High definition liposculpture is a fairly new type of cosmetic surgery conceived with the intent of helping those who have the desire to have some of their features sculpted to near perfection. The procedure is targeted toward otherwise healthy men and women who are active, work out and really care about their appearance. By targeting the problem areas of an individual who just can’t seem to get rid of the last five or ten pounds of unwanted fat, high definition liposculpture has found its own individual niche in the world of plastic surgery.
The new technology that allows very specific targeting of fatty deposits was developed by a company named VASER and high definition liposculpture is often referred to as “vaser liposculpture.” Because it is so new, only a small portion of doctors are performing this specialized form of liposuction. The procedure is done on an outpatient basis. The actual surgery is minimally invasive and a patient is given local anesthesia and sometimes IV sedation. Depending on the amount of work done, a patient can be ready to go back home in a few hours.
Discussing Hi Def Liposculpture With Your Doctor
When you first go to the doctor’s office, the doctor will sit down with you and discuss the problem areas you wish to address. Next, you will need to disrobe and pictures will be taken from a number of different angles and evaluated with the doctor. Before the surgery begins, the doctor will mark the areas of your body to serve as a guide for the actual surgery. He will create a sort of topographical map, dividing areas into different sections and noting where the body bulges excessively. Once that is done, you will be ready for the procedure.
You will lay back on the operating table and the doctor or assisting nurse will administer some local anesthesia to the area (usually novacaine or something similar) that is targeted. If you are the nervous type or just want to relax a little more, an IV drip will be set up to give you some calming sedation. Next, the doctor will make one or several small incisions and thread a thin tube through the incision. Ultrasonic waves will be enabled and targeted to the fatty area, causing them to emulsify. The resulting liquified fat will be removed with suction. Once all of the fat has been removed from the targeted area, the procedure is complete. A small bandage will be placed over the incision and you’ll have a little time to recover from the surgery before going home.
HD Liposculpture Is Minimally Invasive
Generally speaking, after the minimally invasive high definition liposculpture is completed, you will experience only very minor pain, if any at all. There may be no bruising or swelling hours after the surgery, but, it is common for some bruising and swelling to crop up a few days after the surgery. This should go away in a day or two and when you come back to the doctor in a week or so for a follow up visit, you will be back to normal.
It is the new liposculpture technology that allows you to go home almost immediately after the surgery. Unlike more traditional liposuction procedures, the ultrasonic technology used to perform vaser hi def liposculpture is much better able to target just the fatty areas and leave the surrounding blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue alone. The more cumbersome older technology gets rid of the fat, but takes nerves, blood vessels and connective tissue along for the ride. This ability to target only the fat deposit, gives the new technology many advantages over the traditional method.
How Risky Is High Definition Liposculpture?
The first thing one could say about high definition liposculpture is that it is less risky than traditional liposuction surgery. Smaller incisions and targetted fat removal reduce the possibility of infection and damage to the surrounding nerves, blood vessels and connective tissue. There is much less bruising and swelling, so, your recovery period will be shorter and not as uncomfortable. Using local anesthesia and IV sedation as opposed to general anesthesia also reduces the risk. Finally, the new procedure leaves the patient with a more defined and artistically sculpted body.
High definition liposculpture has been described as science meeting art. Michelangelo’s David has been a model of what the ideal male body should look like. Doctors using liposculpture are able to take just the right amount of fat from the right part of the body to achieve very desirable results. They must know human anatomy very well and use their creativity to create depth and shadow that will truly bring out the muscular features of a well sculpted body. There is the medical aspect of liposculpture, but, the artistic side is just as important for getting results the patient will love.
Why High Definition Liposculpture Can Be Beneficial
So why do otherwise healthy and in shape people choose to undergo the high definition liposculpture procedure? A good part of it is probably due to vanity. Everyone wants to look as good as they can and some will go to whatever lengths are required to achieve so called perfection. Self image is a very powerful driving force for those trying to be the best they can be. Many candidates for this targeted fat removal procedure belong to a gym, excercise three or four times a week, run twenty miles and still can’t get that little bit of fat under their arms to disappear.
Women want to look perfect in their bikini when they are exposed to the watchful eyes of the opposite sex. In the world of business, as sad a commentary as it may be on societal norms, the beautiful people are more apt to be selected for jobs, receive promotions and advance up the corporate ladder. Well, for those people that would like to fix the little problem areas that exercise and diet have not been able to, high definition liposculpture is a good solution. The procedure is not cheap and insurance usually won’t cover elective surgery. If you can afford it, consider it an investment in both body and mind.
The United States have employed an initiative for obese individuals to lose weight. Advertisements for weight loss supplements, exercise machines, and even weight loss reality shows are all nudging America to achieve a firm and tone body. Most individuals try to accomplish this through gyms and other techniques. However, some areas of the body may not tone despite all of the effort poured into a healthy regimen. Techniques have been developed to assist the individual with achieving the tone without exercise.
Ultrasonic liposculpture uses ultrasound technology to sculpt and contour the body when traditional exercise fails to work. This procedure was developed initially in the 1990s and has progressed to include more advanced techniques, such as power-assisted liposuction (PAL). Traditional ultrasonic liposculpture procedures are often referred to as “Vaser Hi Def.” Ultrasonic liposculture or Vaser Hi Def liposculpture is not usually intended for significant weight loss. The procedure is designed for the individual who has put in 90 percent of the work and needs extra help toning areas that have been resistant to exercise. Many individuals employ this technique directly before summer time to achieve a more athletically toned body for beach attire.
Uses for Ultrasonic Liposculpture
Many of the females have used ultrasonic liposculpture to tone thighs, buttocks, hips or breasts. Males have used ultrasonic liposculpture to achieve chiseled abs, to rid the body of excess back fat or chest fat often associated with gynecomastia.
Description of Ultrasonic Liposculpture
Ultrasonic liposculpture is employed when the fat in the area would be more easily removed if in a liquid form. Fibrous fat cells are more difficult to remove. These types of cells may be located in the chest or flank of the body. A specialized probe is used to transmit ultrasonic sound waves into the affected area of the body. The high energy sound waves act as an agent to liquefy the fat to aid in removal. The process works by vibrating the fat cells to cause them to erupt inside the body and turn into a liquid.
Prior to this process the physician numbs the area with a tumescent fluid. This fluid consists of a combination of epinephrine and lidocaine. Epinephrine has vasoconstrictive properties. It shrinks the capillaries; therefore, minimal blood is loss during the procedure. In fact, most patients only lose 3 teaspoons of blood or less. Lidocaine acts as a numbing agent. This allows the patient to feel minimum pain when the physician inserts the cannulas, a small metal tube, to remove the liquefied fat cells.
Risks Associated with Ultrasonic Liposculpture
Ultrasonic liposculpture should only be used by skilled physician. The procedure is very risky and may cause damage to unintended surrounding tissues, skin and nerves. Ultrasonic liposculpture increases risks for burns, blistering, and scarring. Seromas are also more likely with this process. Seromas occur when the body produces excess fluid to replace the fat removed. This problem may persist until removed via a syringe.
External ultrasonic liposculpture, in some respects, may have slightly more risks than internal ultrasonic liposculpture. The high energy beams often cannot be directed solely to the specific area, especially when applied externally. External ultrasonic liposcupture is a non-invasive technique that is applied to the surface of the skin. Because it is applied externally, the risks of affecting unintended tissues magnify. Internal ultrasonic liposuction requires an incision to direct the ultrasonic energy to the desired area. The ultrasonic energy also allows the physician to make a more precise removal of fat cells compared to other procedures. This was thought to provide less damage to surrounding tissues and nerves.
Many doctors have abandoned the used of internal and external ultrasonic liposculpture all together. They abandoned the technique because the procedure took twice as long as a traditional liposculpture technique. There were risks of not only bruising, infection, allergic reaction, swelling and pain, but also of damaging or liquefying fat in unintended areas. Once liquefied, physicians often were forced to remove fat in areas that they had not intended. This sometimes caused deformity or uneven areas of skin.
Now, doctors are migrating towards power assisted liposculpture (PAL) techniques, which will be discussed in detail in the next section. Though many physicians still perform the technique, internal ultrasonic liposculpture may soon be obsolete. According to a study of 250 patients in 1998, ultrasonic liposculpture was deemed safe despite the fact that patients 11.2 percent of the patients developed seromas and others developed blisters. After reading the study, many physicians independently decided that tumescent liposculpture with microcannulas was safer than this particular technique. Many physicians will list on their websites that they will no longer perform this procedure because of the risks involved. Several years ago European surgeons decided to forgo performing this procedure. According to one physician, the United States no longer manufactures the internal ultrasonic machines.
Power Assisted Liposculpture Technique
Power Assisted Liposculpture does not liquefy the fat cells by causing them to erupt. Instead, power assisted liposculpture allows the surgeon to insert the cannula without making any manual movements to disrupt the fat cells. This procedure works because is actually shakes the fat cells loose, causing them to be easily removed without liquefying the cells.
Candidates for Ultrasonic or Power Assisted Liposculpture
Individuals who are in good health and are between the ages of 16 and 80 are good candidates for ultrasonic liposculpture. Those individuals who have fat in areas that are resistant to toning despite diet and exercise are good candidates. Those individuals, who are only moderately overweight by 10 to 20 pounds, are good candidates. All candidates must understand that ultrasonic liposculpture is not a substitution for exercise and a good diet.
Recovery After Ultrasonic Liposculpture
Depending upon the affected area, it may take between 2 and 5 days to recover. After this time period, most patients can resume exercising and return to work. Many physicians recommend wearing a dressing over the affected area to aid in the liposculpture recovery process. Since most individuals do not produce fat cells after the puberty stage, removing the fat cells will be a permanent procedure. Individuals, who do gain weight, will expand the current cells in the body.