External body contouring has been practised long before the modern plastic surgery era began. According to the fashion that prevailed during a particular period, the waist used to be tightened with belts, breast heightened, shoulder line emphasized with epaulettes, and dresses below the waist expanded with the bustle. Surgeries where the excess of skin and fat are removed first started in the beginning of the twentieth century. These procedures were part of belly hernia surgery. Eventually, belly hernia surgery grew into contemporary belly plastic surgery.
Up to this day, there haven’t been any tools created to change the body shape surgically without leaving large scars. In the last decade of the twentieth century, a new method to remove excessive fat without leaving prominent scars was invented. This technique is called liposuction. During the procedure, a long, narrow tube, called cannula, is put in through the incision. At first, such operation could be performed on the thighs, buttocks and belly area. Today, this technique is applied in modelling various parts of body. It is important to mention that fat does not restore itself in the operated areas since the cells where fat is stored are eliminated. There isn’t yet a su rgical method to make a person taller or smaller, but almost all the rest is possible.
Body shaping may be done using one four basic methods: surgical reduction, when the skin and under-skin fat is removed; liposuction; a combination of the two methods mentioned; and using implants to highlight the body lines or increase the volume of a particular part of body.
If you think that you have too much fat on certain areas of your body, and exercises do not help to reduce it just where you want (for instance, your breasts are getting thinner, but not the thighs, and your tummy won’t give up), you are a good candidate for plastic surgery. On the other hand, if you are very overweight, a plastic surgery is not the best way out. In such case, you should have examination done to make sure if there aren’t any other health problems (for example, an endocrinologic disorder or an increased appetite), and only then go to the plastic surgeon.
The length of the operation depends on its extent. It may take from some 20 minutes to several hours. The type of anaesthesia is chosen depending on the type of surgery, the condition of the patient and his/her desires. After the surgery, bruises usually appear in the places where fat has been reduced. They fade within several days or weeks. The sutures are removed in the run of the first week following the surgery. All these and other questions are discussed during the consultation with the plastic surgeon.
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