Liposuction: Not Just Reducing Fat, But Taking It Away
When we lose weight, we reduce the volume of our fat cells, but the cells are still there, and, unfortunately, it seems to be in their nature to want to return to their former glory. Our own conditioning and the time-honored “solutions” we’ve developed in response to our life experiences might well include eating thoughtlessly, or for comfort, and if we resume those patterns, the fat cells are waiting – all to ready to fill up again.
With liposuction, on the other hand, the fat cells are gone, removed for good. Of course, overeating or not finding balance between nutrition and exercise can result in growing new fat cells, but the greedy little ones you were battling in the first place are gone.
Not Routine, But Proven and Effective
Liposuction has been for decades consistently at or near the top of the most-performed cosmetic surgery techniques, and this wide, long-term experience counts for a lot in the confidence people feel in choosing this route to their own goals for achieving a healthy weight and attractive body contour.
Though no cosmetic procedure should be treated as routine, the steep and focused advances made since the early 1980s – have brought to liposuction even more accurate and complete evacuation of fat cells, less discomfort, and more rapid recovery.
Today, even more people qualify for liposuction because a variety of anesthetic approaches have been fully developed to suit patients’ particular requirements, and vast experience with the technique means they can anticipate an even higher degree of satisfaction with the results of the procedure.
Not Replacing Weight Loss, But Completing It
Though liposuction can remove fairly large volumes of fat, most patients and physicians don’t select it as the primary weight loss technique, but rather as a powerful boost in completing the achievement of a person’s goals. Some parts of the body can be more resistant than others to the results we get from diet and exercise, even when we have done our best, and these parts may be different from person to person.
The abdomen, thighs, buttocks, and upper arms can be targets for liposuction, and its effectiveness in removing fat and changing body contour in these places has been demonstrated among many thousands of people.
An experienced, board-certified plastic surgeon may recommend liposuction as one technique in an ensemble approach to achieving a patient’s goals. Liposuction is often combined with butt lift, breast reduction or tummy tuck as a means of completing the results. We like to say that liposuction “plays well with others.”
How Liposuction is Done
Liposuction is usually performed on an outpatient basis, so no overnight hospital stay is called for in most cases. Your plastic surgeon inserts small, thin instruments (called cannula) under the skin and moves them through specific fat deposits. The instrument conveys negative pressure, like a vacuum, and suctions-out fat cells in the selected improvement areas.
The time it takes for full recovery and the complete benefits of liposuction depend on the individual, including how much fat is removed and how wide an area is treated. People can stand and walk as soon as the effects of anesthetic are gone, and most patients can return to work in a few days if they so desire. Elastic bandages or compression garments are used to keep swelling to a minimum during the days right after the procedure.
Experience Shows the Plastic Surgeon You Choose is Important
An important finding from the many years of experience with liposuction is that patient satisfaction depends to a considerable extent on the professionals you choose for the procedure. At Northside Plastic Surgery, we’d be glad for the chance to discuss our experience and outlook with you.
About Marc Klein, MD
Dr. Marc Klein is a board certified plastic surgeon who has practiced in the northern Atlanta area for 20 years. He is a graduate of Duke University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with honors, and Rutgers Medical School, where he also graduated with honors. He completed a six-year residency in general surgery at the University of Maryland, followed by a two-year residency in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He was a research fellow in plastic surgery during his general surgery residency, and a trauma fellow at the prestigious Maryland Shock Trauma Hospital. He has published many articles and participated in plastic surgery research. Dr. Klein is a Diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery.
