All You Should Know About Liposuction And Fat Transfer

Liposuction and fat transfer are quickly becoming two of the most popular plastic surgery procedures in Nigeria. People are constantly trying to alter their bodies to look ‘perfect’.

Celebrities like Toke Makinwa and Tonto Dikeh have been very open about their surgeries. Tonto in an interview told BBC Pidgin, “ Maybe I’ll be going for my third one. I want to do my breasts and touch up my belly as well.”

While the new look from these procedures is usually beautiful, there are a few things to consider before deciding to take the plunge. We have come up with the ultimate guide to deciding whether or not you want a Lipo Fat Transfer surgery.

Liposuction

It’s a surgical procedure used to reduce body fat in certain areas of the body. It breaks up the fat in parts of the body and sucks it up. It can also be called lipoplasty, liposculpture suction, lipectomy, and body contouring. It involves making incisions in the skin and then using a tube to remove fat from the body. The incisions are then closed up with stitches.

Dr Aranmolate popularly known as Dr Laser says that although women are the major users of cosmetic surgery, men tend to prefer liposuction as their choice of cosmetic surgery. He says, “For a lot of men, they do more liposuction – abdominal liposuction because some of them have a lot of fat in their abdomen. When they have big breasts, they also come to take out the breast tissues so it can look flat.”

Benefits of Liposuction

1. It can be used to change and enhance body shape.

2. It gives subtle changes to the body instead of drastic change.

3. The recovery time is relatively shorter.

4. It can be used to fix certain medical conditions like Lymphedema, Lipomas, Gynecomastia and Lipodystrophy syndrome.

Side Effects of Liposuction

1. There may be contour irregularities where the skin appears bumpy due to uneven fat removal or poor skin elasticity that may be permanent.

2. It is possible to feel numbness in the affected area or experience nerve irritation.

3. You can get skin irritations or puncture an internal organ with the needle used for the surgery.

4. Fat can get into the blood vessels and block circulation to the lungs and brain which is life-threatening.

5. Changes in body fluid during the procedure can cause fluid to accumulate in the lungs or cause kidney or heart problems.

Fat Transfer

It is a cosmetic surgery done to move fat from one part of the body to another. They are also called fat grafting or lipo modelling. The purpose is to remove fat from a part of the body with excess part to another part of the body so as to smoothen or increase it. Fat transfers can be done to the face, breasts and butts. When they are done to the butt, it is called a ‘Brazillian butt lift’. This is the most popular one amongst ladies in Nigeria.

Benefits of Fat Transfer

1. It helps to improve the general body shape.

2. It can boost confidence and improve self-esteem.

3. It helps to fix shapelessness and sagging caused by ageing.

4. Fat transfers like the Brazillian Butt give more natural results and have lower risks of infections.

Side Effects of Fat Transfer

1. You may need more than one procedure as the body reabsorbs some of the fat after it has been transferred to the new part.

2. There may be collections of blood under the skin that would need additional surgery to fix.

3. You may experience the death of some of the fat tissues transferred and this would cause firmness within the skin, hard lumps and pain.

4. A more deadly side effect is a ‘fat embolism’ where some of the transferred fat gets in the bloodstream and causes life-threatening illnesses like stroke, meningitis, blindness and even death.

How Much Would It Cost?

Liposuction in Nigeria alone costs 800,000 Naira to 1.5 million Naira. On the other hand, fat transfer costs between 2 million Naira and 8 million Naira. However, prices vary based on size and areas of liposuction and fat transfer.

Dr Laser of Grandville Medical and Laser said they sometimes reduce the prices of procedures. He said, “At intervals, what we tend to do is that we try to reduce the price of some of the procedures we do. Just to encourage many people because it’s still part of the many ways to tell people that these things are actually possible in Nigeria.”

Where Can You Get It Done

There are different centres and hospitals where liposuction, fat transfer and other forms of plastic surgery can be done in Lagos and Abuja.

Conclusion

People decide to get liposuction or fat transfer for personal reasons. Their results can help you feel better about yourself and that is a great reason to embark on this journey. However, before you decide what you do, make sure your health is in a perfect place and that you have a good doctor. When you finally get your desired look, flaunt, embrace it and don’t be embarrassed to celebrate it.