The History of Liposuction

Abstract

THE IDEA OF REMOVING excess fat from localized body sites is not new. 1 In 1921, Charles Dujarrier, in France, attempted to remove subcutaneous fat using a uterine curette on a dancer's calves and knees. 2 A tragic result occurred due to injury of the femoral artery leading to amputation of one of the dancer's legs. In 1964, Schrudde extracted fat from the lower leg through a small incision with a curette. Hematomas and seromas resulted from this technique. 3 Pitanguy favored an en bloc removal of both fat and skin to remove excess thigh adiposities. Significant noticeable incisions diminished the popularity of this technique. 4

Feasibility of liposuction for treatment of arm lymphedema from breast cancer: A prospective study and review of the literature

“…The technique of liposuction was first developed in the 1970s and widely popularized in the early 1980s by a French surgeon Illouz [26]. Since then liposuction has proven to be a safe and reliable method to treat lipodystrophy.…”

Morbidity from liposuction under general anaesthesia – ‘the elephant in the room’

“…Dermatologists have been active in liposuction surgery since 1977, 4,5 and have pioneered dilute local anaesthetic techniques which have revolutionized the safety of the procedure. 6 Performed 'our way' and within our specialty's established limits, there have been no deaths anywhere in the world to date.…”

Textbook of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

“…He used a sharp uterine curette. Unfortunately, this procedure ended up damaging the patient's femoral artery, resulting in gangrene and subsequent amputation (Flynn and Coleman, 2000). Dujareir was sued for 200,000 Francs and died in the following months.…”

“…It was, however, first invented by Fischer, an Italian gynaecologist in the late 1970s (Flynn and Coleman, 2000). Illouz modified Fischer's technique by infiltrating a small volume of saline solution into the subcutaneous fat prior to suction.…”

“…Illouz modified Fischer's technique by infiltrating a small volume of saline solution into the subcutaneous fat prior to suction. This technique was coined the 'wet technique'; Illouz was credited with the procedure, achieving global fame (Flynn and Coleman, 2000).…”