Dr. Popp said the gold standard of liposuction is called tumescent liposuction. In this process, areas of the body are numbed using local anesthesia. Small punctures are made in the skin with a needle, which injects a solution to break down the fat.
With local anesthesia, patients are able to be fully aware and awake during the procedure. They can walk around on their own after their surgery.
Dr. Popp said using a local anesthetic is much safer for the patient and offers fewer complications than using a general anesthetic where a patient is unconscious during the entire procedure.
The biggest myth about liposuction
…is partially true! Some people will ask why they should bother to get liposuction if the fat that is sucked out will just go to another part of the body in the future.
According to Dr. Popp, fat will go to another area only if you gain weight. If you stay within 5-10 pounds of the weight you are at when you get liposuction done, you will be just fine.
But if you gain something like 20-30 pounds, you will see fat deposits in areas other than those where you had the liposuction. The reason for that is the areas (like the stomach) that have fat removed no longer have fat cells and thus any new weight gain will not occur there. The pounds pick a site where fat cells are still active.
People who are seeking liposuction to fix obesity issues are bound to be disappointed. Dr. Popp explained that even if he performs liposuction on an individual that is obese, they would still look it even after the procedure. “Liposuction originally came about to fix small areas that were diet and exercise resistant. That’s what it’s meant to fix,” said Dr. Popp.
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