Over 40 years have passed since liposuction was first introduced in cosmetic surgery. At that time it was a risky procedure performed with big cannulas (steel tubes introduced into the body to suck out fat from underneath the skin) and in general anesthesia. There was lots of bleeding involved and the recovery form anesthesia and the intervention itself was long and painful. People just took the risk associated to liposuction to have a perfectly shaped body in a way quicker than working out and going on a diet. Fortunately in 40 years technology has improved and has been applied to cosmetic surgery too. New liposuction methods have been developed. They have made liposuction safer and faster.
Traditional Liposuction
However, liposuction is not a way to lose weight fast. In fact, obese people are discouraged if not unpermitted from undergoing liposuction and are required to lose some weight in other methods different than surgery before considering a liposuction. This treatment is for people that have that stubborn extra fat in some areas that won’t go away, no matter how hard they exercise or how strict their diet is. The main scope of liposuction is to shape the body and make it more balanced and well-proportioned.
The areas treated most often with a liposuction are inner thighs, thighs, buttocks, waist, stomach and arms. These are quite big areas, the intervention is long and the recovery is not simple. But what if you want to treat just a little area? What if you have just one or two spots in your body that have some excess fat? Here’s where mini liposuction comes into play.
What Is Mini Liposuction?
Mini liposuction is a reduced form of traditional liposuction. The technique of eliminating the fat is the same but it is performed in a more gentle way. With mini liposuction you aim little spots where you can suck out less than 3 lbs. of fat to have good results, so there’s no need to use large cannulas and powerful suctioning machines. The cannulas are smaller so smaller incisions that cause no scars are needed. Being the amount of fat less than 3 lbs. the whole intervention is performed in one hour, without the need of general anesthesia, The patient is awake during the operation and a local anesthesia is applied.
Risks and complications are usually not present. The intervention is much less traumatic than a traditional lipo, so the patient can walk away of the cosmetic center after a mini liposuction and can go back to her everyday activities. Just a couple of days are required to exercise again. A bandage can be applied for better healing and to prevent infections, but there’s no need to wear it as long as a compression garment used after liposuction. In a week or less it can be taken off. However swelling, bruising and bleeding can occur, but there’s no need to worry as these complications will go away by themselves in a couple of days.
Sometimes a mini liposuction (or a mini tummy tuck in case of sagging skin) is performed right after the liposuction of a larger area. It Is mostly done either to correct the result of the liposuction (in case of problems) or to further shape the body and achieve better results.
Ideal Candidates for a Mini Liposuction
The ideal patients for a mini liposuction must be 18 years old minimum. Have good general physical condition and good general health. They must be close to their ideal weight and be informed about the results that they can achieve. This is done in an initial consultation with your surgeon that will also collect information about your medical history. You will be asked to quit smoking if you’re a smoker and limit alcohol. The reason to quit smoking is that this habit is bad for your immune system. If your immune system is not able to heal naturally your body, you will increase the possibility to suffer complications. Smoking reduces the oxygen supply to your skin and makes harder for the incisions to seal causing tissues necrosis. If you’re a heavy smoker you should check with your surgeon whether it’s safe for you undergoing such surgical procedure.
Based on the information given by you, the surgeon will evaluate if you’re a good candidate and can ask you to undergo to more medical tests or personally examine your body in case he needs more information. Tell your surgeon your medical history in details, even little details that you think are not important. In this case the more information the better, let the doctor judge whether it is important or not. Probably more than one visit will be needed prior the intervention. The consultation will also help you to familiarize with the intervention. Ask the surgeon to explain you what he will do and how. Ask him about the recovery and how long it will take you to go back to your day by day activities. Ask him to show you mini liposuction before and after pictures so you can have an idea of what to expect in terms of results. All surgeons keep these pictures to have a portfolio of their work to show to the patients.
Target Areas of a Mini Liposuction
Mini liposuction can be performed really on any part of the body, being a really little invasive procedure. In fact it can be performed even on the face (facial liposuction) or on the neck as the scars are almost invisible and can be easily hidden or disguised. Furthermore the surgeon can cut the incisions in hidden places such as behind the ears or between the wrinkles of the neck. As said before, the maximum of fat that can be suctioned is 3 lbs. from a relatively small area that needs to be shaped loosing fat. That means there are some areas where mini liposuction is more likely to be performed: the area around the knees, the ankles, under the chin, above the breast, the breast itself in men or the armpit. All of them are typically areas that give great results when targeted by a mini liposuction.
Mini Liposuction Costs
A mini liposuction is a reduced form of liposuction also in the price. Mini liposuction costs from $1,200 to $2,500. The price doesn’t depend much on the treated area, as all areas are treated the same and are generally small in size. Traditional liposuction can be performed on big areas (thigh liposuction or stomach liposuction) or small ones (neck liposuction or arm liposuction), but a mini liposuction only targets small areas, so the part of the body is not a factor that influences the price.
The minilipo is a new technique and not all surgeons perform it. That being said it’s easy to spot one of the factors that influences the price. Only experienced surgeon can practice it. However the price is still about a quarter of the average price of tumescent liposuction, for example. Apart from the fact that an experienced and renown surgeon is a must when it comes to undergo an intervention, especially a cosmetic one. Another factor to consider is the location. Lately the trend is have cosmetic surgery abroad. Mexico, Argentina, India, Thailand, Hungary are the preferred location for the quality of the services and the facilities as well.
In conclusion, if little areas of your body need to loose fat, and don’t respond to exercise or diet. If you need to reshape your neck, knees, armpits or chin and don’t need a massive liposuction, mini liposuction is your best choice. Choose carefully the surgeon and in a quite short time you can get rid of those stubborn fat deposits and look better.
The following is a video of mini liposuction in Los Angeles, with mini liposuction before and after difference.