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Liposculpture Vs Liposuction
What is Liposculpture?
Liposculpture is an advanced form of liposuction but is slightly different to conventional liposuction. It is used particularly in the process of body contouring, which uses the removal and sometimes reshaping of fat to enhance the prominence and definition of muscles and certain problem areas of the body, like the stomach, chin and neck. Because it is usually performed under local anaesthetic it can avoid a lot of the swelling and bleeding associated with earlier forms of liposuction. An anaestheic solution is usually injected into the area being treated to constrict the arteries and blood vessels and keep potential bleeding and swelling to a minimum. Liposculpture differs from liposuction mainly because liposculpture usually removes less amounts of fat than liposuction and is more concerned specifically with body sculpting and more subtly reshaping certain areas of the body. It is used most commonly on the stomach, upper thighs, back and upper arms.
What is Liposuction?
Liposuction differs from liposculpture primarily in the sense that significantly more fat is removed in liposuction. Liposuction is used as a way of helping people to lose weight because larger amounts of fat can be removed, whereas liposculpture is used more to reshape certain areas of the body. Whereas the average amount of fat removed during liposculpture is 1 to 4 pounds, with liposuction amounts of around 12-14 pounds are regularly removed in a single session. Liposuction is not however a treatment for sever or morbid obesity, it would not be safe to remove amounts of that size. Weightloss surgery is more appropriate for morbidly obese people. But like liposculpture, liposuction can be used in a number of areas around the body including the stomach, upper thighs, buttocks, back, upper arms and chin. A small incision is usually made into which a cannula (small thin tube) is inserted. This is then moved from side to side to help break up and loosen the fat cells. A local anaesthetic is then injected into the fat to constrict the blood vessels and prevent excessive bleeding. The fat cells are then sucked out through the cannula. Because fat cells do not regenerate once they are removed, when it is removed it is usually gone permanently. Along with botox, it is the most common cosmetic procedure in the world.
Liposculpture v Liposuction - Which is best?
To be able to decide which of these two is best for you it's important to be aware of the benefits and disadvantages of both. If you are looking to just have a small amount of fat removed from a particular area then liposculpture would be preferable because liposculpture is not meant to significantly reduce body weight but instead is meant to improve the appearance of certain areas of the body. The amount of fat being removed will also affect cost - put simply the more fat is being removed the more expensive it will be. It has to be remembered though, that liposculpture is much more precise than normal liposuction and is more focused on adding shape and definition to particular areas, as opposed to simply removing quantities of fat. So basically, if you are looking to possibly add tone and definition to a certain area, like say your stomach, liposculpture would be more appropriate but if the area in question is larger requiring a greater amount of fat being removed, then conventional liposuction is needed.
Cost of Treatment and Recovery
As with any kind of cosmetic procedure, the costs will vary depending on several different factors. These factors can include the area of the country where you are being treated, the number of areas you are having treated and the amount of fat being removed from each area. Whether you are male or female can also influence the cost. In men the fat tends to be tougher and more fibrous and so is harder to get rid of and costs more. Prices in the UK for liposuction can range from £1500 to £5000. Generally, if you are in an inner-city the price tends to be cheaper because the competition for business is greater and this tends to bring prices down. Recovery time is generally quite minimal although obviously recovery will be longer if general anaesthesia is used. Most procedures these days are carried out using the tumescent technique which uses only local anaesthetic and patients can generally be discharged within an hour to 90 minutes of having surgery. Patients can expect most of the post-operative swelling to have completely gone after about 6 to 8 weeks. During this time patients should refrain from any vigorous physical activity to allow their wounds to heal smoothly. But most patients can return to work within a few days. Hopefully you now have a clearer idea of the differences between liposuction and liposculpture and what is involved in the respective procedures.