As the times have changed, perceptions of the relationship between obesity and body contouring have shifted from the past. There was once a controversy when a female celebrity's full-body liposuction became an issue, raising the question of whether liposuction was really something shameful enough to hide. Back then, obese, that is heavy, people were judged through negative images such as being lazy, greedy about food, or weak-willed, and many hid body contouring procedures such as liposuction. Recently, however, social perceptions have changed, and more people regard a firm, slim figure as a personal strength and a competitive advantage, and make more active efforts toward it.
Regular exercise and healthy eating habits are important for building a healthy, attractive figure. But each person's body type and constitution differ, and after physical changes such as pregnancy and childbirth, it is often difficult to achieve diet results through personal effort alone. On the contrary, excessive dieting and repeated rebound lower skin elasticity, so that even when weight loss succeeds, sagging skin can appear, and some people feel depressed when weight loss fails.
If such problems repeat, liposuction can be chosen as a more active approach. This is surgery that suctions the subcutaneous fat in areas where fat has excessively accumulated, using a specialized instrument called a cannula. It is possible to operate on localized areas such as the upper arms and flanks as well as the abdomen and thighs where fat volume is high, and because fat cells are removed directly, results in body correction can be expected.
Of course, there are also points to be careful about. Removing too much fat at once can leave the skin in the treated area bumpy or darkened. Many patients want as much removed as possible, but the maximum amount that can be suctioned at one time is fixed, so removing an appropriate amount evenly is important. Also, if skin elasticity has declined due to repeated rebound or aging, skin sagging can appear after surgery.
To minimize side effects such as the need for revision surgery, it is important to suction the fat closest to the skin evenly and smoothly. Recently, stem cell liposuction, which uses the body's own regenerative capacity to reduce side effects and create a slimmer, firmer figure, can be used to help with this.
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can differentiate into various organs of our body. They exist in the placenta, blood, heart, fat and elsewhere, and they work to treat and restore cells when they have been damaged by injury, disease or aging. Stem cells are especially abundant in fat, and during liposuction these stem cells and other beneficial components are suctioned out along with the fat.
Stem cell liposuction, however, leaves the stem cells and other useful components behind while suctioning only the unnecessary fat. The retained stem cells help heal wounds in internal tissue created during surgery, and support collagen synthesis in the space left by the removed fat, increasing skin elasticity. The reason someone who already had abdominal sagging before surgery may instead see improved abdominal firmness after stem cell liposuction is precisely this function of stem cells. In addition, for visible areas such as the face, arms and calves, how large the incisions and scars are matters greatly, and with stem cell liposuction an improvement in scarring can also be expected.
Because this surgery is a highly demanding procedure that preserves stem cells and other beneficial components while balancing the body contour and suctioning fat smoothly, it is advisable to proceed carefully with a specialist who has surgical experience, skill and know-how in the procedure, for the sake of safety as well as results.
Advice by : Dr. Jaeho Cho, TheLINE Plastic Surgery
Source : Beopbo Newspaper (http://www.beopbo.com)
