Liposuction has changed greatly over the years. At one time, liposuction was a rather barbaric procedure. When the procedure was initially performed, it was done with scalpels. The scalpels would turn inside of the body and actually scrape the fat away. People would lose fat, but they would also lose other things, like blood. The procedure did not make it very far.

But it wasn’t until 1982 that the modern liposuction as we know today burst on to the scene. The French physician, Dr. Yves-Gerard Illouz, presented the “Illouz Method.” Dr. Illouz’s method injected a sterile fluid known as lidocane into fatty tissue, thus making it more malleable and then using a surgical cannula and a high volume suction device to remove the fat.

Following the presentation and several medical journal articles the procedure found its way to the United States where several physicians experimented with the procedure. It was from these experiments that several variations emerged.

The wet technique was introduced and it made the surgery much safer. It cut down on the amount of bleeding, and also made the recovery time much shorter. Basically, the cannula no longer attacked dry areas of fat. Instead, a saline solution was applied to the fat in order to moisturize the fat and make it safer to remove. It allowed the process to go much smoother than it had in the past.

This method helped people lose fat, but it also had a lot of risks associated with it. There was a great deal of blood loss, and it became apparent that a different method was going to have to be developed if it was going to be a widespread procedure. Most people were not willing to put up with the pain, let alone the great risk.

Finally, a major breakthrough in the process occurred. Scalpels were replaced by the cannula. It took several years to perfect the cannula technique, and by the mid 1980s, surgeons had come up with a technique they were fairly comfortable with.

In addition, laser liposuction has become an option as well. With laser liposuction, there are even fewer complications because of the gentle nature of the procedure. Unlike traditional liposuction, laser lipo melts the fat away without the ramming associated with liposuction.

This process allows for less bruising and swelling, which means it does not take as much time for patients to recover. It is just one of the options available for those who are looking into liposuction.

Tags: Nutrition

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