Tired of Dieting: But You Still Want to Lose Weight?

There are vitamins, supplements, and over the counter drugs which claim to decrease your appetite, increase your metabolism, or block fat consumption.  But what if you’re through with dieting and exercising:  Are there other alternatives to lose weight?

Liposuction

Liposuction is a surgical procedure which sculpts problem fatty areas like love handles, saddle bags, and protruding tummies.  General anesthesia used to be required.   After the patient is sedated, a long tube is inserted through incisions made in the problem area.  The tube is attached to a vacuum pump.  The doctor rapidly suctions the fat out of the area.   More than one incision may be required.

Tumescent liposuction

Tumescent liposuction doesn’t require general anesthesia and blood loss is minimal.  A large quantity of diluted local anesthesia, lidocaine and epinephrine is injected into the problem area.  The area becomes swollen and firm, hence the name tumescent.  The lidocaine effectively numbs the area so no general anesthesia is required.  The epinephrine constricts the blood vessels so bleeding is minimal.

Tumescent liposuction requires more time than traditional liposuction because it takes longer for the local anesthesia to be administered and take effect.  Smaller tubing is used to suction out the fat which takes more time than general anesthesia liposuction. The smaller tubing has a side benefit in that the skin is less prone to rippling.  The time also varies depending on how much fat is being extracted and from what areas.  A typical tumescent lipsosuction procedure takes from 3 to 7 hours.

An elastic compression garment is required to be worn from 3 to 6 days after the procedure.  The large amounts of diluted local anesthesia need to drain from the incisions made for the tubing.  The compression garment assists in this drainage.

The pain involved with tumescent liposuction is mildly uncomfortable, rather than painful, because the local anesthesia remains in the body, numbing pain for 12 to 24 hours after the procedure.  After that the pain is comparable to the muscle soreness one experiences the day after a heavy work out.

No more than 6 to 8 pounds of fat should be removed during any one procedure.  If more than that is required, then more than one procedure should be scheduled at least one month apart.   Liposuction is a body sculpting method rather than an overall weight reduction method.

Costs vary dependent on the geographic area, amount of fat to be removed and the body areas that need treatment.  The fees range from $2000 to $7000 if only one area is treated (both outer thighs are considered one area) and the procedure takes place in one day. The cost can increase to $20,000 or more if significant body sculpting is required.

Tumescent liposuction can help you lose that stubborn last bit of fat but the cost can be high in money, time, pain and complications.