Liposuction in Düsseldorf and the surrounding area.

The fat cells do not grow back after liposuction. However, the remaining fat cells - like any other fat cell - can enlarge again if you gain weight and you will also gain weight again in the liposuctioned region, although this is no longer so noticeable from the outside due to the surgically reduced number of fat cells. However, if you have an incorrect energy balance after liposuction, you will gain weight in other parts of your body. Your body cannot simply dissolve the excess energy supplied in the form of calories into thin air, but must always store it in the form of fat - just in a different place (abdominal wall, arms, face, etc.). This is why it is so important that you maintain a balanced diet and get enough exercise after liposuction.

As a rule, you will need 1-2 weeks to regain your old level of activity after liposuction. Most patients do not go to work for around 1 week, although the exact length of time will of course ultimately depend on your professional activity. A sick note is only possible in the case of medically indicated liposuction due to lipoedema. Liposuction for cosmetic reasons does not lead to sick leave but must be carried out during your holiday, for example. Light sporting activity is usually possible again 1 week after liposuction. You will be sufficiently mobile on the day of the operation to go home on your own and light walks in the first few days after the operation are beneficial for a quick and good healing process.

The skin over the liposuctioned body region needs approx. 1 year to completely retract and tighten. Nevertheless, sagging skin can remain after liposuction like a kind of “empty bag”. To minimise this risk, we like to perform an additional heat tightening of the skin with argon plasma or laser (“Endolift”) at the end of the liposuction in the same session. The applied heat contracts the collagen tissue under the skin and also promotes the formation of new collagen, which makes the skin look smoother and younger. The treatment is generally painless due to the local anaesthetic (tumescent local anaesthesia) already applied for liposuction and takes an additional 20-30 minutes. It is not absolutely necessary, but is generally recommended immediately after liposuction. We will be happy to clarify together in a consultation whether a heat tightening is sensible and desirable for you. The costs for an additional heat tightening amount to approx. 1,200 euros.

The liposuctioned fat tissue can either be discarded or transplanted to another part of the body at your request (lipotransfer or lipofilling). The recipient regions of the breast, buttocks and face are very suitable for fat transplantation. However, a fat transfer must be discussed prior to the operation, as in this case the liposuctioned fatty tissue is collected in a specially designed sterile container, then processed and subsequently transplanted. The fat tissue transplanted in this way heals with a probability of up to 70% in the new location, although this cannot be guaranteed and depends on many factors. On the breast, a transfer of 250 ml of fat per breast can result in an increase in circumference of half a cup size. An additional cost of around 1000 euros is incurred for the fat transfer.

For liposuction, I recommend that you consult a doctor with training and experience in a surgical speciality. As a specialist in surgery and a specialist in vascular surgery, I am very familiar with the anatomy of the body region to be liposuctioned and know the risks of organ or vascular injury in order to avoid them in advance. Ultimately, however, you should always listen to your gut feeling.

There are several differences between liposuction for lipoedema and aesthetic liposuction. Firstly, there is the surgical technique: in the case of lipoedema, injury to lymphatic channels by the suction cannula should be avoided as far as possible. For this reason, liposuction is performed parallel to the lymph channels on the extremities in the longitudinal axis. In aesthetic liposuction, transverse suction directions are also possible, which can achieve an even better tightening effect. Both liposuction procedures - for lipoedema as well as for aesthetic liposuction - naturally aim to achieve the best possible aesthetic result. However, in the case of lipoedema, the focus is on reducing the painful fatty tissue, although here too the focus is of course on achieving the best possible aesthetic result.

The next difference lies in the further postoperative course: In the case of lipoedema, postoperative lymphatic drainage, which is urgently required, is covered by health insurance, which it is not in the case of aesthetic surgery. The patient can also be put on sick leave after lipoedema liposuction. This is not possible in the case of surgery for aesthetic reasons and the patient must take leave for the procedure and the initial period afterwards. Last but not least, you should take out follow-up cost insurance in the event of cosmetic surgery in order to be financially covered in the event of serious post-operative complications (e.g. hospitalisation). This is not necessary in the case of lipoedema, as this is the treatment of an illness (ICD 10) and therefore treatment of post-operative complications is also insured.

In principle, two different anaesthesia methods are used for liposuction: The first is pure tumescent local anaesthesia (TLA), in which the anaesthetic is injected into the fatty tissue under the skin by the surgeon while the patient is awake and the fatty tissue is then suctioned out after waiting for the anaesthetic to take effect. No additional anaesthetic is used in this case. Liposuction can also be performed under anaesthesia, either in the form of light sedation (analgosedation) or general anaesthesia. However, these two latter anaesthetic procedures are then carried out by an anaesthetist. A procedure under local anaesthetic is always recommended, as this eliminates the risk of anaesthesia, albeit a very small one, and reduces the overall strain on the circulatory system to a necessary minimum.