The Art of Liposuction

Posted Wednesday, September 12, 2007 to PROCEDURES > Body

Posted by The Original Anti-Aging & Cosmetic Surgery Magazine

Baltimore plastic surgeon William Armiger MD explained to Valerie Burnett the artistic process of liposuction and how to gain the best results for your body.

It begins with the surgeon's "eye" and his attitude toward the artistic form of the body. While in the past liposuction may have consisted of simply removing large pockets of fat, now the body is observed as a whole. Rather than just removing what the patient considers the problem area, often other small areas of fat are removed from the abdomen, hips, thighs, knees and ankles all in the one surgery or from other areas for contouring purposes to achieve an aesthetically balanced result. It is the realization that one area naturally flows into another to treat a fluency of form.

Because of the artistic nature of liposuction, Baltimore plastic surgeon William Armiger MD considers it important for prospective patients to find out not only the surgical experience and Board of Plastic Surgery certificates of this surgeon, but also a few personal details to determine their artistic attitudes.

"The patient should be wondering things about the surgeon," said Dr Armiger. "Does he enjoy art, is he an artist himself? They should observe whether he has art around the office either sculptures or paintings, preferably his own. Then take a look at his personal taste in terms of the way he dresses, the appearance of the office, the staff, all the details!" Once an initial impression is gained, the patient should also ask to view before and after photographs, and if possible, speak with previous patients.

Liposuction is a successful surgery because of the uniqueness of the fat cell. "Fat cells don't regenerate after birth, so if one is overweight it certainly doesn't mean they have more fat cells, it means that their fat cells are just full. They're doing their job, collecting the fat," explained Dr Armiger. "The fat cells have different capacities for storing fat in different areas of the body." For women, fat cells around the abdomen, hips and thighs can store more fat while for men it's generally around the middle.

Once the fat cells are removed they don't regenerate. However liposuction doesn't remove all the fat cells in an area. "If we removed all the fat cells you would get dimpling and irregularities. A thin layer of fat needs to be preserved so there can be a smooth and natural contour," said Dr Armiger.

Some people after liposuction sometimes notice a thickening of other areas of their body if they put on weight. This is because those areas haven't been liposuctioned and the fat is collecting in these locations. The area which has been liposuctioned has a reduced number of cells and therefore less capacity to retain the fat. Also changing the balance of the body may give the illusion that other areas are thicker. Dr Armiger explained: "Liposuction changes the ratio of how the fat as it appears to be distributed throughout the body."

With this in mind, sculpting the body is more beneficial long term. "People have to get away from thinking that liposuction is sucking out a glob of fat and think more in terms of body sculpting," said Dr Armiger. Using techniques and modern technologies to gain the most sculpted form are as important as the artistic vocation of the surgeon. While there are various ways of achieving the best result, ensuring the surgeon has an interest in and particular experience in liposuction will help ensure the final result is a sculpted and balanced form.

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