Although the history of body contouring stretches back over a century, body sculpting has become increasing popular over the last decades thanks to the advent of modern liposuction and its virtual elimination of scarring. The aspiration of fat is a relatively recent procedure dating from 1977, with clinical applications in the 1980s. This technique consists of the extraction of areas of excess fat to shape or sculpt the body. Unwanted fat is eliminated without the need for major incisions, as the procedure uses only cannulas connected to syringes or an aspirator.

Advances in anesthetic techniques and new instruments have led to an increased demand for body contouring, and currently there are many different types of liposuction, each with its indications and contraindications. The decision as to which method is most appropriate must be determined by a clinical and individual study of each patient in consultation with the surgeon.

1. Dry liposuction
2. Wet (tumescent) liposuction
3. Superficial liposuction
4. Deep liposuction
5. Liposuction with lipoaspiration pump
6. Liposuction with syringe
7. Ultrasonic assisted liposuction
8. Ultrasonic liposuction
9. Large volume liposuction

Candidates. Liposuction is not a way for patients to lose weight, it is a technique designed to sculpt and improve the body contour by extracting fat from specific areas. The ideal candidate is a patient who is not obese, with localized fat deposits but good overall skin tone and no stretch marks or scars. Most areas of the body can be treated with liposuction since there are different cannulas for each region. The most frequently requested areas for treatment are the abdomen, hips, outer thighs and legs, neck and double chin. Other areas include cheeks, the back, the chest region, inner thighs and ankles.

Surgery. Is generally performed with local anesthesia by infiltration and intravenous sedation, although some patients prefer general anesthesia. The amount of fat extracted ranges from 200 to 2500 cubic centimeters; the small incisions through which the cannula is inserted (1 cm in length) are placed in areas that are usually covered to avoid them in the postoperative period.

Postoperative care. Following 30 to 90 minutes of surgery, special bandages or lycra garments are applied to maintain compression in the treated areas. Once the patient has recovered from anesthesia he or she may leave the clinic or hospital, although some patients choose to remain 24 hours. Rest is recommended for 5 days, although most patients resume their regular activities before that. Anti-inflammatories and analgesics are prescribed. Patients note a reduction in corporeal volume within 7 days with a subsequent continued reduction and complete recovery within 8 weeks.

Before and after photos at 4 months.
Extraction of 500 cubic centimeters of fat in each leg using tumescent liposuction with syringe.