To be a good candidate for liposuction, you must have realistic expectations about what the procedure can do for you. Before you decide to have surgery, think carefully about your expectations and discuss them with your surgeon. The best candidates for liposuction are normal-weight people with firm, elastic skin who have pockets of excess fat in certain areas. You should be physically healthy, psychologically stable, and realistic in your expectations. Your age is not a major consideration; however, older patients may have diminished skin elasticity and may not achieve the same results as younger patients with tighter skin. Liposuction carries greater risk for individuals with medical problems such as diabetes, significant heart or lung disease, poor blood circulation, or those who have recently had surgery near the area to be contoured.

During your initial consultation, your surgeon will evaluate your health and describe the procedure in detail, explaining risks and limitations, making sure that you understand the procedure. It is important to discuss your expectations with your surgeon and listen to his or her professional opinion.

Vibro Liposuction procedures are performed at the Centurion Day Hospital under general anaesthesia or local sedation. This will depend on the recommendation of your surgeon. Your surgeon will give you instructions on how to prepare for surgery, including guidelines on eating and drinking, smoking, and taking or avoiding vitamins, iron tablets, and certain medications. We advise that you need to stop smoking two weeks before surgery and two weeks after surgery. This will help to expedite your recovery period and encourage better healing on a cellular level and to avoid unforeseen complications. Body measurements will be taken by the surgeon or the sister to order your compression garment for after surgery should it be recommended.

After your consultation, you will be provided with a personalised quotation based on the recommendation of your surgeon.  While making preparations, be sure to arrange for someone to drive you home after the procedure, and if needed, to help you at home for a day or two.

Male Liposuction lasts from 45 minutes to several hours, depending on the size of the area, the amount of fat being removed, and the technique used. Patients can be discharged within a few hours after surgery some will need to stay one night at the surgeon’s request.

At the Centurion Cosmetic Clinic our surgeon makes use of advanced Vibro Liposuction Technology when performing liposuction procedures. This is the most recent liposuction technique, it is safe, effective and easy. The emulsion of fat principle allows the removal of the fat tissue without harming any other tissues. This results in a briefer recovery period. It also allows major surgical precision in difficult access areas or areas with great fibrosis (secondary liposuctions or male liposuctions). It is exempt from risks inherent to other liposuction techniques due to the fact that the cannulas are not heated or laser-based, avoiding the danger of skin necrosis.

Liposuction is assisted by compressed or medicinal air. A pneumatic engine is triggered by compressed air that enables the liposuction cannula to move in three different ways at once: fluctuation, rotation, and vibration. These three vibration movements of the cannula lead to the emulsification of the fat tissue. The emulsified fat will simultaneously be sucked out by the cannula.

This all leads to a faster recovery. The swelling and the oedema of the treatment area is also less. In addition, the vibration stimulates the collagen synthesis in the skin during the superficial liposuction, leading to better retraction of the skin after the procedure. Fluid is lost along with the fat, and it’s crucial that this fluid be replaced during the procedure to prevent shock. For this reason, patients need to be carefully monitored and receive intravenous fluids during and immediately after surgery

Don’t expect to look or feel great right after surgery. Even though the newer techniques are believed to reduce some post-operative discomforts, you may still experience some pain, burning, swelling, bleeding and temporary numbness. Pain can be controlled with medications prescribed by your surgeon, though you may still feel stiff and sore for a few days. After surgery, you will likely experience some fluid drainage from the incisions. Your first follow-up appointment is usually ten days after surgery when sutures are also removed, followed with another at six weeks after surgery. To control swelling and to help your skin better fit its new contours, you may be fitted with a snug elastic garment to wear over the treated area for six weeks.

Healing is a gradual process. Your surgeon will probably tell you to start walking around as soon as possible to reduce swelling and to help prevent blood clots from forming in your legs. Most of our male patients lead active lives and are anxious to return to their activities as soon as possible after surgery. While everyone heals differently, most men are ready to return to work within several days of surgery and resume exercise in two to four weeks. There is more soreness than pain after liposuction. Patients usually describe it as “overdoing it at the gym.” You will see a noticeable difference in the shape of your body quite soon after surgery. However, improvement will become even more apparent after about four to six weeks, when most of the swelling has subsided. After about three months, any persistent mild swelling usually disappears and the final contour will be visible.

If your expectations are realistic, you will probably be very pleased with the results of your surgery. You may find that you are more comfortable in a wide variety of clothes and more at ease with your body. And, by eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise, you can help to maintain your new shape.

HOW ENDERMOLOGIE® BENEFITS PATIENTS

Plastic surgeons and physicians often recommend Endermologie® treatments in combination with liposuction surgery in order to minimize post-op pain and stiffness and improve fluids mobilization. Endermologie® treatments aid in speeding the resolution of edema, reducing variability of the early contours, and improving localized skin tone.*

Regular exercise, a balanced diet, good hydration and a continued program of maintenance treatments are recommended. While every patient’s post-surgical needs are unique, Endermologie® treatments often begin several weeks following the surgical procedure. However, it may be months before Endermologie® treatments can begin in patients that had fat transferred to another area during the liposuction procedure.

Please contact DermaCare Institute at (012) 653-4658 or info@dermacare.co.za, for your free full body Endermologie® session once approved by the sister during your six-week follow-up appointment.