Men and Liposuction Surgery

In a 2011 survey, about 205,000 liposuction procedures were performed in the US, making it the third most commonly performed cosmetic plastic surgery.  Out of this number, 23,000 treatments were given on men, making this one of the most popular surgical enhancements for male patients.

While the goal of liposuction between men and women is the same—and that is to remove the unwanted fats to improve the figure—leading Los Angeles plastic surgeon Dr. TarickSmaili said anatomical differences must be considered to achieve the best result possible.

“By considering their differences, plastic surgeons can choose the right technique that would produce the desired outcome,” Smaili said.

Men have been found to have more fibrous, denser fats than women, making it more challenging to perform liposuction.  For this reason, male fat removal surgery is more expensive than if the procedure is performed on female.

Currently, the chest is the most commonly treated area in male liposuction.  Some men have excess fats in this area even if they have a normal and stable weight, resulting to a woman-like breast.  While this condition is “harmless,” it often leads to embarrassment that it has been reported that some sufferers intentionally gain weight just to make their large breasts less obvious.

The male chest contains very fibrous and dense fats that it has almost been a sacrosanct to inject the area with a tumescent solution prior to fat extraction.  This is a mixture of drugs that are designed to make the fatty tissues swollen, making it easier for them to be removed with cannula or suctioning probe.

After injecting the tumescent solution, the fats will start to swell.  Several tiny incisions are then created where the cannula is carefully inserted and pushed back and forth to remove the unwanted fats.  But in some cases, plastic surgeons use a power-assisted suction probe that releases accurate, small vibrations believed to make the extraction more effective and less “traumatic” to the surrounding tissue.

Aside from chest, a significant number of men seeking liposuction want to remove the excess fats from their abdomen and flanks, areas which are highly prone to fat bulges even if a person has a normal and stable weight. 

Meanwhile, there is a special kind of liposuction called abdominal etching which can create the much-coveted “six pack” appearance.  This is performed by removing some fats to form several grooves in the abdomen.

Patients should remember that liposuction is only applicable to those who have stable weight but have “isolated” pockets of fats.  The procedure is not a replacement for weight loss, diet, and exercise.

plastic surgery, liposuction

American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken looked different when he appeared on “Celebrity Apprentice.”  And with constant rumors of plastic surgery which started in January, the star broke his silence and admitted going under the knife to improve his appearance.

In an interview with host Andy Cohen, the 33-year-old singer said he had an operative surgery on his jaw and liposuction to remove the excess fats underneath his chin, giving him a more chiseled appearance these days.

While Aiken’s chin liposuction was a cosmetic procedure, his surgery on the jaw—as he claimed—was performed to address his temporomandibular joint disorder which can lead to chronic pain or in extreme cases impairment of jaw function.

From boyish appearance to a manlier look, Aiken seems to be more confident with the result of plastic surgery; in fact too confident to diss Rhianna and told the television audience that she may not “survive” the first round of American Idol with her pitchy voice.

Aiken is not the first star who admitted going under the knife; just recently, Susan Sarandon said she had facial liposuction to contour her chin and jaw line, thereby giving her a more youthful appearance.  But unlike other celebrities who have gone “overboard,” the 65-year-old actress believe that a more “conservative approach in cosmetic procedures” is the right thing to do.

“If you can’t move your face or if you’re unrecognizable, I don’t see how that’s a productive enhancement,” Sarandon was once quoted saying.

Freezing the Fats an Alternative to Liposuction?

Traditional liposuction is conducted by injecting fats with tumescent solution before a pen-like device is inserted into small incisions to remove the fatty tissues underneath the skin.  While this is an effective body contouring technique, one tradeoff is the long recovery which often lasts a week or so.

However, there is a new fat reduction technique that may serve as an alternative to liposuction.  With CoolSculpting, plastic surgeons can remove the excess fats by freezing them; once the fatty tissues are destroyed, the body can naturally flush them after a couple of months.

This new technology has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration as a fat reduction method.  But patients should always remember that it should only be performed by board certified plastic surgeons and dermatologists.

This non-surgical liposuction technique starts by marking the fatty areas and covering them with a gel pad to protect the skin from extreme temperature.  Doctors will then press a hand-held device which has two cooling panels.

It is important that the CoolSculpting device is pressed against the skin for a certain amount of time to ensure that the fatty cells are damaged by the extremely low temperature.  Then, the once dense fats will turn into a liquid form, allowing the body to flush them out naturally, a process that can take two to four months.

Because it takes time for the body to flush out the liquefied, damaged fats, the final result can be seen after a few months.  Meanwhile, patients should remember that they would likely need more than one treatment to achieve a noticeable improvement.

During the procedure, there will be some pulling sensation and a mild, tolerable coldness.  Overall, the treated area will feel numb as if an ice pack has been applied.

Compared with other fat reduction surgery, CoolSculpting is considered safer.  First and foremost, it does not involve the use of incisions, anesthesia, needles, and pain medications.  But still, the treatment should only be conducted by a licensed medical practitioner to ensure the safety of patients.

The fat reduction technique, while effective as a body contouring treatment, cannot replace the benefits of traditional liposuction in terms of removing large amounts of fats or what doctors call “debulking.” 

Patients should remember that CoolSculpting involves some temporary side effects including numbness, minor bruising, cramping, tingling, and redness in the treated area.  But unlike the traditional liposuction, they can return to normal activities right after their treatment.

Six-Packs Achievable Via Liposuction?

Liposuction is a cosmetic procedure that uses a pen-like device to suction out the unwanted fats which do not respond to rigorous exercise and diet.  But with the advances in plastic surgery, this treatment is also used to create six-packs abs.

Despite countless of hours in the gym, some people will not achieve the much coveted six-packs because of genetic predisposition.  Also the excess fats in the abdominal area tend to be stubborn that no matter how some individuals perform rigorous exercises, the bulges seem not to go away.

Abdominal etching is a special type of liposuction in which the plastic surgeons use a cannula (pen-like device) that is smaller than the one used during the traditional technique.  With this instrument, doctors strategically remove the excess fats to create grooves which in turn results to the appearance of six-packs.

Usually, doctors create several small incisions (about 1-2mm in length) which can heal quickly without causing visible scars in most cases.

Abdominal etching through liposuction surgery is typically conducted under general anesthesia, though some plastic surgeons prefer using “twilight” anesthesia which can sedate the patients but they will still remain awake.  And as a relatively simply procedure, most patients can return just a few hours following their operation.

Of course, the small incision and removal of excess fats can still lead to pain and discomfort which is the most pronounced during the first to second day following liposuction.  To control this symptom, doctors recommend over-the-counter or prescribed pain medications.

To further minimize the pain, plastic surgeons recommend compression garments wrapped around the abdomen.  By wearing them, the skin will also retract and heal closer to the body and the patients can shorten their recovery.

Ideally, compression garments are worn three to six weeks at all time even during sleep (except when bathing), depending on the surgeon’s instruction.

Because of the swelling, the grooves that create the six-packs abs will not be apparent within the first few weeks.  In most cases, it takes about six months before the patients see the muscular appearance.

But as with any cosmetic surgery, abdominal etching through liposuction has its own limitations and disadvantages.  First and foremost, it cannot create a muscular appearance for patients who are 25 pounds heavier than their ideal weight; another consideration to make is that significant weight fluctuations can totally reverse the result.

Since maintaining normal weight is the most important thing after abdominal etching, plastic surgeons consider a patient’s willingness to stick to a healthier way of life—e.g., regular exercise and moderate diet.

Life After Liposuction Surgery

While liposuction surgery aims to remove the excess fats underneath the skin, it should never be seen as promising substitute to weight loss.  In fact, a good plastic surgeon would not perform the procedure if a patient is not willing to stick to a healthy lifestyle which include moderate diet and regular exercise.

In a 2004 study, researchers found that liposuction patients are three times more likely to gain weight if they would not follow a healthy diet; they are also four times more susceptible to weight fluctuation than average individuals if they fail to exercise regularly. 

However, the good news is that the result of liposuction can last a lifetime as long as the patients will live a healthy lifestyle.  In fact, the study has suggested that patients who follow a moderate diet are twice more likely to lose weight than average people.

The finding clearly shows what many plastic surgeons have always been telling their patients: liposuction is a not a quick fix for weight loss.  To put it safely, this cosmetic surgery should only be seen as an adjunct to healthy diet and regular exercise.

The study, which involved 209 patients who had liposuction between 1999 and 2003, has focused on the respondents’ lifestyle habits, satisfaction with the final result, and treated areas.  Meanwhile, most of them had the procedure more than two years before the survey.

About 43 percent of the respondents reported gaining weight after liposuction, with most of them experiencing weight gain between 5 and 10 pounds.  Majority of these patients or 90 percent of them did not stick to regular exercise.

About 78 percent of the respondents who gained weight were also found to have unhealthy diet.

By contrast, about 57 percent who did not gain weight said they increased their exercise duration while 50 percent said they were eating a healthier diet after their liposuction surgery.

Liposuction is a cosmetic procedure that falls under the category of body contouring; this simply means that overweight and obese patients, and people who are experiencing weight fluctuations cannot enjoy its benefits.  In fact, repeating lipo in the same area is not generally recommended because it can lead to higher risk of skin irregularities, sagging, and other aesthetic problems.

Liposuction is primarily intended to reshape the body areas which do not respond to diet and exercise.  These “problematic areas” are usually the abdomen, flanks, hips, male breasts, upper arms, and thighs.

Brazilian Butt Lift with Fat Grafting on Hips

During the previous years, the only way to augment the buttocks was to use a solid silicone implant, which does not pose risk of leak unlike the one used in   .

But after plastic surgeons have found ways to increase the survival rate of the grafted fats, using these tissues to augment the buttocks has become possible.  The procedure, which is called the Brazilian butt lift, is increasingly becoming popular in the US and other parts of the world.

However, many women with small, deflated-looking buttocks also have narrow hips which look disproportional to the body especially for those with a wide chest or large breasts.  For these patients, targeting only the derriere and leaving the hip untreated may not provide the best result.

It is important to note that injecting fats to the narrow hips and small buttocks will likely result to the much coveted figure in a woman—the hourglass.  But unfortunately, treating these two areas with fat grafting may be challenging or sometimes even impossible due to the limited amount of excess fats.

During a fat grafting procedure, plastic surgeons conduct a liposuction surgery to remove the fatty deposits from the donor site—it can be the abdomen, thighs, flanks, hips, upper arms, and other areas abundant with these tissues.  

But after liposuction, the collected fats are not immediately injected to the body as doing so can result to temporary result as they are just reabsorbed by the surrounding tissue.  To prevent this from happening, these are subjected to a purification method that separates the blood, connective tissue, and other impurities from the fatty cells.

However, a 500cc of liposuctioned fats can only provide about 60cc to 50cc of purified fats, making it challenging to augment both the hips and buttocks at the same time.

Nonetheless, the amount of excess fats from the body can still determine the possibility of treating both the hips and buttocks.  This approach is achievable for patients with a large abdominal area and narrow hips that almost result to a “barrel-shaped” figure.

While injecting fats to the narrow hips is not a well-prescribed procedure, a handful of plastic surgeons have successfully performed this on their patients.

To treat female patients with a “barrel-shaped” figure, cosmetic surgeons liposuction the abdominal area to remove the fats.  The procedure alone can significantly define the waistline and make the hips appear less narrow.

The collected fats, which are purified to increase their survival rate to at least 65 percent, are injected to the buttocks; any leftover fat is then introduced into the narrow hips to make it wider and appear proportional to the body.

Healing After Abdominal Liposuction

Perhaps the abdomen or tummy is one of the most commonly treated areas in liposuction surgery in which the localized fats are removed using cannula, a hollowed steel tube that is attached to a vacuum pump.

Tummy liposuction, as with any cosmetic surgery, requires recovery although patients are likely to resume their normal activities just within a few days.  But just to be on the safe side, they should avoid strenuous activities and heavy lifting for several weeks after the treatment.

During the first two to three days of recovery, pain is the most pronounced although this can be easily minimized by over-the-counter or prescribed pain medications not stronger than acetaminophen (Tylenol).  The discomfort is almost similar to the muscle soreness experienced after having a long, strenuous exercise.

Usually, the skin is very sensitive to the touch and even to the slightest movement in the abdominal area; the pain is almost similar to that of a severe sunburn.  Also, there is minimal discomfort while sitting and walking.

Unlike during the previous years, the standard liposuction today is performed completely under local anesthesia, and as a result, there is no need to take any painkiller immediately after the treatment.

A day after surgery, most patients can see a dramatic improvement in the appearance of their waistline.  The immediate result has become possible with the introduction of open-drainage technique in which plastic surgeons allow the small incisions open so as to encourage the anesthetic and excess body fluids to leak.

And to further hasten the drainage of the anesthesia and body fluids, patients are made to wear compression garments for three days to a week, depending on when will the leaks stop.

Because of the compression garments and open-drainage, most of the swelling will be gone for a few days, however, it may take four to 12 weeks before all the residual symptoms completely subside.  But still, the recovery is significantly shorter nowadays compared to the previous years when liposuction was always performed under general anesthesia and required longer incisions.

Aside from encouraging faster drainage, compression garments also allow the skin to heal closer to the body in order to prevent sagging.

Despite some pain and discomfort especially during the first few days of recovery, patients are advised not to remain in bed, but rather take a gentle, short walk inside their home or around their neighborhood as soon as possible to encourage normal blood circulation, which in turn leads to less swelling and faster healing.