Over the years, liposuction has evolved to the point it is at now. At one time, it was a procedure for the rich. Wealthy people would disappear for a few weeks and come back to the social circuit thinner than they were when they left. Now, liposuction is more inclusive. The prices have dropped dramatically, and the procedure is much safer than it was in the past. That means more people are now turning to liposuction as a way to get the body they want.

But it wasn’t until 1982 that the modern liposuction as we know today burst on to the scene. The French physician, Dr. Yves-Gerard Illouz, presented the “Illouz Method.” Dr. Illouz’s method injected a sterile fluid known as lidocane into fatty tissue, thus making it more malleable and then using a surgical cannula and a high volume suction device to remove the fat.

Following the presentation and several medical journal articles the procedure found its way to the United States where several physicians experimented with the procedure. It was from these experiments that several variations emerged.

By 1985 the traditional liposuction procedure had gained acceptance within the medical community as a medically sanctioned intervention for the reduction of body fat and contouring of the areas where the fat was removed. As the process of liposuction was used more and more the problems related to its use were addressed and reduced.

It was during the 1990’s that the use of ultra sound was introduced as another way of performing the procedure. The use of high powered sound waves to break down the fatty tissue was a significant step toward making liposuction both safer and less intrusive.

Finally, a major breakthrough in the process occurred. Scalpels were replaced by the cannula. It took several years to perfect the cannula technique, and by the mid 1980s, surgeons had come up with a technique they were fairly comfortable with.

The new procedure called for the area to be saturated with saline and anesthetic. The results offered a great deal of hope for the medical community. Less bleeding occurred and finally people did not have to be put to sleep when undergoing the procedure. This was a great development in regards to the surgery.

Still, it was not enough. Even though there were fewer risks, it was still not as safe as the medical community wanted it to be. There were deaths associated with liposuction, and there were other problems as well. The community worked hard to find a solution that would present more benefits and fewer risks.