Cosmetic Plastic Surgery

Liposuction of the Body



THE TYPICAL PATIENT

• Desire for a more youthful and contoured appearance, silhouette, and size.
• The desire to fit better into clothing, wear smaller clothes, tuck in shirts, and look better in swimsuits.
• Focusing on localized fatty deposits that have been unresponsive to diet and exercise.
• Features of excess fatty accumulation in the face, neck, chest, abdomen, hips, back, flanks, inner thighs, outer thighs, knees, legs, or ankles.
• This may also be related to being overweight. Dieting and/or exercise may compliment liposuction.

THE PROCEDURE

• Anesthesia is a very good local usually supplemented with a very light general and the procedure takes about two hours to six hours depending on the amounts and locations. Anesthesia involves placing a dilute (tumescent) lidocaine solution into the fatty areas and waiting about 30 minutes for this to take a nice effect. This advanced anesthetic technique virtually eliminates any pain during the procedure, Post-operative pain, or bruising.
• The incisions are small (1/4") and very inconspicuous, usually located in a crease or under garment lines.
• The procedure involves the removal of the fat by suction or ultrasonic disruption. It does not disturb the overlying skin, the deep muscles or ligaments, or the nerves and vessels in between. Small instruments connected to suction are then used to vacuum out the fat carefully and artistically.
• No drains are used.
• A compression garment is worn on and off for four to six weeks. Pads are used over the liposuction sites and under the garment for the first three days.
• This can be combined with other plastic surgical procedures.

THE RECOVERY

• You can go home after several hours or can stay overnight.
• You can shower the next day.
• There is only minimal pain that is mostly gone by the next day and easily controlled by medications.
• Swelling is mild to moderate and peaks at two to three days then disappears rapidly over the next three weeks.
• Minimal or no bruising is the usual.
• Some grogginess is present which persists for about a week.
• You can resume many activities within the first week, and most including exercise, by at least three weeks.
• There are not stitches to remove.
• Expect to be off of work for only one to seven days. Some patients return to work the next day!

THE RESULT

• Beautiful, balanced and proportioned contour that is immediately seen and only gets better.
• More confident and comfortable with your appearance.
• Natural and presentable appearance in the first week that just gets better over the next three to six months.
• If you gain weight, you do not gain much in the treated areas.
• More confident and comfortable in clothing, especially revealing clothing.
• Lasts the rest of your life especially if you maintain your weight and always looks better than if you didn't do it.