Superficial suction lipectomy: something old, something new, something borrowed....

Superficial suction lipectomy has been proposed for the treatment of flaccid skin and for irregular-appearing, peau d'orange skin. For the purposes of diagnosis and treatment, this represents two entities for which superficial suction lipectomy is applicable: type A and type B conditions. A series of 20 patients who had contour problems amenable to liposuction and either of these two skin conditions were evaluated concurrently. Results suggested that superficial suction lipectomy is a feasible extension of traditional liposuction using smaller cannulas as the subdermal fat layer is approached. It is likely that it represents an additional tool for specific situations seen in a spectrum of disorders that multiply and overlap with age rather than a replacement for dermolipectomies or a definite treatment for skin textural disorders.