It is a conscious effort on the part of medical and health professionals to look for newer types of liposuction procedures to ensure safety and efficacy. While you can expect complications to arise with any surgery, there are certain choices that entail less risk on the patient's health.
Tumescent Liposuction
This type of liposuction procedure is done by injecting a solution such as epinephrine, lidocaine, and saline into the fat within the body. Lidocaine serves as the local anesthetic, while epinephrine constricts the capillaries within the fat. This solution contributes to the swelling of the fat tissues and firms it up. Due to the constriction of the capillaries, it takes a while for the body to absorb the lidocaine.
The patient is no longer required to undergo general anesthetic before the procedure is performed. Some doctors would recommend this type of procedure due to the minimal loss of blood, as compared to other types of liposuction.
Wet Liposuction Technique
This type of liposuction procedure uses general anesthesia. By injecting local anesthesia that contains epinephrine to the specific area it reduces the amount of blood loss. As compared to the dry technique though, there is still a large amount of blood loss for this technique. This is because blood comprises 15 to 20% of the total amount of tissues removed from the patient's body. After this procedure is done, blood transfusion is often required.
This used to be the most common technique used in liposuction. However, the implementation of this procedure has reduced over the years as safer methods are being developed.
Super-Wet Technique
The same with wet technique, this one also requires general anesthesia. Then, diluted local anesthesia solution is injected into the area of the body to be treated. Unlike wet technique though, blood consists of only about 8% of the total amount of tissues removed from the body.
Its main difference from the procedures mentioned above is the amount of solution injected into the fat tissues. The solution used for this technique is reduced as compared to the tumescent and wet technique, wherein there is very minimal lidocaine involved.
Ultrasonic Assisted Liposuction (UAL)
This type of liposuction procedure utilizes ultrasonic energy, which is delivered into the fat tissues of the body through a paddle or metal probe. This energy causes the fat to liquefy, thus making it easier to remove while also minimizing damage on the surrounding tissues and nerves.
Since this is a relatively new technique, surgeons proceed with caution when performing this technique. However, the introduction of this type of procedure has broadened the number of people who can now try liposuction.
Ultrasonic liposuction allows overweight individuals to undergo liposuction due to reduced level of blood loss. Meanwhile, patients who have undergone this procedure report less to no cases of post-operative pain.
Power Assisted Liposuction (PAL)
Just like Ultrasonic liposuction, power assisted liposuction is a new technique. As the name implies, it involves the use of power to create an oscillating movement on the cannula as it penetrates the body fats.
Because the device used is easy to control, it enables surgeons to precisely remove the unwanted fat. The vibrations caused by the oscillating movement of the tube enables fat to break up and suction out easily. When using this technique, the entire procedure generally takes lesser time to complete.
In a recent study by the Tulane University Health Sciences Center, it was revealed that using the PAL technique leads to 30% more fat removal as compared to manual liposuction. On the other hand, there is also a reduced period of recovery time for the patient.
But, as with any other surgery, there are certain risks involved with this procedure. Therefore, patients are advised to opt only for skilled doctors who have enough expertise and knowledge on using the PAL technique.
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