Liposuction for chronic medical diseases and noncosmetic conditions: review of the literature

The purpose of this systematic literature review was to evaluate the safety of liposuction techniques and to identify the cosmetic and noncosmetic application of liposuction. Liposuction can be used to improve the quality-of-life in patients with disabling medical conditions in addition to its use for cosmetic rejuvenation. An online search of the Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Embase, and SciELO were conducted. Forty-seven original articles reported from 1982 to February 2014 were included in this review. The articles reported on the use as well as the limitations of liposuction for treatment of noncosmetic and disabling medical conditions. The criteria used for selection of articles were: large sample size and originality. The case reports were excluded. There was a broad agreement about the applicability and the efficacy of the liposuction for treatment of these chronic medical conditions, such as multiple systemic lipomatosis, dercum’s disease, chronic lymphedema, and axillary hyperhidrosis. Literatures review confirmed that Liposuction technique has provided significant and stable cure for these chronic medical conditions. Liposuction is the most frequent esthetic procedure for adipose tissue reduction and treatment of lipedema worldwide. Apart from esthetic indications, liposuction can also be used to treat chronic medical diseases and noncosmetic conditions.