Suction-Assisted Lipoplasty (liposuction)

Despite good health and a reasonable level of fitness, some people may still have a body with disproportionate contours due to localized fat deposits. These areas may be due to family traits rather than a lack of weight control or fitness.

Liposuction is a body contouring procedure which slims and reshapes specific areas of the body by removing excess fat deposits, improving your body contours and proportion, and ultimately, enhancing your self-image.

Liposuction procedures may be used to reduce localized fat deposits of the:

Thighs
Hips and buttocks
Abdomen and waist
Upper arms
Back
Inner knee
Chest area
Cheeks, chin and neck
Calves and ankles

The outpatient procedure consists of one or two entry points for each treated area, each about 1/8 inch long, and requiring only one or two stitches to close.

Once an area has been treated, it is important to hold pressure on the site to minimize swelling and bruising. For this we commonly use a compression garment, like a special girdle or binder. Even with proper garment wear, patients swell enough that an early determination of the final result is not possible in the early period after surgery.

In fact, we call this procedure, the operation of "3's" since for the first three weeks most people feel that we must have put in fat, instead of removing it. At three weeks, most of the surgical swelling is gone, and the real improvement begins. For the next three months, about 90% of the improvement takes place. For three months after that the other 10% occurs.

Body contouring by liposuction is becoming the most common cosmetic procedure in the United States, since both men and women are candidates. The main thing to remember is that the operation is NOT for weight loss, but just for localized fat deposits. The amount of weight actually lost is not great. But because we see these fat deposits as associated with obesity, the person looks like they have lost weight – a lot more than they actually have.

Since the procedure is designed to improve the appearance, it is considered aesthetic, or cosmetic, and not covered by insurance. It does not prolong or save a life, but it can improve quality of life. The improvement in appearance frequently encourages a person to adopt a healthier lifestyle and perhaps a personal fitness program, since they now have something to be proud of and maintain.

Perhaps the most frequently asked question by patients is, "Can the fat come back?" The answer to this is that the fat cells removed by the operation do not come back, but it is possible to gain weight and fill up fat cells in other locations, even those which are left behind in the treated area. So our recommendation is to maintain body weight approximately where it was on the day of surgery, or even reduce it slightly.

Therefore, the best candidates for body contouring are those who have adopted a reasonable program of exercise and sensible eating, and who have developed localized fat deposits in areas resistant to fat loss (abdomen, love-handles, saddlebags, buttocks, double chin and the male breast.) Most of these people can be benefited by removal of excess fat by liposuction.

To schedule an appointment to discuss this procedure with Dr. Johnson, click here.