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Doctor-Speak

Lipofilling

Fat tissue can be aspirated by careful liposculpture from local deposits (eg. tummy, hips or thighs) and reinjected in other areas after purification by filtering or centrifugation. The most important applications are facial volume restoration, correction of local skin retractions (e.g. on the thighs or the buttocks), and breast augmentation. 

 

Liposculpture

Contemporary terminology for fat aspiration through incisions only a few millimetres in length. The name change from “liposuction” is a trend. As methods became more sophisticated and offered more prospects, someone came up with the new name. Sculpting sounds better than sucking. It is not surprising that a technique has gradually been refined, as happens in all other branches of medicine or other professions. The main improvements have been the use of thinner aspiration cannulas of 3 to 5 mm instead of 8 to 12 mm and the tumescence (preparation by injection of fluids). Technical variants are the use of sound waves (ultrasound) or mechanical oscillation (vibro-liposculpture) to facilitate movement of the aspiration cannulas through the tissue.

 

Liposuction

Original term for the aspiration of fat. The contemporary version of the procedure is often called “liposculpture”.

 

Lymph

Tissue fluid which does not circulate through veins but drains off in the direction of the heart through a fine network of lymph vessels. Pathogens penetrating the body, as well as malignant cells, sometimes travel in this manner. They are fought off in the lymph nodes.

 

Lymph drainage, manual lymph drainage

Specialised, gentle massage, carried out by a physiotherapist, whereby lymph build-up in the tissues and lymph vessels themselves is drained away back into the blood circulation. This technique is important in the treatment of swollen limbs. Aesthetic medicine observes a noticeably faster decrease in swelling after liposuction in combination with this follow-up treatment.

 

Lymph nodes (old name: lymph glands)

Lymph vessels converge into lymph nodes. When dealing with infections or malignant pathogens, defence cells pile up in the lymph nodes to kill off germs or malignant cells. This causes swelling of the gland. Lymph nodes can be found in abundance in the neck, underarms and groin. A gentle to firm, light swelling of one or more glands may be perfectly normal. After all, our body is involved in a constant defensive struggle against the outside world.

 

Lymph vessels

The heart pumps the blood around through the arteries. The arteries branch off into ever smaller venules, then into capilleries. Fluid and nutrients seep through the capillary walls and end up in the tissues. At the other end of the capilleries fluid and waste products are drawn back into circulation and transported back to the heart in ever widening veins. However, not all tissue fluid is reabsorbed into circulation. A part, called lymph, is drained off through a network of very fine vessels without blood cells, the lymph capilleries. This drainage takes place at a much slower pace than circulation. Through collection depots, lymph nodes, the lymph arrives in larger vessels and is eventually returned back in the blood circulation near the heart.

 

Soft liposculpture

Buzz word for soft liposculpture. A properly performed liposculpture on healthy individuals on a not too large part of the body under local anaesthetic, is not very painful or aggressive. Soft liposculpture is therefore standard technique as practised in good plastic surgery.

 

Tumescence

Technical term for a specific preparation of the fatty tissue before liposculpture. Local anaesthetics, a vasoconstrictive agent, and sometimes more medication are added to a saline solution. The fat tissue is injected with a considerable quantity at the beginning of the operation. The fat lobules are weakened, facilitating removal during liposculpture.  Bruising is less than without tumescence, and better anaesthesia is provided during and after the operation.

 

Vibroliposculpture

Liposculpture using a small engine to carry an oscillating movement to the aspiration instrument. This is a standard technical refinement, a device to perform the procedure with as little force and as evenly as possible.