Different Types of Liposuction

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Liposuction, also known as lipoplasty or liposculpture suction lipectomy (“suction-assisted fat removal”), is a cosmetic surgery operation that removes fat in any part of the body. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, liposuction is the most famous surgery operation in America performed in 2006 with 403,684 patients. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons defines “large” in this context as being more than 5 liters (around 10½ pints). Liposuction is frequently done on the abdomen and thighs in women and the abdomen and flanks in men. The main goal of liposuction is not to reduce body weight but to reshape one or more areas of the body. Liposuction is typically used on “problem” areas that have not responded well to diet and exercise due to some circumstances. There are also other areas of the body that are treated by liposuction rather than the abdomen and the thigh. The commonly treated areas are the face, neck, abdomen, back, buttocks, legs, and upper arms.

There are several types of liposuction. According to LipoSite.com, the types include laser-assisted liposuction, PAL (power-assisted liposuction), SAL (suction-assisted liposuction), TCAL (twin cannula-assisted liposuction), tumescent liposuction, and UAL (ultrasonic-assisted liposuction).

In laser-assisted liposuction, fat melts using a concentrated laser beam light, which starts to break down your fatty tissue with less inflammation, less bruising, and less bleeding. PAL uses a mechanical cannula that extracts fat with smaller incisions and a more precise and shorter surgical experience. SAL is a traditional liposuction method using a small cannula attached to a pressurized vacuum. With TCAL, a twin cannula is used in this mechanical method that removes most of the labor on your plastic surgeon's part. There is no burning and less scarring when using the twin cannula. Tumescent liposuction uses tumescent fluid injected into the fatty tissue; the plastic surgeon uses a cannula to suction out the fat while your blood vessels contract, resulting in less blood loss and less bruising. Unlike lasers and suction, UAL stimulates the fatty tissue's cells causing them to rupture and liquefy and then get extracted.

About the Author:
Dr. Kevin Teh is an experienced general practitioner with a special interest in Aesthetic Medicine and subsequently built up years of experience with rigorous training in various disciplines.