Cosmetic Procedures

Liposuction & Body Contouring

Fat cells seem to have a mind of their own. They settle wherever they please without any consideration for where you want them to settle. Many people complain “I work out and eat healthy, but I still can’t get rid of this problem area.”

Whether it’s a little extra padding around the waist, thighs, arms or neck, liposuction can permanently remove fat cells from a specific area of your body.

Who Needs It

While it may seem that liposuction is optimum for those who are overweight, it is actually most effective for people who are relatively fit but wish to reduce certain areas that are resistant to diet or exercise. Those who still have plenty of skin elasticity will see better results than those with thinner, looser skin.

Preparation

In your initial consultation, you and your plastic surgeon will discuss your overall health and what you want to achieve through surgery.

The Surgery

Liposuction at the Wall Center will be performed at the practice’s Ambulatory Surgical Center, and depending on the extent of the liposuction, it will either be done under local or general anesthesia. If it is done under local anesthesia, you may request a sedative that will help keep you drowsy and insensitive to pain during the procedure.

The incisions that are made to remove fat are usually no more than a quarter of an inch and are made in inconspicuous areas on the body. In liposuction, a cannula, or long tube, is inserted into each incision. The fat is removed through the cannula.

There are several techniques that can be employed during liposuction. Most commonly, turnescent or ultrasonic assisted liposuction will be used. In the turnescent approach, used when large amounts of fat are removed from the body, large amounts of fluid are injected into the body. The fluids harden the fat, making it easier for the surgeon to remove.

In the ultrasonic technique, the fat is heated. When it is warm enough, it liquefies the fat cells, allowing them to be removed with less bruising. The technique is generally considered less painful than the turnescent method, although in some cases, it can cause too much fluid to collect under the skin, which is why the turnescent method is employed when larger amounts of fat are being removed.

Although some wounds from liposuction may take several months to heal, you will feel much better after a couple of days and bruising, and swelling will usually subside within two weeks.

Results

Depending on how much fat is removed, results from liposuction are immediate. Once swelling and bruising have subsided, improvement will become even more apparent. To maintain your new look, it is important to keep your weight constant. Although fat cells have been removed, the remaining fat cells will expand as weight increases. Therefore, patients are encouraged to diet and exercise to achieve their ideal weight before surgery, and allow the liposuction to enhance the body’s shape.