Liposuction

Eat right, exercise… stay fat anyway. That's the sad reality for millions of overweight people. When one's daily caloric intake drops below the level needed for daily activities, the body naturally taps its stored fat as a fuel reserve, and weight loss follows. But for some people, even being fit isn't enough to get rid of all excess body fat. DNA and other factors sometimes result in areas of stubborn body fat that simply won't go away - it seems that the body will burn muscle tissue before it touches those love handles or that fat neck!
For those unfortunates who simply cannot get rid of that last bit of stubborn fat in the hips, abdomen, face, thighs and/or buttocks, it may seem that the only remaining solution is physically chopping the bulges off.
And strangely enough, it is. The stubborn fat isn't literally chopped off with a scalpel, of course - but it can be physically removed from the body using a surgical technique called liposuction.
Most people have heard of liposuction. It's a well-known technique used for shaping and contouring specific areas of the body using a type of suction device to remove excess body fat. For the slightly overweight patient in good general health, liposuction can be the best method of bringing areas of the body afflicted with "stubborn fat" into proper proportion.
Depending upon the extent of the excess fat to be removed, liposuction may be performed on an inpatient basis in a hospital or on an outpatient basis in a clinic or doctor's private surgery. If the liposuction procedure is to be lengthy or extensive, the patient may be sedated and placed under general anesthesia; otherwise, the patient remains fully awake and aware as the surgeon operates on the affected area after placing it under local anesthesia.
Once the patient is unconscious or the area to be operated upon is numbed, the surgeon uses a short length of flexible tubing to connect a suction pump to the actual liposuction instrument, a short, metal syringe-like device called the cannula. He or she then makes a small incision in the skin at the appropriate spot, inserts the cannula into the fat layer that lies between the skin and underlying muscle, and activates the pump. Air pressure then forces the loose fat cells and surrounding fluids into the cannula, down the tube, through the pump, and into a disposal container. The incision is cleaned, closed, and bandaged, and the patient is moved into a recovery area.
Recovery from a routine liposuction procedure is usually rapid. Other than some bruising, swelling, and tenderness in the vicinity of the incisions, complications from successful liposuction are generally few and mild. The surgeon will specify a course of ordinary, over-the-counter pain relievers or prescription pain medicines based upon the patient's level of discomfort during recovery.
As do all forms of surgery, liposuction carries with it a certain amount of risk. Secondary infections, fluid accumulation, scarring, skin discoloration and other complications from surgery are all possible. In rare instances, patients undergoing liposuction have died. Anyone contemplating liposuction should carefully consider the risks prior to making a decision.
Liposuction is a safe and effective means of eliminating areas of stubborn, excess fat. It is not a cure for obesity. For those with a small amount of fat that just won't go away, eating right and exercise - and liposuction, if appropriate - remain the best approach to take.

Liposuction, one of the most popular cosmetic procedures, isn't a cure for obesity. For more information on whether you're an ideal candidate for liposuction, visit The Plastic Surgery Channel .