The Second “T” of Liposuction/Liposculpture: Technique

Liposuction Technique 101

Patients are often confused about the different types of techniques associated with liposuction. This is partly due to the many new liposuction technologies that are becoming available.

5 Key Questions To Ask Your Liposuction Surgeon (regardless of technology):

1.  Does your technique remove only the deep layer of fat?  This is the most common technique done.

2.  Does your technique remove superficial fat?  Many surgeons don’t routinely perform liposuction in this area, which limits the amount of fat reduction a patient will see.

3.  Does your technique result in skin tightening?  Many surgeon avoid performing “Sub-dermal” liposuction, which is what is needed to accomplish maximal skin tightening. Technologies such as the VASER and the Millard Cannulas maximize connective tissue preservation. -Which further enhances skin tightening and minimizes the risk for post-opertative bumpiness and lumpiness.

4.  Does your technique enhance muscle definition? Do you use VASER Hi Def?  Surgeons need to know “Artistic Anatomy”. They also need to understand the techniques of 3-D fat sculpting in the superficial (upper) fatty layer to accomplish muscle definition.

5.  Does your technique allow you to fat graft in the same areas you liposuction? Surgeons must have training in ultrasound-guided fat grafting to accomplish this technique.

 

Video Transcript:

The 2nd “T” of Liposuction – “Technique”

The next thing I would like to talk you about is Techniques. Traditional liposuction, when it came out in the early 70s, was essentially relegated to removing just the deep fat pockets in our body. What patients don’t know is you have two fat layers in your body. You have what’s called a deep fat layer and you have a superficial fatty layer. The deep fatty layer is what essentially makes the bulges in your body. It’s what makes the buttock protrude, breast protrude, the male chest and then unsightly bulges that protrude as well such as saddlebags, love handles, pot bellies and what not.

Most of that is deep fat and traditional liposuction was a safe and effective method for removing that particular fat at least some of it but you weren’t able to go in to the more superficial fatty layer, the fatty layer above with those older tool because they were so… we call primitive. I like to compare them like if you have a hammer and nail. You don’t really have much else to work with. And that essentially kind of describes the traditional deep removal of fat with liposuction.

The VASER and the smartlipo came along about a decade ago and even more so these technologies have advanced to this last decade and we can go into the superficial fatty layer which allows us to do three additional things. Number one, we can take not only deep fat we can take superficial fat. So we can take more fat per unit area and get a more dramatic result.

Number two because these technologies are so advanced, we can go right underneath the skin and actually cause skin tightening as well, so when we remove that fat, we can get a more enhanced shrink wrapping effect after removal of the fat.

And the third and probably funnest thing for me was being able to work in the superficial fatty layers. We can do what is called high definition liposculpture which was pioneered as VASER high-def. In fact, was myself and Doctor Joyas who originally pioneered this technique and I brought it to the United States and with that we can actually sculpt shape into the superficial fat, use the skin shrinkage technique along with it to shrink wrap that skin around the new contour. And now we are able to bring artistic methods along with skin tightening to our procedures.

 

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