Liposuction and Tummy tucks are the new stars on the cosmetic surgery circuit. In ads across the country, new techniques for liposuction are advertised with prices starting as low as $2,000 per procedure. In the so-called tumescent liposuction, that fatty layer of skin is filled with a solution of a local anesthetic, adrenaline and other drugs. Then excess fat is removed. This is supposed to allow dramatically faster results and recovery from the procedure. This technique is similar to a so-called “super-wet liposuction”. The solution helps to break up fat deposits and the adrenaline helps to reduce blood loss.

Before the surgery, the surgeon marks off the areas of fat to be removed. During liposuction, the patient is either under local anesthesia with a sedative administered, or he or she is under general anesthesia, with many procedures only using the former.

In a Tummy Tuck, also known as an Abdominoplasty a major surgical procedure must be carried out. Excess fat is removed from the abdomen and stomach area and muscles are tightened. This can also result in a rather large scar across the abdomen.

The argument for having this surgery is that some people have a big belly and “love handles” that they can’t seem to get rid of no matter what regime of exercise and weight loss they go through. This seems to be a particular problem of women after several pregnancies. People planning to have this surgery should wait until their pregnancies are finished, or in the case of men or women, until after they have exhausted all attempts at major weight loss.

The tummy tuck takes 2 to 5 hours, with less time being taken for a partial abdominoplasty. It is a somewhat more radical surgery than a liposuction, which takes less time and is often done on an out-patient basis. On the other hand, a liposuction will not cause the contraction of excess sagging skin. A tummy tuck can be thought of as similar to a face lift, but a face lift for the tummy. That’s why they are called tummy tucks. Recently, endoscopic surgery has been used for tummy tucks, especially those that involve smaller amounts of fat to be extracted. Endoscopic surgery is done by creating pin-holes and inserting the instruments, and cameras to enable the surgeon to see what he is doing with remote control instruments on a television monitor. Be aware that with these surgical procedures there is a very small risk of blood clots, poor healing and anesthesia complications.