Note: Dr Sherman is recognized as an expert in liposuction and
revisional liposuction. This article shows how important it is to
choose the proper plastic surgeon for the first procedure.
  Contact New York plastic surgeon Dr. Sherman today.
Exerpted from
Cosmo VS Liposuction - Reporting on the health implications
By: Bonnie Estridge
Liposuction is supposed to be the answer to all the excess fat,
which neither diet, prayers nor exercise somehow shift. Thousands
of women every year are happily paying between 2,000 and 4,000 to
have the offending matter, quite literally sucked out of them.
Most people are happy with the results - thrilled to have the curves
and angels they crave. But there are worries that rising demand
for treatment is causing some women to forget a simple fact: Liposuction
is still surgery and, when it goes wrong, can have tragic consequences.
Critics also claim that not enough is being done to regulate the
doctors and surgeons who perform liposuction.
In the US, where it is now the most popular cosmetic surgical procedure,
there are an alarming 20 deaths per 100,000 operations. This grim
statistic means that you are more likely to die having fat removed
than in a road accident.
Last year, 15,000 people in Britain had the operation, making it
second only to breast surgery in popularity. And the numbers are
growing. Transform Medical Group, a large cosmetic surgery chain,
says that liposuction now makes up to 20 percent of its work, amounting
to 1,100 operations last year alone.
The procedure which first appeared in the 1960s to slim down thighs,
buttocks and stomachs, is spreading over the body. Now double chins
and even fat around the knees can be taken away by an expert hand.
When we asked if you, the Cosmo readers, would consider surgery,
47 percent of those who responded said yes, and it's not hard to
see why. Liposuction offers the stuff of dreams. What could be more
incredible than waking up from an operation with fewer fat cells?
However, the statistics from the US and the growing popularity
of the procedure here make this the time to ask a straight question:
is it safe?
The Dangers vs The Benefits
Surgeons say that liposuction can give fantastic results, particularly
for people who have pockets of fat, such as 'saddle-bags' at the
tops of the legs and thighs, or a pot belly. Both are often resistant
to exercise and dieting. Unfortunately, not all liposuction operations
are successful.
Harley Street cosmetic surgeon Jan Stanek says that many people
make the mistake of assuming that liposuction is a simple, gentle
procedure. Quite the reverse is true.
"It is complicated and involves absolute understanding on
the part of the surgeon. It's not simply a question of inserting
a syringe and sucking out the fat," he explains.
"If too much fat is removed, this may lead to a loss of body
fluid that can lead to kidney failure," he says. Most surgeons
recommend that no more than three-and-a half liters of fat should
be taken at a time. But new technological advance, which speeds
up the process, can tempt surgeons to remove too much fat, Stanek
warns.
"If the patient was not sedated in some way, this would be
excruciatingly painful. And, as with all operations done under general
anaesthetic, there are risks from the anaesthetic itself,"
adds Stanek, "And as after any surgery, infection can occur,
as can blood clots or thrombosis."
Thankfully, there has only been one reported death in the UK, following
a rare procedure performed on obese people- breast liposuction.
The success and safety of all operations, is down to the skill and
experience of the surgeon, making the risks of liposuction the same
as any other operation. But unlike other surgery in the UK, cosmetic
surgery is not fully regulated.
Until recently, any cosmetic surgery procedure in the UK could
be performed by any doctor of surgeon who set up in private practice.
Some doctors who had only qualified as a GP managed to slip through
the net and perform procedures.
The first regulations to prevent this from happening were brought
in by the Department of Health in April this year. Under the National
Minimum Standards and Regulations For Independent Health Care, surgeons
should belong to a professional organisation that adheres to the
General Medical Councils (GMC) 'good medicine practice'.
Some experts in the field say this is not enough, describing the
changes as paying lip service to the need for proper policing. "The
regulations are not strict enough," says Wendy Lewis, a cosmetic
surgery consultant and author of Figure It Out. "This still
means any medical doctor can legally do liposuction regardless of
his or her training. As to who is policing these regulations, nobody
knows."
Leading New York cosmetic surgeon Dr. John E. Sherman agrees. "People
die from this procedure - government regulations don't protect the
consumer."
Umbrella organisations that surgeons can belong to such as the
British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), the British
Association of Cosmetic Surgeons (BACS) or the British Association
of Plastic Surgeons (BAPS) are private organisations where members
pay to join.
"It's like being a member of a club. Your name is on a list
but it doesn't necessarily mean you have the skill and experience
required," she says.
While statistics relating to the number and success of liposuction
operations in the US exist, such figures are not available in the
UK. This is cited by critics as another example of how little is
known about what is going on in the cosmetic surgery industry.
All we can do is make sure we educate ourselves so we can make
the best choices. Take time to find a surgeon and think carefully
about whether you are the right candidate for liposuction.
But don't panic, says Lewis. "Despite the horror stories,
liposuction in the UK is safer and more effective than ever before.
In a healthy patient, undergoing liposuction under the care of a
fully-qualified plastic surgeon in a proper hospital setting should
be a very low risk procedure.
"But it's a big decision and you must make it carefully, knowing
all the facts."
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