Doctor Sapena, 54 6B
03013 – Alicante
674 642 653
Avenida del Mediterraneo 3, bajo
03503 – Benidorm
674 642 653
HLA San Carlos
03700 – Dénia
674 642 653
Lipedema is an illness, that is widely unkown to society. Its very important to talk about this, because it is an illness that has stigmatised many patients, as they blame themselves for their obesity which generates a great deal of frustration and impotence. An illness that curiously only affects women.
It consists in an accumulation of fat, a great amount in some patients, from the waist to the ankles, without reaching the feet. It is different from a ¨linfedema¨which is the accumulation of liquids and not fat, which can affect both men and women, and also affects the feet.
A typical patient, would be a woman who has spent all of her life on a diet, all of her life fighting against obesity. A patient who no matter what she eats, will still put on weight. Some have an accumulation of fat in the thighs, but also on their legs and waist.
They start to visit endocrinologists, nutritionists and more doctors. All of their life from one doctor to another, with all kinds of diets. Its true that these patients are known to have gone to more than 5 specialists before they can find the answer, and they can explain why this happens.
They are patients who have suffered alot. Its not just a question of vanity, although we have seen patients who have not been to the beach in years, and to say this in Benidorm, is very hard.
The treatment is simple and very complicated at the same time. The diet, the exercise, the lymphatic draining and liposuction surgery. The diet, exercise and lymphatic draining are to slow down the illness or to at least prevent the illness advancing. Our part, the surgery, which serves to reduce the volume and allow the patient to see themselves better, by removing what bothers them most. The plastic surgeons jump in, when the diets, exercise and lymphatic draining cease to work.
We extract, with liposuction, the acummulations of fat from wherever they may be. Some patients need various surgeries to achieve the desired result, as the volume can be very large and for safety reasons we need to spread out the liposuction surgeries.
What we can say, is how to maintain the result. This is the key of the whole process. To stop or at least slow down the illness, so that, once the liposuction is done, the result is maintained.
Improve the body contours eliminating the fat deposits.
General.
Temporary pain, swelling, tightening of the skin, bruising.
Minimal.
Depends on many factors.
Varied. Depending on the extensiveness of the surgery. 2-5 hours.
24 hour admission.
Two weeks. Some patients one month.
Return to work: 3-7 days. Intense activity: 2-4 weeks.
3 months.
If you have lipedema and your state of health is good, the liposuction is the surgical treatment for this illness.
Any surgical intervention has risks. Our surgeons will explain to each patient in their case, but at this moment with the technology and techniques applied, the liposuction for Lipedema is a routine surgery with very few incidents of complications. The realisation of a surgery with official titled plastic surgeons with decades of experience and hundreds of surgeries completed, the realisation of the surgery being carried out in a first level prívate hospital. The use of medication to avoid infections for example, means that the only complications are usually; slight bruising, parcial numbness to certain areas of the skin, the uncomfortableness of the support girth that needs to be worn after surgery or swelling. You can always ask your plastic surgeon any questions at any time and our surgeons will be happy to resolve any doubts that may arise.
The Lipedema affects the thighs and legs, but also, on occasions the hips.
Its difficult to predict. It depends on many factors. The treatment of liposuction of a Lipedema improves the quality of life of all of the patients and during a long time, but it depends on how much care the patient takes and how the lipedema evolves.
Depends on the number of areas to be treated and of the volume expected to be extracted, it would be from 30 minutes up to 4-5 hours.
The liposuction tends to be an outpatient surgery, except when the volume to be extracted implies the necessity to be admitted for safety reasons, which tends to be the case when the lipedema surgery is an extensive case. We will let you know at all times the reason why or how, from your first informative visit. In other cases, its a 24 hour hospital stay.
If the liposuction is small or médium you can return to work 24 or 48 hours after surgery. If its a larger surgery, we recommend that you rest for a week. Some patients need two weeks or more.
All that is necessary to achieve the desired result, but we can safely say, the limit would be 5 litres of fat, depending on many factors. The amount can be decided with your surgeon, they will explain how much and from where.
Yes. The corset helps to see results sooner, Also it helps to reduce the swelling and that less bruising appears. We recommend that it is worn for 4-6 weeks, after the surgery, although for many patients the use of a corset on a routine basis is quite usual.
The results cannot be seen immediately with any surgery. After the liposuction there is swelling and bruising. After the first month you will start to see results which will complete after 3 months.
Its uncomfortable, and slightly painfull, although the majority of patients say its more of an achiness. With the painkillers that the doctors will give you, you will feel no pain.
The scars from a liposuction are mínimum and imperceptible after a few weeks, as they are very small, only a few milimetres.
The liposuction or liposculpting surgery can improve temporarily the cellulite, but will not eliminate it. Its not a surgery to eliminate cellulite.
This is not an illness usually found in young people, although we have seen patients20 years old, with large legs which makes us suspect, and consult the possibility of liposuction. Therefore, in general we recommend that any surgical intervention be done from 18 years of age, if in good general health.
Your first consultation, is free and non compromisal, you will speak with our doctors. They will do a short study of your general health, you can explain what kind of result you are looking for, which areas you would like to improve. They will explain the surgical technique, the risks, the benefits and the costs. This consultation can be in person or by video phonecall. You will never feel obliged, nor pressured to fulfill the surgery after this informative consultation. Our team of surgeons will be happy to respond any question asked.
The liposuction of lipedema is a surgery performed under general anesthetic, and requires a one nights stay in the hospital, if there are various areas to treat or the volume to be extracted recommends this. Your surgeon at this stage, will have explained in extreme detail the reasons for you to be admitted or not. You will be given your room upon arrival and then be taken to the operating theatre, where our doctors will see you and answer any last minute questions. You will meet the rest of the operating team, nurses, helpers etc. A video and photographs will be taken, so as to have the before surgery images. They will also mark the areas to be treated. They will explain again where the incisions will take place. The incisions will be done in the areas to be treated. . They will filter, on each area, a liquid of local anesthetic and adrenalin so as to form a least amount of bruising possible. Through an in-out movement with a cannula connected to a liposuctor, the fat is extracted in small amounts. Once each area is finished, they close the wound of 5-6mm with one stitch that needs to be removed two weeks later in the clinic by your plastic surgeon. If your surgery is an outpatient surgery, you will be discharged on the same day. If you are to be admitted, you will be taken to your room , for 24 hrs.
You will be accompanied by our team at all times during your recuperation. You will be fitted with a corset which needs to be worn for various weeks, (which you can wash and change). You will take antibiotics and pain killers, if you claim to have them. Its normal that you may have some bruising, which will disappear bit by bit, with the recommendations that we will give. You should walk about at home and drink lots of water and eat healthily. Our surgeons will let you know when you can return to work. Also, when you can begin to exercise or drive. Its best that you dont drink alcohol nor smoke during a few weeks post surgery, as tobacco slows the healing process. The bruises and swelling, will ease and after a few weeks you will see the results.
All of the revisions until given the all clear are included in the quote given. The patients have their first revisión 48-72 hrs after having left the hospital. The next visit is one week after surgery, then at 2 weeks, one month, 3 months and six months, plus any other time needed until given the all clear. All of the check ups and cures are done by our plastic surgeons. Dedicating all of the time necessary to make you feel looked after and guided at all times. You will be given a telephone number to be able to contact us at any time whenever you need us, also in English. In the case that the patient is from a foreign country, the frequency of the check ups, are exactly the same, but obviously needed to be done telematically.
All plastic surgery is destined to improve how the patient sees themselves. The patients will feel better, after seeing the improvement. It will lift their self-esteem. Their self-confidence also. If you feel better about yourself, others will notice this and you will enter a positive spiral to want to look after yoursel more, to be healthier. All this results in a greater mental health. After many years and thousands of patients, we can say, that this will also happen with you.
