Lipoedema
Lipoedema
Told it's "just weight"? It may be lipoedema.
Diagnosis, Superdry 4D lymph-sparing surgery and the long game — explained without jargon by the surgeon who wrote the book on it.
Lipoedema treatment overview →
Understand it
Treat it
Leg Aesthetics
Leg aesthetics
One continuous line, from hip to foot.
Bow legs, knock knees, calves, ankles, knees and buttocks — shaped the way a sculptor shapes a figure.
Leg aesthetics overview →
Shape
Refine
Cellulite

About
The surgeon · the sculptor
Prof. Dr. Ahmet Karacalar
Professor of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery. Sculptor. Author of Iconoplasty — the book this clinic is named after.
Biography →
Ikonoplasti
UK Patients
Contact
London consultation

Lipoedema

Superdry 4D liposuction

Prof. Karacalar’s published technique for lipoedema — bloodless, lymph-sparing, and designed to treat as much as safely possible in a single session.

At a glance

The essentials

For lipoedema at any stage, and for leg contouring where a dry, precise technique matters. Suitable patients are in reasonable general health and committed to compression and the aftercare plan.

Anaesthesia

General or spinal

Duration

2–4 hours

Hospital stay

1–2 nights

Stay in Istanbul

7–10 nights

Walking

Same day

Compression

From day 1, for several weeks

Desk work

1–2 weeks

Price

Written quote by stage and regions treated

Technique

How it works

A dry field

A specialised tourniquet system stops bleeding at source, so no litres of tumescent fluid are needed and blood loss is close to nil.

Along the lymph, not across it

Fine, flexible cannulas travel lengthways down the limb, parallel to the lymphatic vessels.

Secure borders

Fat is removed to the maximum that anatomy allows — and no further. The limits are mapped before the first incision.

Contour at the same time

Knees, ankles and inner thighs are refined in the same procedure, so the leg reads as one line.

Recovery

What recovery looks like

Risks

Risks, plainly

Every operation carries risk. These are the ones that matter for this procedure, and we discuss each with you before you decide:

Infection
Contour irregularity
Temporary numbness
Seroma (fluid collection)
Blood clots — we run a prevention protocol
Anaesthesia-related risks
A further session in advanced stages

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Not answered here? Message us and a coordinator will reply within one working day.

How is it different from ordinary liposuction?

Ordinary liposuction relies on injected fluid and removes fat blind, often across the lymph vessels. Superdry 4D works in a dry field with fine cannulas moving along the limb, protecting lymphatics and giving a result you can see on the table.

Is “dry” the same as “Superdry”?

No. Older dry liposuction was bloody. Superdry uses a tourniquet system so the field is dry and bloodless.

Why not laser or VASER?

Both rely on heat, with a risk of burns, discolouration and nerve irritation. Water-jet and power-assisted methods are safer but still fluid-loaded.

How much fat can be removed?

As much as anatomy safely allows in one session — often more than fluid-based methods, because there is no fluid load or blood loss to limit us.

Will I need more than one session?

Stage 1–2 usually one or two; Stage 3–4 is staged for safety.

Is this the right procedure for you?

Prof. Karacalar will tell you honestly — including if the answer is no surgery at all.

ik●noplasti

Lipoedema & leg aesthetic clinic in Istanbul, led by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Karacalar — Professor of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery.

Treatments

Patients

Contact

Surgery carries risks and results differ from person to person. Content on this site is general information, not medical advice. Please seek an independent opinion before deciding on any procedure.