What are the Different Types of Facial Liposuction?

Facial liposuction is a procedure that removes fat from the neck, chin and jowls. Candidates for facial liposuction desire a thinner, tighter appearance in the facial region. However, people who are more than 30 pounds overweight should not undergo a facial liposuction. The advantage of this type of surgery is that scars are minimized. After the surgery, mild swelling occurs for a week to a week and a half.

Facial liposuction removes fat from the neck, improves the appearance of sagging jowls, reduces bags under the eyes, smooths wrinkles near the upper eye and can eliminate a double chin. The surgery uses anesthesia on those parts of the face being operated on. An incision is made in the region, and a tool called a cannula penetrates the incision to remove the excess fat. This is called Suction-Assisted Liposuction.

There are several types of surgery that those who desire facial contouring can undergo. Tumescent liposuction is a procedure in which the doctor injects fluid into the area that the fat will be removed from. He or she then uses a special, smaller cannula to suction out the fat. Ultrasound-Assisted Liposuction (UAL) is reserved for patients with fat regions that cannot be reduced through diet or exercise because it can remove larger amounts of fat at once. An ultrasonic liposuction works similarly to Suction-Assisted Liposuction, but it is intended specifically to improve the proportion of the treated area.

During a Power-assisted Liposuction, a gas- or electricity-powered hollow tube penetrates the skin and vacuums out fat, scar tissue, and fibrous tissue. The tip of the instrument moves back and forth, allowing for movement through the tissue. This type of facial liposuction surgery is more expensive than most of the procedures. VASER-assisted liposuction combines technology with new surgical techniques to dissolve and remove tissues of fat. This surgery yields one of the shortest recovery times of all the types of surgeries.

Submental liposuction works most effectively for double chin removal. It directly condenses fat through excision and tightening procedures. External Ultrasound-assisted Liposuction (XUAL) is a more complex surgery. High-frequency ultrasonic fields penetrate the skin’s wet tissue that has been injected with fluid, as during tumescent liposuction. This allows fat to be easily taken out, and it differs from Internal Ultrasound-assisted Liposuction because of the energy being applied through the skin rather than through a cannula.

Although facial liposuction is an effective surgery to remove unwanted fat patches, it should only be performed by qualified doctors. The result is a more youthful appearance with tighter, more contoured and defined features. The surgery brings about dramatic results, so patients should be serious about it before making an appointment.