After a personal encounter with liposculpture, Dr Heckenberg was so impressed with the result, it sparked a desire to learn the art of body sculpting. By Dr Meaghan Heckenberg
I
am a Virgo and I have always been told Virgos are perfectionists. I don’t follow astrology but it is in my nature to do the best job I can possibly do, so I would have to agree that I strive for perfection. Liposculpture is a procedure I turned to when I was 34 years of age (17 years ago). My outer thighs (saddlebags) were large compared to the rest of me and always bugged me. No amount of dieting or exercise would make them disappear, until I had liposculpture. Despite all my exercise, the liposculpture surgeon made me realise I was never going to change my body shape that way. I don’t think I could have lost more weight without becoming malnourished, so I was actually relieved to hear that. Liposculpture truly changed my body shape when my outer thighs, inner thighs and knees were treated and the results were permanent. Clothes fitted better, I felt and looked better - everything was better!
One of Dr Heckenberg’s patients before and 3 months after liposculpture
I wanted to be a ‘master of one’. This is why I chose to only do liposculpture. In fact, my procedures take longer now than they did when I first started as I have become more fastidious in refining them. I also use very narrow cannulas which take longer to get the fat out but the results are smoother. Procedures may take 4-6 hours and I only tend to operate on one patient per day. There are many cosmetic surgeons who don’t like doing liposculpture because it takes such a long time to do. It requires a lot of patience to get it right, and it cannot be rushed. I believe I have the right
be experienced in the procedure but the surgeon needs to have a good eye. Drawings are made on the skin before the procedure which is very important as they represent the planning. A powerful numbing drug is injected into litre bags of saline, along with a drug that greatly constricts blood vessels, so there’s virtually no blood. The solution is injected into the fatty tissue, making it firm and dense. After the numbing drug has had time to work, the liposculpture begins. Through tiny incision points in the skin (3-5mm), long, thin, blunt cannulas are moved back and forth through the fatty
“Rather than being a ‘Jack of all trades’, I wanted to be a ‘master of one’. This is why I chose to only do liposculpture.” As a doctor, I have always loved doing procedures. My own experience with liposculpture all those years ago gave me the inspiration to learn how to do it myself and help other women. It wasn’t until 2007 when I had the time to dedicate two days per week for two years to learn liposculpture, amongst other cosmetic procedures. When I finished my fellowship with The Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery, I had the intention of concentrating on only doing that procedure. I have realised, during my medical career, now spanning 26 years, that the highest level of surgical skill is gained by doing the same procedure often. Rather than being a ‘Jack of all trades’,
aptitude for the procedure plus I don’t want to stop until I get it right. Patients are mildly sedated so they don’t mind if it takes hours to do. The time goes very quickly for them. They would rather it take many hours as they want to get the best results. There is essentially no alternative to this procedure. No amount of non-invasive fat reducing devices (e.g. fat freezing devices) will be a substitute to what I do. Liposculpture is truly body sculpting and not indiscriminate fat removal. By removing fat from certain areas allows me to create a better shape, more harmonious curves and more aesthetically balanced proportions. It’s an artistic side of medicine. Not only does the operator need to
tissue which is located between the skin and the muscle. The tiny holes at the end of the cannula grab onto the soft fat cell when the cannula moves back and forth through the connective tissue. The cannula is connected to a suction machine taking away the fat cell from the site of disruption. Only fat is removed as it is soft and liquidlike. The liposculpture is controlled by the movement of the cannula, which is why it is a very operator dependent procedure. The ideal candidate for the procedure is a person of normal weight who has isolated areas of fat that are resistant to diet and exercise. There's no need to change his or her lifestyle after liposculpture as the procedure is not a weight loss tool. It is purely body sculpting, and it is changing lives. CL INI CA L A EST H E T I CS | 19