Liposuction was in the top three most popular cosmetic surgery procedures for 2014, according to a recent survey of cosmetic surgeons. Dr. Terry Myckatyn at West County Plastic Surgeons of Washington University explores its variations, including tumescent, power assisted, and laser and sound lipo.
A recent survey revealed that the two most popular cosmetic surgery procedures in the United States in 2014 were focused on very specific regions of the body. Breast augmentation in the top spot and rhinoplasty just behind it impact the chest and nose, respectively. Third on the list, however, is a procedure that can be more broadly applied to men and women alike: liposuction. St. Louis-area residents may already be familiar with the body areas liposuction can target, including the neck, arms, tummy area, buttocks, and thighs. They may not be as familiar, however, with the types of liposuction procedures available and the differences that set the variations apart.
A survey released by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons earlier in 2014 showed that member surgeons—including those at West County Plastic Surgeons of Washington University—performed about 210,552 liposuction procedures in 2014, which represents a 5 percent increase over liposuction procedures performed the year before.
Part of this procedure’s popularity is certainly due to its versatility. In addition to being a standalone procedure for any of the regions of the body noted above, liposuction can also be included as part of a facelift (coming in at No. 5 on the list), tummy tuck (No. 6), or breast reduction. While tens of thousands of women choose to get smaller breasts each year for aesthetic reasons, male breast reduction—to address the condition known as gynecomastia—is on the rise, increasing 29 percent since the year 2000. As more men grow comfortable with cosmetic surgery and turn to it to achieve the body they want, the numbers associated with specific procedures, as well as liposuction as a whole, should continue to grow.
Liposuction may also appear so high on the list of common procedures because of the many variations available.
Traditional tumescent liposuction, for instance, involves injecting the area to be treated with a solution that both firms up the fatty tissue and introduces an anesthetic. The fat can then be loosened and removed. This has been the go-to liposuction method for years, given that it minimizes blood loss and trauma.
Some doctors may opt to talk with their patients about adding another step between the fluid injection and fat removal, which involves rupturing fat cells by using ultrasonic or laser energy. When it comes to sound or laser lipo, St. Louis doctors at West County Plastic Surgeons of Washington University typically use it to remove small pockets of fat, such as in the neck area. Possible benefits to this step may include reduced bleeding and collagen stimulation.
Power-assisted liposuction is another variation on any of these options, automating the motions necessary for loosening fat to be removed. This lets the doctor focus less on the mechanical aspects of the procedure and more on the details and nuance.
Liposuction can even be a component of augmentation procedures, in that unwanted fat removed from key areas of the body can then be refined and injected into areas where more volume is desired, whether to round out sunken areas on the face or fill in divots in the skin. Larger amounts of fat can used in buttock augmentation.
From a health perspective, liposuction candidates should be close to their ideal body weight. Anyone considering it should know that though it is immensely popular, it is not intended as a weight-loss procedure, and it should be limited to aesthetic applications. Liposuction is ideal for body contouring, which should continue to reveal muscle definition and sleeker lines as long as a healthy weight is maintained.
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