Those who want to change their appearance quickly, especially those who are overweight often see a cosmetic surgeon who can perform an operation on them to remove unwanted fat cells from their body. This technique is called liposuction and is usually performed under local anesthesia. Liposuction can be performed on various parts of the human body but it is vitally important that the person seeking this sort of operation be healthy overall.

This technique has been around since the 1920’s. However, it has not been fully developed until the mid 70’s and has progressed over the years with the development of various methods of performing the removal or suctioning of fatty masses from the body. Nowadays, the procedures that are used are safer than ever before with a faster recovery period, less blood loss, and the removal of a larger amount of fat during the procedure.

There are three types of liposuction procedures that are commonly used today. They are the Vaser, Pal and Smartlipo techniques that most cosmetic surgeons utilize when performing this type of surgery. Below is a brief explanation of each technique.

The Vaser method of liposuction uses a specially designed probe that conveys ultrasound waves into the fatty area of the patient. The other body tissues such as blood vessels and nerves are left untouched. The fat tissues are then liquefied and removed with a specially designed cannula that removes the liquefied fat.

The Pal method of liposuction is similar to suction-assisted liposuction, however, it uses a specialized cannula that breaks up the fat tissue with its mechanical movements. It uses technology based on electricity to "dissolve" or "melt" fat before liposuction. It also preserves fat better. This can be very important if you'd like to reuse this fat for some other place - like for Breast Enhancement (transferring your own fat to your breast) or other parts of your body for better contouring.

The Smartlipo uses laser-assisted thermal energy that burns the unwanted fat cells and cauterizes the surrounding vessels. The burned tissue is removed with a traditional suction cannula. Smartlipo has proven to be one of the safest cosmetic procedures. Complications are extremely rare.

These types of liposuction are gentle procedures that can be done in just a couple of hours. There is minimal pain, a quick recovery time and visible results almost immediately.

If you are thinking about having a liposuction procedure done, make sure to visit your physician to get an overall check up done on your state of health.