Dr Mark Attalla

A chronic condition, almost always in women, in which painful fat builds up evenly in the legs and sometimes the arms. It doesn’t respond to diet and exercise in the usual way, and it’s often mistaken for obesity or lymphoedema.

Before recommending surgery, Dr Attalla reviews your history and diagnosis, the areas affected, your general health, and the conservative care you’ve tried, such as compression and lymphatic drainage. Liposuction isn’t suitable for everyone with lipoedema.

For lipoedema he uses water-assisted liposuction (WAL), in which a gentle jet of fluid helps loosen the fat as it’s removed through a thin tube called a cannula.

At our centre you stay awake, under tumescent local anaesthesia. Victorian Department of Health guidance limits the volume removed in a single procedure, so when several areas are involved, treatment is usually staged over more than one procedure. A larger single procedure under general anaesthetic would take place in a hospital instead.

You go home the same day and wear compression garments, day and night at first, with follow-up appointments in his rooms. Liposuction doesn’t cure lipoedema, and results vary.

Liposuction for lipoedema doesn’t attract a Medicare rebate, and health funds generally don’t cover it. You’ll receive a written estimate of all fees before your procedure.