For the majority of men and women, lower body fat can be extremely difficult to contend with – regardless of how much they diet and/or exercise. In addition, many in the US have a genetic predisposition to holding extra weight in their legs, thighs, and even their ankles. Especially for women, this can cause a lot of body image issues, and will often discourage them from wearing certain dresses, skirts, and short outfits. In order to content with these issues, many are turning to liposuction of the legs and lower body as a whole.

What is Liposuction?
Liposuction is one of the most common aesthetic enhancement procedures and can be performed on a variety of areas along the body – including the buttocks, upper & lower arms, back, chest, abdomen, and the lower body, legs, thighs, ankles & more.

Liposuction in general is the removal of unwanted fat from the body, using a small tubular vacuum hand-piece, known as a cannula. This tubular hand-piece is equipped with a laser tip designed to liquify the fat cells, in order for them to be easily vacuumed away. Removing this unwanted fat allows your surgeon to sculpt the desired treatment area, creating slimmer, more aesthetically-pleasing contours.

How Does Liposuction Differ for the Lower Body?
The lower body (legs, thighs, etc.) is one of the most widely requested areas for liposuction, especially amongst women – as their leg and lower body fat is quite different from that of the rest of the body. Within the female body, genetics plays a huge role in how fat is distributed. The majority of women tend to hold a lot of excess weight in the hips, thighs, and ankles. Some amount of fat is important for bodily processes and things like childbirth, therefore this fat is especially resistant to diet & exercise.

In addition, the fat along the legs, thighs & ankles is known to be more “superficial surface fat”. This means that there are few, if any, deep pockets of fat on the legs, and most of it is housed along the leg’s surface. This is particularly dangerous, and the main reason why lower body liposuction takes an added measure of care. Near this surface fat, there are a number of vascular complexes (groups of veins) and therefore surgeons must take added precaution to avoid causing any damage to them. Also, because of the effects of gravity and blood pressure changes, any trauma from the procedure can causing long-lasting vascular injury and damage to important veins.

One of the most sensitive areas on the legs is the area behind the knees. Both men and women tend to gain fat in the areas around this, so it is a common target for liposuction – however, this area is home to a number of important nerves and blood vessels that can be easily injured by the cannula. Any surgeon attempting liposuction in any of the surrounding areas must be experienced and precise enough to avoid getting too close – as this can lead to permanent damage, loss of feeling, mobility issues, vascular damage, and more.

Benefits of Leg Liposuction
When getting liposuction performed on the lower body, both men and women experience a wide variety of benefits to their appearance – in addition to the health benefits of fat/weight loss. Some of these benefits include:

• Thinner, slimmer lower body contours.
• Improved Confidence & Self-Esteem.
• Improved Body Image.
• Improved mobility.

Important Areas for Lower Body Liposuction
The following areas of the lower body are most prone to fat gain and require liposuction the most.

• Buttocks – Mainly performed to contour the outer areas of the buttocks (the lower back & the horizontal crease below the buttocks) and sculpt or shape.
• Outer Thighs – Prone to developing local fat deposits and genetic weight gain, the outer thighs are vital to toning and contouring the body.
• Inner Thighs – Similar to the outer thighs, the inner thighs contribute to a majority of the leg bulk. Inner thighs also have a tendency to rub together and cause irritations in the skin.
• Front of Thighs – This area requires the most fat of the legs, and therefore liposuction must be done very lightly here – as excessive fat removal to the front thigh, creates unnatural contours and surface wrinkles/folds.
• Knees – Mainly the inner and top portions of the knee accrue the most fat. These areas also have the greatest effect on the overall look of the legs and lower body.
• Calves – The calves are mainly composed of muscle. But some individuals, especially men, like to tone and slim down their calves as the aesthetics of the lower body are very dependent upon the ratio of the calves, to the thighs, and to the hips.
• Ankles – Genetics plays a huge role in fat along the ankles, and the ankles play a huge role in the overall aesthetic of the lower body, especially for women. The common term “cankles” comes from women having fatty deposits on their ankles, that cause them to blend in with the calves. Removing fat and creating differentiation in these areas is very important to the womanly aesthetic.

Liposuction of the legs and lower body can greatly improve your overall look and appearance, but it is not without its dangers and it is important to take precautions and follow your surgeon’s recommendations. For more info on leg liposuction, and other aesthetic enhancement procedures or to book your consultation with Dr. Swift, contact us today.