Liposuction
Liposuction is the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure in America today. The American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons reported that their members performed 109,365 liposuctions last year. While there is some risk with any procedure, Liposuction is also one of the safest. Complications have been reported as low as one per thousand with most of these being small skin irregularities due to failure of the skin to contract to the patient's now smaller size.
If you have deposits of fat that are resistant to diet and exercise,
liposuction may be your key to success!
The number of fat cells in an adult is said to be constant. When weight is gained, those fat cells simply grow. If an area such as the flanks, hips, buttocks or thighs have excess numbers of fat cells as compared to the rest of the body, these areas will always be out of proportion. Liposuction permanently removes these excess fat cells. While this is not a protection against generalized weight gain, the area that has been suctioned will remain proportionately smaller forever!
It is not true that the fat appears elsewhere after liposuction.
The recontouring is permanent.
This procedure takes from 30 minutes to three hours and is done on an outpatient basis. Down time is usually only a few days.
Whether you are best suited for Ultrasonic or for Tumescent Liposuction depends on the quality of the tissue to be removed and should be discussed with a Surgeon experienced in Liposuction. If you are a good candidate for the procedure, the results can be truly amazing!
Abdominal Liposuction in a man with good skin contractility.
Back Liposuction. The arrow shows an area of 'rippling' where the excessive fold of skin did not completely contract to her smaller size. Despite this, she is very happy with her new figure.
Thigh Liposuction. While there is a small amount of rippling in the upper - inner thighs, the difference in this patient's figure is astounding!
Several products are available that may aid in reduction of visible scarring of the puncture sites. These include Cica Care silicone gel sheeting, Kelocote silicone cream, and my preference which is ScarGuard (WWW.ScarGuard.com) . ScarGuard combines silicone, a mild cortisone and Vitamin E into a nearly invisible film that helps reduce the visibility of scars.
I believe that scarring is, in fact, improved by using these types of products.
If you are having surgery I recommend that you review the information at WWW.ScarGuard.com and talk to your surgeon about how to achieve the best result possible. Old scars can often be treated and improved as well!
