Ex Vivo Liposuction Optimizes High-Definition Body Contouring

Background: Ex vivo liposuction is a novel procedure which describes the liposuction of soft tissues following removal from the patient for the purpose of autologous fat grafting. The liposuction of soft tissues after they have been excised has been coined ex vivo liposuction and contrasts traditional liposuction techniques, coined in vivo liposuction. In vivo liposuction describes conventional liposuction of soft tissues while attached to the patient. Excisional procedures that may be considered for ex vivo liposuction include brachioplasty, medial thigh tuck, upper body lift, tummy tuck, lateral thigh tuck, buttock tuck, and lower body lift. Objective: To introduce ex vivo liposuction as an innovative technical advancement of traditional liposuction in high-definition body contouring procedures requiring tissue excision in the surgical plan. Method: This article discusses the technical details of ex vivo liposuction and several advantages over in vivo liposuction in 137 cases involving excisional surgery. Results: The first advantage of ex vivo liposuction includes the ability to harvest greater volumes of fat in patients with limited fat reserves. The second advantage includes improved quality of harvested fat that may optimize fat graft take. A final advantage involves improving liposuction safety by limiting blood loss, minimizing intraoperative times, and providing a platform for less experienced providers to master the art of liposuction. No incidence of fat graft infection, fat necrosis, or fat emboli was observed. Conclusion: This article introduces a novel liposuction alternative, coined ex vivo liposuction, that may help body contouring specialists optimize their high-definition body contouring safety and outcomes.