LONDON: The number of people preferring liposuction procedure to lose weight compared to other traditional methods like exercise has increased by 90 per cent in one year, according to figures.
The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons said some 3,986 liposuction procedures were conducted in 2006, compared to 2,099 in 2005. The procedure, performed under general anesthesia, allows fat cells in human body to be sucked from under the skin.
The association also revealed that other anti-ageing procedures are gaining popularity with facelift procedures up 44 per cent, eyelid surgery up 48 per cent and brow lifts up 50 per cent in 2006 compared to 2005. It said a total of 28,921 plastic surgery procedures were carried out by its surgeons during the year, which is an increase of 31.2 per cent from 2005.
Women had 26,469 procedures during the year, up from 19,601 in 2005. The most sought-after procedure had been breast augmentation (6,156), followed by eyelid surgery, liposuction, face or neck lifts and breast reduction.
Men had 2,452 cosmetic procedures in 2006, the top five procedures being rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery or blepharoplasty, liposuction, ear correction or otoplasty, and face/neck lift.
Douglas McGeorge, president of the association and a consultant plastic surgeon, attributed the increase partly on account of the media exposure of the procedures.
However, some experts warn people against the indiscriminate use of such procedures. For example, they say liposuction should not be considered as a treatment for weight management or obesity.
In 2006, Denise Hendry, the wife of the former Scotland football captain Colin Hendry, won 100,000 pounds in compensation after suffering complications during liposuction in 2002. She was in intensive care for nearly two months after sustaining nine punctures to her bowel and colon during a procedure.
