Body

The liposuction can be done in almost all areas of the body (abdomen, thigh fat, buttocks, legs, ankles, knees, arms, etc.), where fat accumulations are located.

In addition, this technique is used as part of the liposculpture. The suctioned fatty tissue, after being processed, can be used to shape other body areas. It is used to provide volume, as well as to use their stem cells for rejuvenation potential (for example, for filling facial wrinkles, lip and breast augmentation, etc.).

Fat cells that have been removed by liposuction cannot “get fat”. Nevertheless, remaining fats cells and those cells from areas that have not been treated can get fat if the patient does not have a healthy life and does not exercise. Therefore, after a liposuction, for maintaining the results over the time, it is recommended to have a healthy diet and to avoid a sedentary life by doing physical exercise.

It is indicated for patients who want to improve their physical appearance and shape their bodies by removing the excess of fat accumulations that diet or exercise has not been able to reduce.

Hospitalization depends on the area of the liposuction and the anesthetic method used. In larger liposuctions, it is recommended to stay overnight in the hospital in order to control the pain, by administrating the required medication, and to wait until the effects of anesthesia have passed. In limited liposuctions performed with local anesthesia you will only need to spend several hours under observation and then you will be discharged out.

The results start to be apparent after 2 months. These can be permanent, as long as you maintain an adequate diet and exercise frequently. If you do not take care of yourself, you will gain weight again, proportionally more in the untreated areas.

There are three main techniques for liposuction:

-The traditional one: performed by cannulas with openings connected to a vacuum system. It is the only technique able to use the removed fat for the subsequent lipoinfiltration of another area.

-The ultrasound-assisted one: In this technique, adipocytes are destroyed by the vibration of cells.

-The laser-assisted one: It is indicated for very specific areas such as the inner side of the arms and when the volume to be treated is very small and requires forcing the skin retraction.

A liposuction usually lasts between 1 and 2 hours, but the time can vary (from 30 minutes to several hours) depending on the area and the amount of fat to be extracted.

Three types of anesthesia can be used depending on the areas to be treated, the amount of fat to be extracted, and the preferences of the patient and surgeon:

• Local anesthesia: it can be used for very small and localized fat accumulations (double chin, pubis, etc.), and for obtaining the necessary fat required for a subsequent filling (by using the own fat).
• General anesthesia: it can be used for liposuction of large areas and dispersed throughout the body.
• Locoregional anesthesia: it can be used for areas located in the lower abdomen and lower limbs. Epidural anesthesia or spinal anesthesia may be used only if performed in legs.

The patient can recover his normal life practically the next day, with the only recommendation of wearing a compressive girdle for several weeks. It will also be necessary to take an anticoagulant for 10 days.

You will feel moderate discomfort during the first 3-5 days.

A small incision is made, just big enough to introduce a cannula. The opposite end of the cannula is attached to a vacuum machine or to a special syringe. The surgeon moves the cannula among the fatty deposits under the skin, breaking the fat, and suctioning it. Some fluids are lost together with the fat, which are replenished by administering fluids intravenously or even, if necessary, a blood transfusion.

It is a safe technique, as long as the patient has been well selected, and the intervention is carried out by a specialized plastic surgeon. However, uncommon complications may occur such as fluid accumulation (seroma), contours irregularities, infections, reactions derived from the anesthesia, fatty embolism, etc.

It takes from 2 to 4 hours, depending on the required correction.

Yes, it is advisable to be in the hospital between 24 and 48 hours for the comfort of the patient and due to the duration of the surgery.

During the first days the abdomen is usually a bit swelled. You can feel some discomfort or pain which can be controlled with medication. You should follow some specific instructions for having a shower and for changing the bandages. You should start walking as soon as possible, slightly bent, and wearing a compressive belt for one and a half month. Drainages will be removed on the second or third day.

Women or men who are physically healthy but who are concerned about the accumulation of skin and fat in the abdomen and not improving despite diet or physical exercise. It is especially useful in women who have had several pregnancies, after which the skin and abdominal muscles have relaxed and have not recovered their initial tone. These ‘relaxed’ muscles (known as rectums diastasis) are corrected by performing a plication of abdominal rectums.

It can take from some weeks to few months to feel like before. If your physical condition before the surgery was good and you have strong abdominal muscles, the recovery after the tummy tuck surgery will be faster. Some people return to work in 2 weeks, whereas others require 3 or 4 weeks of rest and recovery. Physical exercise helps you to recover faster. Even people who did not exercise before the surgery, they should do an exercise program to reduce inflammation, decrease the risk of venous thrombus formation, and tone the muscles.

Yes, if you have a balanced diet and exercise frequently. It provides excellent results in patients who have weakened abdominal muscles and skin and fat.

It is performed through an incision through the abdomen, just above the pubis, from the antero-superior iliac spine of one side to the other, as lower as possible to be hidden under the underwear or swimsuit. A second incision is made, around the navel, to separate it from surrounding tissues. Then, the abdominal wall skin is separated upwards until the ribs and the xiphoid appendix, exposing the abdominal muscles. These muscles are tensed and joined in the midline, which is called rectum plication, providing a firm abdominal wall and a narrower waist. The separated skin is stretched towards the pubis, the excess skin is removed, and the navel is placed in its new position. Liposuction is performed at the abdominal and flank levels depending on the amount of subcutaneous fat. Finally, the sutures are made, and a bandage and a temporary drainage tube are placed to eliminate the excess of fluids accumulated in the surgical area.

A conventional abdominoplasty (long scar), mini-tummy tuck (short scar) or circular abdominoplasty (anterior and posterior scar) will be performed depending on the degree of the skin flaccidity and the amount of skin that has to be removed. In any case, the scar is poorly visible, and it improves over the time and keeps hidden under the underwear.

As long as the intervention is carried out by a qualified plastic surgeon, the results are usually very good. However, as it is a surgery procedure, uncommon complications may occur such as infections, venous thrombosis, seromas, scars of poor quality, etc.

One hour.

It is performed under general or local anesthesia with sedation. Normally, it does not require hospitalization.

It is not advisable to wear tight clothing. It is recommended to avoid friction and efforts for few days. The local cold helps a lot during the first 48 hours. After the hospital discharge, one or two daily washing with soap and water are required, keeping the area dry. The patient can have a shower from the following day of the procedure. However, having a bath and sexual relations should be avoided for three or four weeks.

Sexual relations can be retaken 3 to 4 weeks after the intervention.

There are different techniques, but the comprehensive approach to genitals offers the best results. It can be done by: size reduction and tensing of the labia minora, size reduction of the clitoris cap, voluminization of the labia majora, vaginal narrowing, etc. The closure is done with absorbable sutures. Therefore, stitches will fall off after 3 weeks.

Infrequent surgery-related complications may occur such as bleedings, hematomas, infections, dehiscence of the surgical wound, pain during sexual relations, etc.

Yes, they are. After the intervention, patients with functional problems due to hypertrophic labia minora will feel relief. The labiaplasty is associated with a high rate of satisfaction.

It takes from 1 to 3 hours, depending on the technique used.

As it is performed under general anesthesia, an overnight hospitalization is usually needed.

Either in fat grafting or in buttock implant, the patient will not be able to sit down during the first weeks and will have to sleep face down. It is recommended to wear a special belt and be very careful with hygiene.

It will be performed on people who have had weight changes and have their physique altered, those who get morphotypes that require local shaping, people with a sedentary lifestyle and / or injuries or trauma effects.

It is contraindicated in people with skin laxity and little elasticity, patients with problems in coagulation (Von Willebrand disease, haemophilia, thrombocytopenia, etc.), hypertension and uncontrolled diabetes; patients with mental disorders (psychosis, schizophrenia, depression and dysmorphobias).

There are three main techniques:

• Buttock implant: Results are immediately visible.
• Fat grafting:  This procedure offers natural results and improves the abdominal and dorsal contours.
• Mixed technique: implants are used to increase the buttock’s projection and patient’s own fat to finish shaping the contour.

Results are visible almost immediately, but the final result will be seen after few months. In fat grafting, the fat can be reabsorbed by 30-40% depending on several factors. Thus, results will appear over time.

The tissues will settle in the first 3-6 months and the healing can last up to 2 years. Results are long-lasting, as long as you maintain a stable weight and a good physical condition.

Both techniques are performed in supine position.

• Buttock implant procedure:

Two incisions will be made in two sides of the intergluteal cleft, dissecting the fitted pocket according to the volume of the implant to be inserted. Depending on the characteristics of the patient, different types of implants and levels can be used to hold them (subfascial, intramuscular). A thorough haemostasis is then performed, a drainage is placed and the implant is inserted. Finally, incisions are closed with absorbable sutures.

• Fat grafting procedure:

Liposuction is performed through small incisions. The dislodged fat can be processed and purified with different methods. Then, the dislodged fat is added to the buttocks by using small cannulas and performing multiple subcutaneous tunnels (to minimize the risk of fatty thromboembolism). By using this technique, the scars are not visible.

The most common complications of this intervention are anesthesia reactions, infections and hematomas, as in any surgical intervention; and others such as discomfort, unfavorable scarring, deep vein thrombosis, fatty thromboembolism, asymmetries, mobility of the implant, etc.

One day in hospital is usually enough; time in which the drainages are removed.

From 2 to 3 hours.

You may feel discomfort and fatigue for few days after the intervention. Bed rest is recommended for 1 or 2 days, being important that the surgical incisions are not subjected to excessive force. Most of the pain will be treated with medication. In two or three days the bandages will be removed. The inflammation and the strange feelings in the skin will diminish in next weeks. The sutures are absorbable, so there is no need to remove the stiches, which is more comfortable for the patient. The patient should wear a belt for several weeks.

As any other surgery procedure, it has some complications, although uncommon and minor. Some of them are hematomas, infections, poor quality scars, or poor surgical wound healing.

Each case is different, since each patient has different degrees of skin sagging and fat deposits. However, the scar is usually hidden in the inguinal fold (extending slightly towards the gluteal fold). Some patients, with a moderate or severe excess of skin, may need a T-shaped incision to achieve an optimal contour of the thigh.

It depends on the type of anesthesia used. If general anesthesia, you must overnight in the hospital. However, if local anesthesia and sedation are used, hospitalization is not necessary.

You should be able to return to work in 10-15 days depending on the activity level that your work requires.

You can feel discomfort some days after the surgery, which can be treated with medication. Bed rest is recommended for 1 or 2 days, without forcing the surgical incisions. In 2 or 3 days the bandages will be removed. The inflammation and the strange feelings of the skin will diminish in next weeks. The sutures are absorbable, so there is no need to remove the stiches, which is more comfortable for the person. The patient should wear a belt for several weeks.

Smoother and tighter contours are apparent almost immediately. Final results will take more time to be visible due to the initial swelling and edema. Results are long lasting as long as you maintain a good physical condition.

As any surgical intervention, complications may occur such as anesthesia risks, infections, poor wound healing, unsightly scarring, damage to neurovascular structures, etc.

Incisions are made usually on the inner arm; whose length and pattern depend on the amount and location of the excess skin to be removed. Incisions are closed with absorbable sutures and hidden on the inner arm.