In our center, we use the tumescent technique — which allows the safe removal of fat with minimal blood loss. This technique involves the placement of fluid that constricts blood vessels and allows a customized small tube or cannula to move through the tissues with less resistance and much less trauma. Small incisions are closed with a single stitch.
Also available is ultrasound-assisted liposuction, which uses sound waves to disrupt the fat cell wall, making it easier to remove fat in some particularly fibrous areas. It is most useful for male patients with gynecomastia, or for areas that have previously been treated, and does add to the cost of the procedure.
One of the remarkable things about liposuction is that the fat cells that are removed cannot regenerate, so the treated areas are permanently recontoured. Generalized weight gain could still occur with a drastic change in diet or exercise but patients do not complain of the stubborn bulges recurring. In our practice this procedure seems to be a motivating force to stay fit and healthy because the real problem areas have been dramatically improved.