Lipedema surgery – Liposuction at LIPOCURA^® in Munich and Münster

Lipedema turns many women’s lives upside down. Conservative treatments such as exercise therapy, special nutrition and compression usually only bring temporary relief of the symptoms. Only one thing can bring lasting success: Surgical liposuction.

In this procedure, fat cells can be suctioned out in a way that is gentle on the lymphatic system. It is thorough and, above all, lasting.

Your well-being is close to our hearts

Many of our patients are very insecure and suffer from the discomfort of lipedema as well as from the psychological stress associated with it. Often dismissed as obesity by those around them, the disease is often diagnosed at a late stage. By then, many of the women have already suffered for a long time, and a lack of trust in doctors is not uncommon.

We want you to feel that you are in good hands with us. Because we take you and your illness seriously and do everything we can to provide you with holistic treatment. Our team is there for you: From the initial consultation, planning and support of conservative treatment options to liposuction and all follow-up treatments. We can allay any fears and worries and are available to answer all your questions.

How can we help you?

When is liposuction useful?

Liposuction is a well-known and popular treatment in the field of plastic and aesthetic surgery. While liposuction is used in cosmetic surgery to create a beautiful body silhouette, it means much more to lipedema patients. Since diseased fat cells are removed, many existing symptoms can be treated. But of course aesthetics also play a role here.

Liposuction for lipedema treatment is the method of choice, especially when:

conservative treatment options no longer provide sufficient relief
the psychological suffering is very severe
the progression of the disease and sequelae (secondary diseases), such as knee and hip arthritis, should be prevented
lipedema is diagnosed and confirmed (also in early stages I and II)
an advanced stage has already been reached (from stage III onwards, the costs can be covered by health insurance under certain conditions)

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Goals of lipedema surgery

Liposuction for lipedema has the positive effect that by removing the abnormal fat deposits, the symptoms can be treated very well and sustainably. Once the fat cells have been removed, they will not grow back. However, lipedema can spread to other areas that have not been operated on; in other words, ‘redistribution’ to areas that are susceptible to lipedema may take place. The goals of the surgery include alleviation or even complete elimination of:

Pain
Sensitivity to pressure
Heaviness of the legs
Inflammation caused by layers of skin rubbing against each other
Prone to haematoma formation (bruising)
Psychological stress

The focus is also on restoring the shape of the body and thus increasing the self-confidence of our patients. Briefly: It is really important to us to end the long suffering of affected women and to improve their quality of life, so that they can feel comfortable in their skin again.

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Our liposuction method

Liposuction for lipedema is performed by us at LIPOCURA^® in Munich and Münster using the tumescent technique and the PAL method (power assisted liposuction or vibration liposuction).

The special tumescent solution is injected into the treatment area before the liposuction in order to cause the fat cells there to swell. Particularly gentle removal is achieved with the help of a blunt vibration cannula equipped with a rapidly vibrating tip. Because: The swelling and vibration cause the tissue to loosen and break up the fat cells to be suctioned off. This method is extremely gentle on the lymph vessels and veins.

Liposuction under general anaesthesia

We perform lipedema surgery exclusively under general anaesthesia. This allows us to remove significantly more fat cells than would be possible under local anaesthesia. This helps avoid many unnecessary treatments.

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Liposuction procedure at LIPOCURA^®

As part of the liposuction procedure, we support our patients through several stages: the initial consultation and diagnosis, preparation and execution of the surgery as well as thorough aftercare.

Before the treatment

In the obligatory consultation, we take a detailed medical history, determine your symptoms as well as the degree of the condition and go into detail about your expectations and wishes. Do you have questions? Are you nervous? Don’t worry! We will clarify everything you need to know about the pre-op. We will provide you with a specific price proposal.

Surgery

Operating time	2–3 hours
Anaesthesia	General anaesthesia
Hospital stay	1 overnight stay
Suture removal	we do not use stitches
Aftercare	6 weeks night and day compression girdle, 6 more weeks during the day
Fit for social life	after approx. 1–2 weeks
Sport/exercise	from the 6^th week on
Risks	Swelling, bruising, small scars

First, the areas to be suctioned are precisely marked on the skin. As soon as the anaesthetic takes effect, we make tiny incisions, which we select carefully so that they are as inconspicuous as possible. Then we inject the tumescent solution into three layers of your tissue. After the fat has been bloated and detached from the surrounding tissue, it can be gently suctioned off with the special vibrating cannula. After the two to three hour surgery – depending on the area and the amount of removed fat tissue – you will be fitted with compression garments that are specifically adapted to you.

Aftercare

For the weeks after the surgery, good compression therapy with appropriate compression garments is important for a good surgical result. Allow yourself a few days of rest and recuperation after the surgery so that you and your body can get used to the new situation and freedom of movement. The follow-up examination in our practice allows us to check the healing process and the results of the surgery; if necessary, we can also inform you about subsequent treatments at that time.

After removal of the fat cells and the associated volume reduction, the skin usually becomes visibly smoother. With the special PAL procedure using the tumescent technique, the lymph vessels and veins are also spared. The risks of side effects, such as wound healing disorders or temporary numbness, are very low thanks to the experience of our specialists. Thanks to the very fine incisions, usually only small, inconspicuous scars remain, and often any excess skin retracts without further ado after the treatment.

If it is still necessary to tighten the skin somewhat after liposuction, it can be done with skin tightening or with surgical needling and a special laser treatment.

Possible treatment areas for liposuction

Liposuction for lipedema can basically be carried out in all areas with an excessive accumulation of fat due to the lipedema condition. We will clarify with you in a personal consultation whether and in what form we can carry out a treatment.