Liposuction is a procedure, which removes excess fat deposits, and is one of the most popular forms of cosmetic surgery performed. The procedure itself is considered relatively straightforward and safe. Fifteen to twenty small incisions are made in the targeted area into which a number of small tubes called cannula are then inserted. The cannula is aggressively pushed through and around the fat deposits, breaking up the fat cells for easy removal with a vacuum technique.

Liposuction is a cosmetic surgical procedure that has become immensely popular. The beneficial surgery is performed to remove excess fatty deposits from underneath the skin by making a number of small incisions in the target area. A small tube, called a cannula, is then inserted into the openings and the fat cells are extracted using a sucking technique.

Liposuction is currently the most common cosmetic surgery performed. More than half of all adults in the United States are considered overweight. Even though liposuction should not be considered as a cure or even a treatment for obesity it is the most popular cosmetic surgery performed in the US. Advances in technology have vastly improved liposuction techniques over the last two decades.

Cosmetic surgeons use several techniques when performing liposuction surgery, but the incision basics remain constant for each method. The surgeon will mark your body with a pen as a guide to where he will be operating. Once the surgery begins, a tiny incision less than one-quarter of an inch long will be made near the area where the fat is to be removed. Through this incision, a long thin tube, called a cannula is inserted which is continually pushed through the fat layer beneath the skin. This action breaks up the surrounding fat cells, which are then sucked out by a vacuum that is attached to the cannula.

Before liposuction was developed, unwanted fat deposits could only be removed by cutting them out with a scalpel. This method never really gained in popularity because of the propensity for complications, and because the results tended to be uneven. It was not until Dr. Giorgio Fischer, an Italian gynecologist, developed a method of fat removal involving a scraping instrument attached to a suction machine in 1974, that the modern-day liposuction procedure was born.