Body contouring by liposuction. A 3-year experience with 1 509 procedures.

A series of 1 509 procedures of liposuction (in 333 patients) over a 3-year period is described. Liposuction is a surgical procedure used to remove localized collections of fat, which are resistant to diet and exercise. The fat is removed by suction through a blunt-ended cannula inserted into the area through a small wound. Advantages are the production of unobtrusive scars, rapidity of surgery, permanence of the result and short-lived postoperative morbidity. Complication rates are uniformly low. Disadvantages are a tendency towards immediate postoperative hypotension unless guarded against, the need for careful patient selection, and the need for a considerable degree of experience in the procedure on the part of the surgeon.