Best areas: Arms, abdomen, love handles, chest in men, some breast reductions in women, fat under the axilla, buttocks and hips, outer thigh bulges, inner knees.

Good areas: thigh, under chin, back rolls, pubis, face in selected individuals.

Bad areas: upper back, bull neck, wherever skin is lax and loose, ankles.

It is not suitable for people who are round and obese everywhere. Ultimatley success also depends a lot on the skin elasticity.

In body contouring surgery (BCS), in addition to SAL, there may be removal of excess skin, tightening of muscles, repair of hernias and even injection or insertion of fat or synthetic material in strategic places. BCS is done for the abdomen (tummy tucks), breast (reductions and lifts), neck (double chin), arms, buttocks and thighs.

 In pure SAL, the scars are miniscule and fade away with time, but in some BCS procedures long but well hidden scars are unavoidable.

Fat removal is permanent from that part, however if the patient continues to overeat and gain weight, the remaining fat cells can accumulate more fat. SAL cannot remove fat from inside the abdomen and from around the organs.

Modern SAL performed by qualified plastic surgeons is extremely safe and entails minimal bleeding, almost ALL the horror stories and deaths have been in the hands of charlatans and fly by night operators working in ill-equipped places. However, like all major surgical procedures, there are well known risks and side effects about which the surgeon will counsel the patient.

This is variable. In minor and moderate cases, the patient may be discharged the same or the next day and can resume light work in 5-7 days. More extensive cases obviously will take longer. Major liposuction is not a weekend procedure! Minor liposuctions however can be offered as a weekend procedure.

This is the commonest question in consultation! Liposuction is NOT a weight loss procedure. In most cases we remove only 500 to 3000 ml of fat; usually one does not exceed 4000 ml. This is enough to produce significant changes in the shape but not in the weight. However after SAL or BCS, patients find it easier to move and be active and may notice that losing weight is easier.

Scientists are trying to destroy unwanted fat by using different energy delivery methods. Laser has shown some promise. In the present state of technology, Laser destruction of fat called laser lipolysis is only effective for small collections of fat. For larger volumes, laser assisted liposuction has merit. Here, laser energy is delivered to the body of fat followed by conventional liposuction at slightly lower vacuum. Traditional or modified traditionals such as pwere assisted and Vibro-assisted are still the gold standard of liposuction.

The physical and psychological spin-offs from these operations are numerous and in well selected patients it is almost like getting a new lease of life. The patients find that they are able to do many things that they dared not do before, their self esteem is higher and in some patients with huge debilitating deformities (ex: large abdominal apron) the physical relief is enormous. Prevention of future knee and back problems is another health advantage.

Liposuction is the only proven technique of permanent reduction of fat from an area, with the possible exception of endermology for cellulite control. There are many things on the market which may offer only temporary improvements at best.

 Plastic surgery is an ever expanding field. Ultrasonic energy is being used to increase the efficiency of SAL. We also have vibration assisted liposuctions which aim to improve skin shrinking after liposuction. These are also useful for tough areas like the male chest. Laser power and ultrasound power are also used to enhance the efficiency of liposuction.

Fat harvested from liposuction can be re-injected to different areas to correct contour defects. Here the fat has to be harvested by gentle methods and re-grafted using special techniques.

Precision liposuction called liposculpture uses fine cannulae to do precise etching and sculpting. This is used to define the face, the ‘abs’ for a 6 pack look, get muscle definition in the arms, calf etc. Liposuction can be used to remove over-active sweat glands in the under-arm area.

These surgical methods can be supplemented and extended by the newer tools such as Radiofrequency devices [power-shape etc] and by laser waves.