You know you have them, we all do — unwanted pockets of fat that, no matter what you do, don’t respond to your efforts. They’re kind of like a two-year-old screaming and writhing about on the floor of the candy aisle at Shaw’s because he can’t have the giant Reese’s. You can do thousands of crunches and the fat on your stomach says, “Is that all you got?!” Or try devising an exercise regimen to get rid of the fat under your jawline. Exactly what exercises would do that?
For our UMass Memorial patients, the answer is liposuction. Liposuction vacuums away unwanted fat pockets forever, leaving the patient with a smooth, slim contour. Our team of board-certified plastic surgeons perform liposuction at our two UMass Memorial locations in Worcester and on Cape Cod.
Where can I have liposuction?
People think of liposuction and the lower abdomen, but it really can be used across the body. Here are the more common areas patients opt to have the procedure:
· Abdomen
· Neck/Chin
· Upper arms
· Breasts
· Hips
· Thighs
· Back
· Knees
· Male Chest
Today’s smaller cannulas make many of these areas accessible. Our UMass Memorial surgeons can be very precise in the fat they remove. This wasn’t the case with the larger cannulas first used when liposuction was developed in the 1980s.
How we perform liposuction
At UMass Memorial, we provide different types of assisted liposuction, depending on the patient’s individual situation. We may use power-assisted lipo, where the cannula vibrates to help break loose fat; ultrasound-assisted lipo, where sound waves do the same; laser-assisted liposuction, where laser energy liquefies fat cells; or water-assisted liposuction, where water is sprayed from the cannula to help dislodge the fat cells. In all liposuction procedures, we first inject the target areas with a saline solution that also has local anesthetic and adrenaline in it. This keeps the patient comfortable and reduces bleeding. Next, we make multiple small incisions to gain access to the area. The cannula is then inserted to break loose and remove the unwanted fat cells.
Recovery
Liposuction recovery has become much easier when compared to the early days, as well. Most patients now can return to work in just a day or two and can resume regular activities in two weeks. A compression garment is worn under the clothes for 4-6 weeks afterwards to both control swelling and to help the skin conform to its new underlying contour.
Want to get rid of some unwanted fat this fall? Call the team at UMass Memorial, (508) 334-5990, and set up a consultation for liposuction.
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