Does Lipo "pre-tunneling" involve heat and fat redistribution?

Question

My doctor performed lipo on my thighs, and what he called "pre-tunneling" to prevent ripples. After the procedure I've learned he did fat redistribution which I did not consent to. I've also had a rough recovery, because of nerve pain. Does pre-tunneling involve heating the fat, which may have irritated the nerves more than just traditional lipo? Does pre-tunneling typically involve fat redistribution? I thought fat redistribution is another word for fat grafting.

Gerald Minniti, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello,Dr. Simeon Wall made a major contribution to the world of liposuction, at least among ABPS certified/ASAPS member surgeons, by formalizing and presenting his unique surgical technique known as SAFElipo. This involves two extra steps than just simply aspirating fat, one before and one after. The step before is the 'S' in SAFElipo, and represents separation, or pre-tunneling, which involves using a canula without any suction. This is important to do to minimize trauma and to get a more even aspiration (A) of fat when the suction is turned on. After the actual suctioning, fat equilization (FE) is performed to further smooth the result. This is essentially the same as pre-tunneling prior to aspiration, but performed afterwards and represents smoothing by local fat redistribution.  This is not fat grafting, and is merely a technique that is part of the liposuction, something you consented for. Best of luck!

Does Lipo "pre-tunneling" involve heat and fat redistribution?

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