Liposuction and Cellulite – is there a connection?
Many women simply assume that liposuction is an answer to cellulite. What they don't know is that liposuction worsens cellulite and comes with many risks and if you are looking for a cellulite treatment, liposuction is not the answer. So, be informed about liposuction and the ten risks of liposuction.
What exactly is liposuction?
Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery procedure that removes fat in the body with a suction pump and is also known as lipoplasty, liposculpture, or suction lipectomy. The procedure involves fat removal from underneath the deeper layers of skin and many patients use liposuction to remove fat deposits from their abdomen, thighs, or buttocks. The amount of fat which is able to be removed in one session varies with each patient.
There are several risks factors with removing too much excess fat. Lumps or dimples in the skin very similar to cellulite can be seen on patients who are over suctioned. We will discuss the other risks shortly, so et's move on to liposuction and cellulite.
Liposuction and Cellulite – what are they?
Cellulite is superficial fat, which mean it is fat located just underneath the skin and since superficial fat is the last to be affected by diet or exercise it is no wonder that no matter how hard you diet or exercise you can't seem to get rid of cellulite. Up until recent years, cellulite was seen as a normal process in women and was not researched, and now new studies have been made along with developments to treat cellulite and it’s formation.
Before discoveries on cellulite were made, many people believed that liposuction could remove unwanted cellulite. However, doctors soon noticed that this could be farther from the truth because the liposuction worked to worsen the appearance of cellulite. The reason liposuction is not an effective cellulite treatment is because it treats deeper layers of fat and cellulite is not there. As liposuction removes fat deeper in the skin, superficial skin is stretched and left lax and then this lax skin makes cellulite more visible.
The better solution for cellulite would then be a treatment, which removes superficial fat such as mesotherapy and besides making cellulite worst liposuction comes with many risks.
Liposuction Dangers
Another firm reason that liposuction is not a smart cellulite treatment is because it is a surgical procedure. Why should one choose a risky surgical procedure that doesn't remove cellulite when there are many effective non-surgical cellulite treatments available?
The risks to liposuction depend on the patients history, multiple surgeries performed, and the amount of fat being removed during surgery. The dangers of liposuction can also vary from mild to even life threatening.
Excess skin left over
As mentioned above, there are definitely limits to the amount of fat that could safely be removed by the body and even if you remove large amounts of fat within the bounds of safety, you may end up with some very loose skin. This excess skin may need to be removed during the liposuction or after the surgery.
Another surgery to undergo is probably not what you would want after liposuction; especially since these procedures are all very costly. Should the loose skin not require another surgery, it will make your cellulite more visible and therefore if cellulite is your main concern, you will need an effective cellulite treatment thereafter.
Irregular Contours
During liposuction a hollow tube called the cannula and a suction device known as an aspirator removes fat. This removal of fat often causes irregular contours on the body which means you will notice unusual lumps and bumps in your body after liposuction. There is one report that estimates 20% of liposuction patients undergo another surgery to fix contour irregularities in their body.
This disfigurement is a disheartening result since patients are stiving for an ideal physique.
Liposuction – the scars
A minor liposuction risk is scarring, however, these scars are permanent and are usually hidden in skin creases, pubic hair, or the belly button. Scars range form 4-10 mm long since this is incision size for liposuction. Sometimes scars can be minimized with scar minimizing creams like Mederma.
Swelling post liposuction
From a few weeks to months after liposuction, swelling may occur. This may cause pressure on nerves causing patients to experience numbness and tingling and in some cases, fluid accumulates in the body and will need to be drained with a needle. It is often recommended that compression garments be used to prevent swelling and fluid buildup.
Infection post liposuction
Infections after liposuction may be mild or severe and doctors usually prescribe antibiotics after surgery to prevent infection. If an infection does occur, in most cases it can be treated with oral antibiotics when caught early enough. Signs are redness, increasing tenderness, red streaks visible on the skin, vomiting, and fevers over 101˚ F. Contact your doctor immediately if you experince any.
Now that you've read about the five minor risks let's take a look at five more dangers of liposuction.
Liposuction and Cellulite - dangers
Burn
There are several types of liposuction procedures and each procedure comes with its own risks. During ultrasound-assisted liposuction (UAL), the ultrasound probe many become very hot and cause burns to you. Doctors try to prevent these burns by not operating too close to the skin's surface removing probe after short periods.
Organ damage
Puncture to internal organs such as intestines can occur during liposuction and since the incision is small, the possibility that the surgeon accidentally punctures an internal organ during probing is very possible. When organs are damaged, infections may result and another surgery may be required to repair them and higher risks of intestinal damage occur for patients with a hernia.
Pulmonary embolism
A high risk post liposuction is pulmonary embolism which is when small pieces fat dislodged during liposuction travel to the lungs. Patients may experience difficulty breathing or shortness of breath and if you have these symptoms it is crucial to call 911 for emergency treatment. The risk of pulmonary embolism is highest within the first three days after the surgery.
Fluid imbalance
Another form of liposuction is tumescent liposuction, which requires large amounts of fluids injected inside the body and this may result in fluid imbalance which if not treated may result in fluid in the lungs, heart or kidney dysfunction.
Lidocaine overdose
During liposuction, your doctors may inject large amounts of lidocaine and if the amount is too much for your body, lidocaine toxicity may be a result. If this occurred, you experience symptoms such as lightheadedness, drowsiness, ringing in the ears, slurred speech, metallic taste in the mouth, numbness of the lips and tongue, shivering, muscle twitching, convulsions, and ultimately, cardiac arrest.
Fortunately, other forms of liposuction do not use large amounts of lidocaine so ask your doctor about the risks for lidocaine toxicity during liposuction.
Liposuction death
According to reports in medical literature, the risks of death due to liposuction are 3 for every 100,000 liposuction surgeries performed and the risk of death may increase with multiple surgeries performed during liposuction.
To minimize risks during liposuction, a patient must be healthy and a highly trained professional should conduct the procedure. Extracting large amounts of fat, general anesthesia, and/or performing multiple procedures during the same surgery all increase the risks.
Liposuction – it’s not for cellulite
Overall, liposuction is not the solution for cellulite and as discussed, liposuction removes deeper layers of fat. Since cellulite is superficial fat, which is not removed by liposuction. After liposuction, the effects such as lax skin further increase the appearance of cellulite. If you are not concerned with cellulite but hoping to remove fat that cannot be removed with exercise or diet than you might want to ask your doctor if liposuction is tight for you.
However, if you are looking for effective cellulite treatments consider treatments such as mesotherapy or acoustic wave therapy. Browse our cellulite treatments section for more information on treating your cellulite.
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