Vaser lipo in Dublin

How it's done

The area is filled with tumescent fluid (salt water with local anaesthetic and a medicine that reduces bleeding), an ultrasound probe loosens the fat, and a thin cannula suctions it out through cuts a few millimetres long. A small area under local anaesthetic takes one to two hours, and you go home the same day.

Who it suits

A healthy adult near their usual weight, with firm skin and one to three stubborn areas. Vaser is often chosen for fibrous fat: the back, the flanks, the male chest. It isn't for you if:

• your weight is still going up or down
• the real problem is loose skin, not fat
• you smoke and can't stop before surgery
• you're pregnant, breastfeeding or planning a pregnancy soon

Getting home and back to work in Dublin

Under local anaesthetic you can usually be collected the same afternoon. Don't plan to take the DART or the Luas home with a fresh garment and dressings; book a lift. After a general anaesthetic you need an adult to drive you home and stay with you for the first 24 hours. Most people with desk jobs are back at work within about a week.

Results and risks

Liposuction is not a weight-loss treatment: it takes away stubborn pockets of fat at a steady weight. It won't shift cellulite or stretch marks, and it doesn't tighten loose skin. Swelling takes up to six months to settle, so judge the result then.

Bruising, swelling for up to six months, numbness for six to eight weeks and small scars are normal. Less often: uneven or lumpy results, a collection of blood or fluid, infection, skin colour changes, or a reaction to the anaesthetic. Rarely: a blood clot that travels to the lungs, fluid on the lungs, or injury to an internal organ. With vaser, the probe's heat can rarely burn the skin.

Questions to ask about vaser

• Why vaser for me rather than traditional tumescent liposuction?
• Who gives the anaesthetic, and is anyone else in the room?
• What's the price for my areas, in writing?

Questions

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