So, you're considering liposuction - but haven't quite figured out what it entails yet? Here is an account of a typical liposuction journey - what to prepare for and what not to worry about.

You might have just lost a lot of weight, or you may have been dissatisfied with a certain body area for a while - one thing, however, is certain - you want to make a change. You consider Liposuction may be the way to go, so you book a consultation.

At the consultation - or consultations, if you're comparing - a cosmetic surgeon, among other staff members, will sit down with you to discuss your options. What your expectations from the liposuction procedure are will be discussed in detail - and any unrealistic expectations you may have will be dealt with!

Naturally, there are some things cosmetic surgery cannot achieve. Often, as part of your liposuction consultation, testimonials and before-and-after pictures will be shown to you. It is important to look at these pictures and accounts because they can tell you a lot about the cosmetic surgeon and the sort of results he / she gets for their patients.

Once an agreement has been reached, you are booked in for surgery. If the liposuction you are having is tumescent lipo, you won't need to make as many preparations than if your surgery is the traditional lipo procedure. This is because tumescent liposuction methods like Vaser liposuction are usually conducted under local anesthetic, whereas older methods tend to be performed under general anesthetic.

On the day of the procedure, you'll go in, having prepared - sometimes by fasting since the previous night - and get changed into a hospital gown. The anesthetist will come and prep you after that. If you are going under, they will get the operating room ready and then, you'll be counted down into a sleep and won't remember another thing until you wake up in recovery!

If however, you are having a tumescent procedure done, the process is slightly different. The surgeon and nurses will guide you through what happens, but you will be awake throughout. The site for fat removal will be numbed up, so you won't feel anything as the cannula goes in through a small incision to the fatty layer. The only sensations you will experience are ones of tugging and pulling as the fat is suctioned out.

Afterward, you will be brought to the recovery room, where you'll be helped into your compression garment. Pain medication will be prescribed for the next few days, and you will need to wear your compression garment for a few weeks. But after that, it is back to business as usual!

All in all, liposuction is one of the simpler cosmetic surgery procedures - not without pain, but you certainly have a lot to gain, or rather, lose!