The abdomen is the most common requested area for abdominal liposuction by both men and women who desire a flatter stomach. Both men and women have excess abdominal fat in the upper, lower, or both areas of the stomach.

It is not common that abdominal liposuction is used as a weight loss technique. However, people requesting abdominal liposuction generally have tried various significant types of exercise programs and even though they have benefited in other ways from the program, they just can not get rid of the excess fat around the stomach area.

Tumescent Liposuction

The most common technique of abdominal liposuction is the tumescent liposuction (tumescent meaning to become swollen). With this technique only a local anesthesia is required, eliminating the cost and risk that are associated with a general anesthesia, in addition trauma and blood losses are significantly reduced with this technique.

Tumescent technique involves the use of a much diluted solution of local anesthetic which is injected where the abdominal liposuction is to be performed, numbing the area and reducing the bleeding.

How it works is the tumescent solution is injected into the fat tissue before the abdominal liposuction is performed and what it actually does is pumps up the fatty compartment where the liposuctions is going to performed therefore reducing the bleeding.

Two Kinds of Abdominal Fat

There are two kinds of abdominal fat and they are subcutaneous which means right under the skin, and intra-abdominal fat. Intra-abdominal fat is located inside the intestinal loops near what is called the mesentery, this type of abdominal fat can not be eliminated by abdominal liposuction because it is inside the abdomen and not directly beneath the skin.

To test and see which kind of tummy fat you have, you can grab a roll of fat between the fingers and thumb and if you can easily move this fat up and down. the chances are that it is subcutaneous which can be treated by abdominal liposuction. Of course your doctor will ultimately determine what kind of tummy fat you have.

Recovery

Most people that have an abdominal liposuction performed are able to get up and walk around immediately after the surgery; in fact it is recommended that you take a small walk the same day and it is also recommended that the patient is somewhat active rather than lying in bed.

Usually there are no prescription pains medications involved, on occasions Tylenol with codeine is prescribed but most of the time any type of aspirin for pain will suffice.
There is usually a lot of tumescent drainage after the first twenty-four hours and will continue for the next forty-eight to seventy-two hours of abdominal liposuction.