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Liposuction

What is it?
Method of sucking out excess fat through a small incision in the skin.

Timings
Treatment takes around 2 hours. Effect is permanent.

Cost
£1,000 - £5,000, depending on size of area treated.

What is liposuction?
Many people have a tendency to accumulate fat in particular areas of their body, often the hips, but also the tummy, thighs, ankles, neck or arms.
These fatty deposits are often reluctant to respond to diet or exercise. Liposuction removes the fat permanently and, because fat cells don't regenerate in adults, the newly contoured shape is permanent.

What liposuction can do.
Liposuction can create an improved body shape, and has become a much safer procedure over the last 10 years. It works best on younger people with firm, elastic skin, who have stubborn areas of fat in specific parts of the body.

What liposuction can't do.
Liposuction isn't suitable for people who are very overweight, as it is inadvisable to remove more than three litres of fat from any one area during treatment. Nor is it a long-term solution to all further weight problems as any fat you gain after treatment will accumulate in untreated areas of the body.

What happens during treatment?
You will probably have a general anaesthetic. The surgeon inserts a hollow tube through small incisions around the area, while keeping the skin connected to underlying tissue and muscles. This tube is used to break up the fat under the skin, and the fat is then sucked out, either using a large syringe or a vacuum pump.

Results
Fat is removed permanently, and body contour improved. It can take up to six months for the skin to retract fully and bruising and swelling to disappear completely, so that you can see the full effect of the treatment.

Risks
There are always slight risks associated with general anaesthetic.
Skin could fail to retract well, and be left sagging. This is a particular risk when the tummy is treated, or with patients who are very overweight. The skin surface of treated areas might be uneven, although this can settle over time. The wounds where the tube is inserted can get infected. Some people have excessive bruising.

Where to get treatment
Look for a cosmetic surgeon who specialises in this procedure.

Cost
Costs range from £1,000 to £5,000, depending on which areas are treated.

Improving body shape without liposuction.
Follow a healthy diet to control weight; consult a gym for exercises targeting specific areas of the body.

Liposuction help and info
Channel 4 Television takes no responsibility for the content of any third-party sites.

Organisation
British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS)
c/o The Royal College of Surgeons of England
35-43 Lincoln's Inn Fields
London WC2A 3PE
Advice Line: 020 7405 2234
E-mail: info@baaps.org.uk
Website: www.baaps.org.uk

Offers information about aesthetic plastic surgery; its website features a search facility for accredited surgeons.

Links
Fat Suckers – Channel 4 Health
www.channel4.com/health/microsites/0-9/4health/food/ove_fatsuckers.html
Looks at the pros and cons of choosing liposuction.

How Good Is Your Body Image?
www.netdoctor.co.uk/testyourself/facts/body_image.asp
Short online test compiled by Deanne Jade, principal of The National Centre of Eating Disorders, to see what your body image is like.

LipoSite
www.liposite.com
This site has information on various types of liposuction surgery, FAQs, message boards and advice on how to research a surgeon. American-based.

Liposuction
http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/html/liposuction.html
BUPA factsheet providing information on what liposuction is, what happens during liposuction and possible complications.

Books
Bodysculpture: Plastic surgery of the body for men and women by Alan Engler (Hudson Publishing, 2003)
Discusses the most commonly performed cosmetic plastic surgery procedures of the body for men and women, including breast enlargements, breast lifts and reductions, liposuction, and tummy tucks.
Get this book from Amazon

The Body Image Workbook: An 8-step program for learning to like your looks by Thomas F Cash (New Harbinger Publications, 1997)
Aims to change the negative, unhealthy attitude many people have towards their body, to a more positive and affirming way of thinking.
Get this book from Amazon

Safe Cosmetic Surgery: A complete guide by Dai Davies and Judy Sadgrove (Metro Publishing, 2002)
Discusses different types of cosmetic surgery, including liposuction, and considers both the desired outcome, and the risks involved, in undergoing the various operations. It also features interviews with people who have undergone surgery.
Get this book from Amazon

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