determines the location and number of individual fat cells which are fixed and unchanging after puberty. Diet can increase or decrease the amount of fat in each cell but will not affect the total number of cells or their distribution. For example, if you have inherited large numbers of fat cells on your thighs and small numbers of fat cells on your chest, you will always have more fat on the thighs than on the chest, and strenuous attempts at weight loss can leave you with a thin upper body and persistently bulky thighs.
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