Dr. De La Cruz is a Houston plastic surgeon who performs the 4D VASER High Definition liposuction Houston. Check out our Before and After Liposuction Page.
Many people who desire a fuller, beautiful, curvy backside will opt for a buttocks augmentation with fat grafting (generally known as “Brazilian Butt Lift”). This is a popular cosmetic procedure which uses fat transfer to provide a more curvaceous buttock without the use of an implant. Liposuction is generally used to both sculpt the surrounding area and collect the autologous fat (from your own body) to be injected.
According to the statistics issued by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than 18,000 buttock augmentations with fat grafting were performed in the United States in 2016(1). This figure surpasses in 26% the statistics corresponding to the previous year. Experts say butt augmentation surgery with fat grafting is by far the most popular butt enhancing procedure they perform and many significant advantages are accountable for patients’ preference of this procedure over buttocks implants and dermal fillers, and its steady increasing demand.
Patients’ welfare is among the main reason why Brazilian Butt Lift’s requests are on the rising. This is proven to be a safer procedure in comparison with butt implants. In fact, patients who have implants can experience pain and infection, and have trouble sitting on their butts for a longer period of time. Moreover, implant patients are more likely to develop seromas (lumps caused by an accumulation of serum within the tissue) and experience dehiscence and capsular contracture(2). Also, since BBL utilizes autologous fat, the chance of allergic reactions to foreign substances, such as dermal fillers and silicone prosthesis (implants) are reduced, and the results are longer lasting. Recovery is also better with butt augmentation with fat grafting. BBL’s patients can typically return to work a week after surgery, as opposed to those who receive butt implants and would need at least two weeks to resume their regular activities.
References:
(1) “Plastic Surgery Statistics Report 2016”. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. www.plasticsurgery.org
(2) Chugay, Paul. “Buttock Augmentation with Implants and Fat Grafting: A Comparative Study”. The American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery. www.journals.sagepub.com
Numerous studies were published regarding the safety of large volume liposuction. However, this procedure is safe if performed in the right setting: performed by a plastic surgeon; anesthesia administered by an anesthesiologist; procedure performed in the hospital; and performed on a patient that is a good surgical candidate,
A retrospective study conducted by Dr. Rohrich revealed "no episodes of pulmonary edema, congestive heart failure exacerbation, or other major complications."
Reference:
Rohrich et al. Fluid resuscitation in liposuction: a retrospective review of 89 consecutive patients.Plastic Reconstrive Surgery. 2006 Feb;117(2):431-5.
A recent randomized clinical trial had shown that the VASER liposuction produced clinical significant skin retraction.
"Regarding skin retraction, the VASER-assisted lipoplasty-treated side resulted in a statistically significant improvement in skin retraction of 53 percent relative to suction-assisted lipoplasty (17 percent per liter versus 11 percent per liter, p = 0.003) with 33 paired sites using a two-tailed t test. "
Reference:
Nagy, et al.. A multicenter, prospective, randomized, single-blind, controlled clinical trial comparing VASER-assisted Lipoplasty and suction-assisted Lipoplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2012 Apr;129(4):681e-9e. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0b013e3182442274.
Recently, there has been a study conducted to examine the liposuction-induced metabolic changes with regard to release of major adipokines and insulin sensitivity in overweight male patients.
"To eliminate the confounding effects of postsurgical inflammation and to evaluate delayed metabolic effects, fasting blood was collected on the day of liposuction, within 1 to 2 months and more than 6 months after surgery."
"Both treatment groups (diabetic and nondiabetic patients) experienced similar postsurgical weight reduction with concomitant lowering of body mass index value at 1 to 2 months follow-up, which was sustained after 6 months from surgery."
"Improvement in insulin sensitivity at 1 to 2 months follow-up was observed ( p = .017 and p = .002, for diabetics and nondiabetics, respectively) and this change persisted over the next 4 months."
This study shows that there may be beneficial effects of VASER Liposuction in overweight diabetic and non-diabetic males by improving their insulin sensitivity.
Reference:
Gibas-Dorna, et al.. The Effect of VASER Abdominal Liposuction on Metabolic Profile in Overweight Males. Am J Mens Health. 2017 Mar;11(2):284-293. doi: 10.1177/1557988316674841. Epub 2016 Oct 22.
It has been of significant interest whether liposuction may have an effect on diabetes in overweight patients. A prospective study was recently performed showing that VASER liposuctionmay have a potential beneficial effect on diabetes.
Overweight male patients aged 37.15 ± 9.60 years (6 with diabetes type 2, 11 without comorbidities) and 10 age-matched healthy lean controls were enrolled in the study.
Using Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Resonance System (VASER Liposuction), ultrasound assisted liposuction was applied onto the deep layers of abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue. The mean volume supranatant fat was 2208 ± 562 ml.
Fasting blood was collected on the day of liposuction, within 1 to 2 months and more than 6 months after surgery.
Both treatment groups (diabetic and nondiabetic patients) experienced similar postsurgical weight reduction with concomitant lowering of body mass index value at 1 to 2 months follow-up, which was sustained after 6 months from surgery.
Improvement in insulin sensitivity at 1 to 2 months follow-up was observed (p = .017 and p = .002, for diabetics and nondiabetics, respectively) and this change persisted over the next 4 months.
With this study, VASER liposuction of the abdomen may have beneficial effects in overweight diabetic and non-diabetic males by improving their insulin sensitivity.
Reference:
Gibas-Dorna, et al. The Effect of VASER Abdominal Liposuction on Metabolic Profile in Overweight Males. Am J Mens Health. 2016 Oct 18. pii: 1557988316674841.