LIPOSUCTION

Vaser Liposuction in Melbourne and Brisbane by The Doctor’s Studio is a much gentler and less dramatic cosmetic surgery procedure than traditional liposuction. In a Vaser liposuction procedure, a modified local anaesthetic solution is injected into the treatment area to reduce bleeding and postoperative discomfort, and increase the efficiency of the fat removal process.

Following that, a cannula is inserted through a small incision and ultrasonic energy is delivered to the fat cells. Rather than using mechanical force, ultrasound energy breaks up and liquefies fat cells, allowing them to be easily suctioned from the body without damaging nearby tissues.

Vaser liposuction may be most beneficial to patients who want to refine smaller features of more fibrous fat, such as the neck, chin, thighs, knees, buttocks, hips, arms, and stomach.

The Doctor’s Studio practices the “Vaser” liposuction procedure which was first introduced into Australia in 2005 and was advanced by Dr Alfredo Hoyos with his Hi Def technique.

A machine generates ultrasound waves transmitted through the tip of a cannula so that the energy is delivered right to the fat cells, liquifying them. Other tissue is not affected, unlike standard liposuction.

The cannulas used are more gentle than standard ones. This makes removing the liquified fat cells easier, which means less bleeding and a faster recovery.

The results are also smoother because the fat cells are easy to “vacuum”.

An added benefit is the greater skin contraction, stimulated by the heat produced by the ultrasonic waves.

Cannulas used in Vaser liposuction have multiple openings to allow even collection of fat cells in the layer of fat that sits on top of the muscle. For high-definition liposuction, a second cannula is used with a single opening, enabling the fat cells to be removed closer to the surface to allow visual muscle definition.

Ideally, liposuction is for people happy with their overall size and shape other than one or two areas with disproportionately more fat. Mostly these are people in good health who exercise and eat a high-quality diet but just can’t seem to shift difficult areas. They have found that focal fat reduction (for example, doing sit-ups to reduce abdominal fat) does not work.

If you have a prominent abdomen, you may have fat within the abdominal cavity, behind the muscle. This problem responds best to exercise and to eat well and cannot be improved with liposuction. Only the fat in front of the muscle can be reduced with liposuction.

Most patients feel sore for five to seven days. They can usually return to work after 1-2 weeks if a desk job, and up to 3-4 weeks if a physical job. Your recovery will be discussed with Dr Topchian at your consultation. Special support garments need to be worn for four weeks. These are firm, supportive, elastic outfits that help to speed recovery and improve the contour. They are essential to achieving a good result.

By the end of the first month, most people feel back to normal as most of the swelling has gone down. There may still be some bruising and numbness which lasts for another few weeks.

The final result is usually seen at around the three-month stage when all the swelling should have settled and the skin contracted. The small incisions continue to improve for a year or two, becoming a barely visible blemish for most people.

Pain is usually manageable with analgesics. Lymphatic drainage massage can speed the recovery process and will be discussed if this is appropriate for you.

Some people are concerned that the body can produce more fat or that the fat can move. This is not the case. The removal of fat is permanent.

Once you have a new shape, it will remain. But if you are in a positive energy balance (overeat or exercise too little), you will gain weight again and be a larger version of your new shape. The opposite is also true.

For some patients, it is worth seeing a doctor who specialises in Bioidentical Hormone Balancing as the balance between hormones may contribute to enlarging some fat deposits more than others.

The technique can be used in most areas, but some respond better than others:

• Arms, thighs, knees, calves, hips, back – these are commonly operated on with a good outcome
• Abdomen – responds well in the right patient; can be a good alternative to an abodminoplasty
• Chin – responds very well in most people and heals quickly
• Suprapubic/mons – an area that responds well. It can cause genital bruising for a few weeks but resolves.
• Breasts – liposculpture can be used as an alternative to surgical breast reduction in women who want to reduce by approximately one cup size
• Buttocks – can be slightly improved but will not tolerate large volume removal

The scars after Liposuction are nearly invisible for most people and cannot be seen after a few months of healing. The incision sites may darken for a few months but usually return to a more normal shade for people with dark skin.

One of the challenges of this operation from a surgeon’s perspective is knowing when the right amount of fat has been removed from an area. If too much is removed, the skin might be too loose and not contract enough.

Younger patients with more elastic skin are more likely to have skin that contracts well. Older patients who have sun damage, loose skin, or lost significant weight before the procedure are more likely to have loose skin after liposuction. With the Vaser ultrasonic machine, the retraction of skin is enhanced.

For most healthy people, no blood tests are required. Special tests may be necessary if there are medications or past medical history which may affect the operation or anaesthetic.

When compared to traditional liposuction, Vaser liposuction in Melbourne and Brisbane by The Doctor’s Studio offers a number of compelling advantages for many patients, including its ability to tighten the skin*. The skin and the structures that suspend the skin are heated by ultrasound technology as the stubborn fat cells are melted. This causes the collagen fibres in the skin to contract, tightening the skin in the treated areas of the body. As a result, Vaser Liposuction patients have a lower risk of skin dimpling or sagging, experience less pain, reduced bruising, and shorter recovery time**. 

Because the fat cells in a Vaser Liposuction procedure have been liquified before removal, patients can achieve smoother body contouring results. These outcomes are enhanced further during the recovery process, as well as after wearing compression garments and receiving lymphatic massages.

Other significant advantages over traditional liposuction include less swelling and slightly smaller incisions. Risks and side effects are reduced, and local pain relief*** can be used to provide prolonged post-operative pain relief. The Vaser technique allows for more selective and precise fat removal (ab etching, muscle definition)

*Ref: Hoyos AE, Millard JA. Aesthet Surg J. 2007;27(6):594-604

**Ref: Di Giuseppe A, Shiffman MA. Aesthetic plastic surgery of the abdomen. Springer International Publishing Switzerland; 2016

***Ref: Hoyos AE. High Definition Liposculpting. In: Body Contouring: Art, Science, and Clinical Practice. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg; 2010: p. 419-424.
Serdev NP. Ultrasound Assisted Liposculpture – UAL: A Simplified Safe Body Sculpturing and Aesthetic Beautification Technique, Advanced Techniques in Liposuction and Fat Transfer. IntechOpen;2011.
Nagy MW, Vanek PF Jr. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2012;129(4):681e-689e.