Excessive Superficial Liposuction

Excessive superficial liposuction can produce significant cosmetic complications.

The use of the tumescent technique and microcannulas allows the surgeon to do liposuction more superficially and to generate smoother results than could be done with old-fashioned techniques that used larger cannulas.

Some surgeons mistakenly believe that scraping the undersurface of the skin with the liposuction cannula will cause the skin to contract.

There is no scientific evidence to support the theory that intentional injury to the skin by doing excessive superficial liposuction produces improved cosmetic results.

Excessive superficial liposuction can injure the superficial blood and lymphatic vessels located on the immediate undersurface of the skin resulting in significant complications including scars, lumpiness, permanent irregular coloration, and full necrosis (death) of the overlying skin.

Skin naturally contracts after liposuction because
1) skin naturally contains elastic fibers and
2) skin is relieved of the gravitational effect of subcutaneous fat, and
3) liposuction naturally results in contraction of the collagen in subcutaneous fat.

Surgeons who advocate superficial liposuction must be careful to avoid the performance of excessive superficial liposuction.

Common Causes of Cellulite and What You Can Do

Age

While cellulite can start to appear at any time after puberty, it becomes more common after the age of 30. There are several reasons for this. To start with, from the age of 30, the average woman gains 4.5 - 6.8kg (10-15lb) of fat per decade, and the more fat you have on your body, the higher your risk of cellulite becomes.

Ageing also triggers the thinning of the top layer of the skin that covers the subcutis layer, making the bumpy fat more visible from the surface. Finally, over the years, collagen fibres start to harden. This means the septa, which tether the skin to the underlying muscle, start to shorten and the skin is pulled downwards - the cause of the dimpling which is visible on the surface.

Sedentary Lifestyles

Today, we walk an average of 3 km (8 miles) per day less than our grandparents did - and every element of the formation of cellulite is affected by that inactivity. For example, the less you move, the fewer calories you will burn off and the more likely it is that you will gain weight. Inactivity also slows the circulation - when we exercise we strengthen the heart and without that strengthening, circulation is likely to be slowed. The problem i even worse for the lymph. It has no pump to send it round the system. Instead it relies solely on the contraction of the muscles and if you don't move regularly,the lymph flow will slow down.

Excess Weight

In the UK, over 30% of women are overweight, while 24% are classed as obese. In the US, 35% of the population is deemed overweight, while a further 25% are obese. This picture is echoed over much of the western world. While it is true that cellulite does affect slim women, cellulite is fat and overweight people are more prone to it.

Smoking

While nobody has yet done conclusive research, it seems likely that smoking is a major contributing factor to cellulite. Smoking causes mass formation of free radicals, with millions entering the body with every puff. Also, researchers in Japan have found that smoking triggers the production of enzymes in the body called MMP (matrix metalloproteins). These chop up collagen fibres, causing skin to thin - and when this happens cellulite becomes more noticeable. And should your body try to repair that collagen, it is going to find it harder to do so, as smoking reduces the body's levels of vitamin C, the nutrient that is essential for the formation of collagen.

Other Toxins

There are a few other very common habits that may also contribute to cellulite, namely drinking too much alcohol, relying on caffeine and eating too many fatty or sugary foods. While it may not be correct to say that these things cause cellulite by clogging up the fat cells with their debris, it doesn't mean they're not involved in the formation. For starters, all of the above create free radicals and trigger stress on the lymph system. They also destroy some of the vital nutrients we need to actually burn fat off. For example, each cup of coffee knocks 6mg of calcium from your stores - and calcium helps convert cells from fat-storers to fat-burners.

Sunbathing

One of the nastiest factors in the fight against cellulite is that tanning - one of the few things that disguises the dimples - could actually be contributing to your problem. In high summer, it takes as little as four minutes of sun exposure for damage to start occurring to the collagen an elastin fibres under the skin. And just like the effects of ageing or smoking, this damage things the skin over the subcutis and makes cellulite much more noticeable. As well as this, exposure to too much sunlight dehydrates the skin and cellulite is also more noticeable on very dehydrated skin, as this causes it to become thinner and less flexible.


Discover how you can get rid of cellulite