LIPOSCULPTURE: WHAT RESULTS DOES IT PROVIDE?

Liposculpture is an aesthetic procedure in which a natural product, the patient's own localised fat, is used to:

fill in other areas of the body;
sculpting the contours;
harmonising the lines of various body regions.

Therefore, liposculpture surgical procedure is carried out by injecting fat grafts. Beforehand, the areas where the plastic surgeon will remove some excess fat (for example, the abdomen, flanks, thighs, neck, and arms) are demarcated, and this fat is then liposuctioned.

In the same surgery, this fat, after being filtered and properly treated, is injected with syringes into the areas of the body where it will be most needed, filling in and modelling depressions.

Generally, the parts of the body that may need more volume or better contouring are the breasts, buttocks, hips, or face.

One of the main advantages of liposculpture is that it provides two distinct results through a single surgical and anaesthetic procedure: the reduction of localised fat in one or more areas of the body and the enhancement of others.

Does the result after liposculpture look natural?

Another advantage of liposculpture is the natural look achieved due to the absence of prostheses, as the substance injected is derived from the patient's body.

Liposculpture also leads to an improvement in the quality of the skin texture and firmness of the areas involved.

For example, fat is injected into the face to reduce or improve wrinkles and furrows, correct dark circles, and sagging neck, increase lip volume, lift and project the cheekbones, or eliminate depressions or irregularities in a contour.

By injecting the patient's fat, a very natural result is achieved, with a consistency and texture that is very similar to the surrounding tissues.

Liposculpture benefits the appearance of the skin and surrounding tissues, with an improvement in texture, shine and colour.

Furthermore, since a natural product belonging to the patient's body is injected, there will be no inflammatory or allergic reactions that jeopardise the grafting process.

Can I lose weight with liposculpture?

Liposculpture will redefine your body contours. When combined with liposuction, it also focuses on the loss of localised fat.

This procedure is indicated for those who are slightly over their ideal weight but are unable to improve their body contours with proper nutrition and exercise.

This usually involves patients who have areas of localised fat that are not very harmonious and disproportionate to the rest of the body, combined with areas of depressed skin that can be resolved with fillers, as well as poorly defined contours in areas such as the buttocks, breasts, hips, or face.

Liposculpture is not suitable for obese people who want to lose weight and is not a substitute for real weight loss.

Results

In short, liposculpture aims to provide a more harmonious and defined body by removing volume from unwanted areas to fill out or improve the body contours of areas that the patient would like to be more filled out.

In the lipofilling procedure, around 30-40% of the fat injected will be reabsorbed by the body.

Bearing this in mind, the surgeon will inject more fat into a certain area to compensate for its subsequent absorption. Even so, further interventions may be necessary to achieve the desired volume.

The scars left by liposculpture are very small and easily disguised.

When are the results of liposculpture visible?

As with all aesthetic procedures, the result will depend on the individual, considering the volume of fat and the areas suctioned. However, it is possible to see a difference in body contour immediately after surgery.

After a month, the first results start to become visible, as the oedema decreases, and it starts to become noticeable what the body will look like. At this point, there should be a hardening of the operated area due to the internal healing process.

After 3 months, the silhouette will take on the desired shape and it will be possible to get an even better idea of the result, with an improvement in the internal hardening.

However, for most people, the definitive result of liposculpture is only achieved around 6 to 12 months after surgery, as the fat is absorbed by the body gradually and slowly.

Are the results of liposculpture permanent?

The results of this surgery are long-lasting, but they can vary depending on the patient's weight maintenance and lifestyle. You should therefore maintain a healthy, balanced diet and exercise regularly.

The liposculpture process involves two procedures: liposuction and the injection of fat grafts, or lipofilling.

In liposuction, when adipose tissue is aspirated from a certain region, the adipocytes (fat cells) will no longer contribute to the volume of that region.

Thus, even when weight gain occurs, the remaining adipocytes can hypertrophy (increase in size) but they do not multiply, limiting the increase in volume of that region. Even so, with weight gain, the remaining unworked areas will increase in volume.

What is the post-operative period of liposculpture like?

Liposculpture is a surgical procedure and, as such, involves post-operative care so that the desired results are more easily achieved and complications avoided.

It can be performed on an outpatient basis, with discharge up to 24 hours after the procedure, depending on the body area worked on.
Immediately after surgery, the patient may feel pain and discomfort, easily controlled with painkillers, and can experience swelling and bruising (purple spots).

Lymphatic drainage sessions, which help speed up recovery, should begin on the 3rd - 4th day after surgery, and manipulation of the areas where the fat was grafted should be avoided, as this stimulation can benefit fat absorption.

It is also important to wear a modelling belt or suitable compression garments in the postoperative period for at least the first month, as they reposition the tissues in the areas where liposuction was performed and help to define the body.

Would you like to know more information about liposculpture? We are happy to help clarify your doubts!

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Important note:

In case this article presents before and after photos please consider them merely demonstrative and may not serve as a reference for your particular case. These images are only to show possible results for one or several surgical procedures. The images we use are of patients who have consented to their use. Any images do not represent a guarantee of results.

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LIPOSCULPTURE: WHAT RESULTS DOES IT PROVIDE?

Sobre a Médica Especialista
Dr. Luísa Magalhães Ramos / Plastic Surgery

PORTUGUESE MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, Nr. 42810

Graduated by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, she specialized in plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery, at Hospital de São José, in Lisbon.

Throughout her training, she subspecialized in aesthetic plastic surgery, having worked in world-renowned clinics.

Currently, she is mainly dedicated to face and breast aesthetic plastic surgery and to intimate female surgery.