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FAQ
Liposuction
Liposuction has become the number one most common cosmetic surgery procedure in the United States. The American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons estimate that, in 1997, some 49,042 procedures were performed. The majority of procedures were performed on women and have been performed on men and women between the ages of 18 and 74.
Who is a Candidate for the Procedure?
The best candidates for lipsuction are persons of relatively normal weight, but have pockets of excess fat in certain areas of their body that they are not able to get rid of through either dealing or exercise. The person should be healthy, psychologically stable and have realistic expectations of the results.
Loose, hanging skin will not reshape as well to the body's new contours after liposuction which may require additional surgery to remove excess skin. If that proves necessary, there will be more visible scars from lipsuction alone.
Liposuction will not improve the dimpled skin look known as cellulite and can, in fact, make cellulite look worse.
The ideal candidate for lipsuction would be someone in their twenties or thirties, or normal weight, width protruding fat deposits, usually in the lower abdominal area, hips or outer thighs that do not respond to eitehr dieting or exercise. These fatty deposits generally are inherited from one's parents or grandparents. This is not a procedure designed for weight loss or gross obesity.
What are the Risks?
Liposuction is normally safe in healthy persons, in properly equipped operating facilities, and if performed by well trained and qualified physicians. In rare instances, the procedure may cause severe trauma, particularly when many sites are treated and large volumes of fat are moved in one setting. Other infrequent complications include fluid accumulation, which may require drainage, and injury to the skin.
Although serious complications are rare, other minor risk such as bruising, swelling, lumpiness, localized numbness and looseness of the skin are more common and usually temporary, lasting from a few weeks to a couple of months. Full recovery and final results may not be obtained until about six months after the surgery.
The scars from lipsuction are small and strategicallly placed to be hidden from view, even in a bikini. They also generally fade rapidly within a few months.
Other cosmetic problems may occur, even in the hands of very sklled surgeons. These include rippling or bagginess of the skin over the treated areas and pigmentation changes such as brown spots that may become permanent if exposed to the sun. Asymmetry with uneveness of the coutour of or the shape sometimes requires a second procedure for correction. Additional procedure may involve additional operating facility expenses.
How Effective is Liposuction?
There is little hard data on whether patients are pleased with the outcomes. According to a plastic surgeon in Newport Beach, California, who has surveyed 8,000 patients, the satisfaction rate was around 90 percent. In up to 10 percent of cases, a second liposuction procedure was done within six months of the first procedure to ensure good results. Having additional procedures does not mean that the surgeon was incompetent, because it is always better to take out too little fat from a certain area than too much.
Besides the most common areas treated by liposuction, which include the lower abdomen, hips and outer thighs, other areas of the body can and have been treated successfully by liposuction. These other areas include:
- Chin
- Inner thighs
- Knees
- Calves
- Ankles
Again, liposuction is not a substitute for dieting and exercising, but it is a a proven method of removing localized pockets of fat that otherwise cannot be removed.
What Can Be Expected After Liposuction Surgery?
The patient may leave the operating room shortly after the surgery is completed and must be driven home by another adult. Medication is prescribed for postoperative pain relief which is usually needed for only one or two days, and antibiotics are taken for four to five days to prevent infection. The girdle should be worn for six to eight weeks following surgery.
The patient comes back the office after several days, usually five to ten days, to have the sutures removed and treated areas checked. If there are any unusual symptoms occurring between office visits, such as heavy bleeding, sudden increase in pain, redness, or swelling, the doctor should be contacted immediatly.
While most of the swelling and discoloration will be gone a month or two after surgery, some swelling can remain for six months or more.
Patients usually can return to work within two to three days. Follow-up office visits will be scheduled to monitor progress.
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