The Art of Liposuction
The procedure of liposuction can be defined as the removal of fat from underneath the skin with the usage of a hollow instrument called cannula and with the aid of a powerful vacuum. In this process, general anesthesia, local anesthesia or heavy IV sedation is used.
This process is called an art as it is considered to be a medium of artistic expression, which is the perfect body sculpture. The expression of art is manifested with scientific application of knowledge and know-how of this technique, it is the perfection of workmanship, a skill that can be obtained only through clinical experience, a persistent drive and scope for improvement in the technique and the happiness quotient which this art provides to the people.
Liposuction process has many techniques associated with it and different kinds of anesthesia are used for different techniques. The tumescent technique uses diluted local anesthesia in large amounts and it is injected in the fat which makes the injection site swollen and firm. Local anesthesia is very safe as it works for many hours and it does not require narcotic pain medications post surgery. The modified tumescent technique is a combination of local and systemic anesthesia and this should be administered only by the healthcare expert known as anesthesiologist.
Among all other techniques for liposuction, tumescent is the safest as it is done totally with local anesthesia which is the safest and no deaths have been ever associated with it. It is quite safe as the amount of fat removed and the numbers of areas treated are very less and the anesthetic solution shrinks the capillaries of blood and eliminates surgical blood loss.
The other different methods to do a liposuction painlessly may use either local or general anesthesia. Maximum speed and volume is not a criterion for excellence as that is defined by the happiness of the patient derived by quality of results, patient safety and comfort and finesse. The occurrence of complication depends on the attitude of the surgeon towards safety than his specialty. The complications can be caused only as a result of lack of caution, ignorance about pharmacology, poor judgment, and adherence to faulty dogma or over confidence.
The artistry in this procedure is also related to safety as they are mutually dependent. Art is the skill and mastery of the artistic technique. The surgeon should possess the skill and intelligence to avoid the exposing patients to unnecessary dangers. Artistry does not lie in taking unnecessary risks or pushing the limits of safety. Only those who experience or study liposuction can understand its true art.