"I've had 5,500cc of fat aspirated from my hips and belly, and now I feel very content!" said Helen Lee of the liposuction surgery she underwent one year ago.
"Of course I was scared. I could feel a needle sweeping around my body. And I could hear the sound of the machine. And the doctor showed me the fat aspirated out of me ..."
Dr Tsai Ren-yu (
"The traditional method involves a general anesthesia to the patient and heavy blood loss," he said. Apart from the risk of general anesthesia, the older method carried the risk of fat embolism, or peritonitis.Using the tumescent method, the surgeon injects a solution of Xylocaine, a local anesthesia, and large amounts of saline solution to make the skin tumescent. In this way, the fat is extracted with far less blood loss.
The minor problem is that after the operation, the saline solution oozes from the wounds. "I could feel water leaking from my lap during the first two days after operation," Lee said.
Tsai said liposuction is suited to reduce fat in specific areas of the body, and is not intended as a weight loss method. In fact, he said, overweight people are not recommended for the operation.
Among his 200 patients so far for liposuction, Tsai said the majority are women in their 30s and some in their 40s, many of whom are wealthy and want to fit into a cheongsam dress for social occasions.
"The effect of liposuction is better among the young, because the skin contraction is better," Tsai said.
Tumescent liposuction performed by a dermatologist costs between NT$40,000 and NT$70,000, while the procedure using the traditional method performed by a plastic surgeon costs between NT$50,000 and NT$100,000.
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