Understanding the PURE-st Contouring in Cosmetic Surgery Today

More people today than ever before are opting for cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgery is the branch of plastic surgery concerned with the aesthetics of the human body. It is in this branch that methods like Liposuction are used for maximum contouring and sculpting.

The question that most often follows this is: why?

 

Why do people opt for cosmetic surgery?

Simply put, cosmetic surgery helps people feel good about themselves. It helps them feel like they are in the body they deserve. Not being in a body that makes you feel attractive can take a significant toll on one’s mental and emotional health. Just because the entire world tells you that you are beautiful just the way you are, does not mean you believe it when you look in the mirror.

The advancement of cosmetic surgery today ensures that patients can target problem areas and get them fixed. This is a permanent solution to problems that plague their daily lives, otherwise.

This is why people opt for cosmetic surgery. By far, the most popular form of cosmetic surgery is Liposuction.

What is Liposuction

Liposuction, as the name suggests, is the removal of lipo (fat) through suction. People who struggle with stubborn fat in their bodies, which is hard to shed even after years of exercising and dieting, they opt for Liposuction. Also, for the professionals in specific industries who need a certain kind of body aesthetics, like models or movie stars, who need quicker and fitter body shapes, Liposuction is the answer.

The procedures involved in Liposuction are not too complicated.

However, before we understand the procedure, we need to dive into the anatomy of the body fat, a little. There are three primary layers of the outermost matter of the human body – the external skin layer, the subcutaneous fat layer underneath it, and the muscle layer. It is the middle layer of subcutaneous fat that liposuction targets.

What is subcutaneous fat?

Subcutaneous fat is a stubborn belt of fat that refuses to burn regardless of how much exercise you do. Say you have a tyre of subcutaneous fat on your stomach, it will not burn no matter how many crunches you do. Getting instantaneous results is simply out of the question.

Liposuction targets and removes this subcutaneous fat surgically. However, depending on your surgeon’s expertise, this may be done with minimal scarring and very natural-looking results.

The idea behind Liposuction is to enhance your natural contours. If you go for, e.g. the six-pack ab surgery, Liposuction helps you bring out the natural mounds and valleys in your abdominal muscles. Instead of artificially creating abs, it enhances your existing body so that your results look excellent.

Liposuction can be used all over the body, including:

• Abdomen and Waist
• Back
• Breast Or Chest Areas
• Calves and Ankles
• Cheeks, Jowls and Neck
• Hips and Buttocks
• Inner and Outer Thighs
• Inner Knee
• Upper Arms

With such an extensive reach, you can understand why it is considered the epitome of sculpting. This procedure is used in every operation to help make the results look more natural. Liposuction achieves this particularly because the tools that are available today are highly sophisticated and precise. This offers the surgeon a great deal of control over the procedure, automatically making the results better.

So, what is this equipment?

Technology Used in Liposuction Today

With the advent of modern technology, procedures in Liposuction have significantly improved. In fact, traditional Liposuction is slowly becoming less common today. Traditional Liposuction involved the surgical removal of the fat instead of using devices that made this removal more precise.

The problem with this was that there were much bigger scars, less control, a higher chance of complication and the removed fat cells were often damaged. Damaging the fat cells meant that procedures like fat grafting, which are often integral to the overall sculpting, could not happen.

Understanding Fat Grafting

Fat grafting is a process through which fat is removed from one part of the patient’s body and inserted into another part. This is often used in procedures like six-pack abs surgery, facelifts, breast and buttock augmentation etc.

Fat grafting is a very desirable method of augmentation because it is the safest method. Since the fat is taken from the patient’s body itself, the chances of rejection or an adverse reaction to insertion are negligible. This is often presented in contrast to implants which, although delivering more significant augmentation, are more dangerous.

The problem under traditional Liposuction is that there is too much damage to the fat cells. This means that usually, less than 30% of the extracted fat can be treated and reused. Using today’s more sophisticated technology avoids this problem. By being minimally traumatic, it ensures that more than 50% of the extracted fat can be treated and reused.

The Technology

There are three major technological advancements in Liposuction today. These are:

• Power-assisted Technology
• Ultrasound-assisted Technology
• Radiofrequency-enhanced Technology

Together, they produce PURE contouring.

What is PURE Contouring?

PURE Contouring, as the name implies, is the most precise and safest form of body contouring. It is especially desirable because of the high-quality technology that greatly cuts down on recovery time. Every procedure is minimally traumatic. Combining ultrasound and radiofrequency technology also offers a high amount of control to the surgeon. This is essential for the best results.

So, now that we know what PURE contouring entails, let us see what each letter actually means.

 

P – Power-Assisted Technology

Power-Assisted Technology or Power-Assisted Liposuction (PIL) is a method where a vacuum device with a cannula at the end is inserted through an incision into the subcutaneous fat layer. Once inserted, it vibrates at high frequency and moves back and forth rapidly.

This breaks up the fat layer, allowing for easy removal. The cannula, itself, is blunt. This avoids any possibility of hitting any major blood vessels or going deeper than you should. This makes PIL extremely safe.

The most common PIL technology today is known as MicroAire. Its safety has been guaranteed at the highest level, allowing the surgeon to adhere to international standards of patient care by using this device. Additionally, the MicroAire tool may also be reversed for procedures like buttock augmentation.

The reason the PIL technology is used in buttock augmentation is because of the blunt cannula. Buttock augmentation used to have the risk of the fat getting inserted deeper than it should have been. But with MicroAire, that is no longer a point of concern. Instead, the procedure is extremely safe and desirable by patients.

The nature of this procedure also makes it minimally traumatic. The fast vibrations, although breaking up the fat, do not damage the fat cells much. Also, their focused nature ensures that only the fat layer is targeted and nothing else. This speeds up recovery time while also making it much more comfortable for the patient.

 

U – Ultrasound-Assisted Technology

The next aspect of PURE contouring is ultrasound-assisted technology or ultrasound-assisted Liposuction (UAL). UAL technology includes machines like VASER – Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Resonance – which also has a blunt cannula like the PIL technology.

The difference is that the UAL cannula has rings around the tip. These rings release ultrasound waves that melt and emulsify the fat. This makes removal easier again.

That said, UAL serves a two-fold purpose. Unlike PIL, which simply suctions out the fat, UAL also releases heat along with the ultrasound energy. This heat makes the skin shrink. Now, you may be wondering how the heat makes skin shrink – that sounds counterproductive, doesn’t it? Heat is supposed to make things expand.

Well, what heat does is that it creates inflammation. This triggers the body’s response and its attempt to remove the inflammation. Therefore, the body begins stimulating the existing collagen and elastin fibres as well as producing new fibres. This automatically causes the skin to tighten. This is also why this method is commonly used in vaginal rejuvenation – it tightens the vagina by triggering the body’s inflammatory response and collagen production.

This method of heating the skin from underneath is desirable because it means no extra skin needs to be excised. Therefore, there is no additional scarring. In some cases, the patient may have too much excess skin for the UAL technology to shrink all of it successfully. But most of the time, if the patient is young and their skin is still elastic, VASER is all they need for the ideal, gorgeous results.

 

Complications in UAL

The one foremost complication here is that VASER or UAL can cause burns. The heat it produces is not regulated. After all, its job is to melt and emulsify fat. The heat it produces that shrinks the skin is a bonus feature. But there are no ways of saying how much heat it will produce.

The only way to control the amount of heat and prevent burns is by going to a board-certified, experienced surgeon. Their expertise precludes the possibility of burns or blisters. But undergoing UAL from someone unfamiliar with the technology can cause burns which affect the results and increase recovery time.

 

RE – Radiofrequency-Enhanced Technology

It is because of this potential UAL complication that radiofrequency technology (RF) is used. RF’s purpose is heating. Therefore, it stands to reason that it has a regulator that prevents overheating.

Here, we also need to understand heat and physics a little. If you have seen a movie which uses infrared cameras, you should know that bodies emit heat. Infrared cameras and technology let you see how much heat based on the colours. Colours closer to red are warmer, and the colours closer to blue are cooler.

Therefore, they offer a reliable way of judging how much heat has been released. This is put to use during RF procedures. Since RF allows for heat regulation, using an infrared camera also gives the surgeon an idea about how hot the patient is getting. This addition enables them to avoid burning the patient during the procedure successfully.

The safety provided by combining the use of RF with infrared technology works at two levels. The patient is twice as safe with this combination. With such close monitoring, the skin successfully shrinks without any burns. Therefore, recovery time is not affected at all, and no excision is necessary. The skin shrinks over the new contours and looks very natural.

PURE Contouring Procedure

Although PURE contouring may be performed as a part of several procedures, its technologies are still particular to Liposuction.

Liposuction is usually carried out under local anaesthesia or utilizing sedation. This allows the patient to go home immediately after the completion of the clinical Liposuction and to carry on with their normal life. The only thing they need to be wary about is doing any activity that involves hard physical effort, which may be resumed after 24 hours, with the appropriate medical authorization.

The procedure itself begins with a small incision in a hidden place where the fatty area is situated to keep the resulting scar hidden, contributing to the natural-looking results. Next, the pencil-sized cannula is inserted, which is connected using a plastic tube to a suction apparatus. After the patient undergoes PIL, this apparatus suctions out the excess fat.

After PIL, the surgeon continues with the rest of PURE contouring, making the skin shrink and look much better.

This procedure, which causes no pain, takes approximately 25 minutes for each area. When the suction is completed, a suturing stitch is put in place on the incisions mentioned above. Immediately afterwards, a dressing is put in place, compressing the suctioned area.

Postoperative antibiotics therapy is prescribed for 48 hours.

Results and Recovery from PURE Contouring

Recovering from PURE contouring is entirely dependent on which procedure you use it in. While we understand it in the context of Liposuction, this is often a part of other procedures. This includes abdominoplasty or tummy tuck, gynecomastia treatment etc.

The efficacy of PURE contouring depends on the body part. Similarly, the recovery also depends on the body part. That said, the procedure is a daycare procedure, is entirely painless, and the patient can resume their daily activities from the next day onward.

The patient experiences mild to moderate pain for the first 72 hours, and surgeons prescribe medicines for the same. After three days, the patient has some mild swelling that gradually disappears in the next 2-3 weeks. Depending upon the area of the surgery, most patients with a sitting job can return to work after 2-3 days. However, they must restrict all strenuous activities for 3-4 weeks. The timelines, however, differ on an individual basis. The surgeon gives the patient a recovery timeline fit for their needs.

The Pressure Garment

Surgeons also advise the patients to wear a pressure garment during the first 4-6 weeks post-surgery. A pressure garment is a corset-like garment tailored to the patient’s specifications. Since PURE contouring involves very precise and careful sculpting, the patient needs to keep these the results in place. The pressure garment helps here. E.g. if you undergo an abdominoplasty, the pressure garment keeps your new flat and toned tummy intact while it heals. The stitches stay in place, and you continue having an impressive, toned figure.

You see the results of your PURE contouring as soon as it is done. However, as it heals, there may be more swelling. You do not have to worry about this, as this is a natural part of recovery. Pressure garment can help with this problem too.  Therefore, as long as you set your standards high, you will get results you desire!

Setting Your Standards High

The key to setting your standards high is choosing the right surgeon, centre and techniques for your procedure.

Of these three, the surgeon remains most important. You need a board-certified, well-reputed surgeon who adheres to international standards of patient care. By keeping this in mind, you get far better results.

After this, your surgeon also needs to have access to a well-equipped centre. The point of PURE contouring is technology. If the centre does not have the technology, then it is not PURE contouring. It is simply contouring that cannot produce as natural-looking, enhanced results. Additionally, a good centre also means good patient care. This ensures that you get the attention you deserve and have a much more comfortable recovery.

Finally, the technique matters. Your surgeon needs to know what to do with the technology they have. If they have both UAL and RF, they should not do skin excision unless necessary. Removing excess skin does not make sense when there is a much more comfortable alternative.

Keeping all this in mind when choosing who should perform the procedure ensures you get the sculpted figure you want. It also brings the joy that you can look in the mirror and feel good about yourself, every time.

Dr Rajat Gupta, a board-certified plastic surgeon, is the only surgeon in India who does PURE contouring. Having coined the term himself, he uses the high quality, state-of-the-art modern technology that we have at RG Aesthetics to produce such enhanced results. He has also trademarked the term PURE Contouring, letting it denote a specific kind of cosmetic surgery, which promises far better results than traditional methods. By always keeping the patient in mind, he adheres to international standards of patient care and gives his patients the results they truly deserve!