Is Liposuction Right for Me?

Serving Chattanooga, Tennessee

ave you ever wondered if those love handles will ever go away despite how many sit ups you do?  Are your hips not ready for a bathing suit, even with your spring diet plan?  If unsightly fatty bulges plague you regardless of how much you work out and eat “right”, then liposuction may be right for you.

Liposuction or suction assisted lipectomy is the most common operative procedure performed by plastic surgeons in the United States.  This is the case because the technique lends itself to correction of body contour problems in many sites and in both sexes. The most common areas for liposuction in women are the hips and legs. Men most frequently have abdominal and chest areas treated.  But sites from the neck to the buttocks can be improved with liposuction.

The best candidates for liposuction are patients that are in good health who have specific problem areas which do not respond to appropriate diet and exercise.  Although there have been reports throughout the late 1990’s of patients having large volumes of fat removed with ultrasonic type liposuction, these techniques should never be considered as weight loss methods. Liposuction is not a treatment for obesity.  Application of the technique in this fashion is not only unsafe, but will routinely lead to disappointing results.

Patients interested in liposuction should seek the council of board certified plastic surgeons. Lists of local specialists can be obtained from the ASPS (American Society of Plastic Surgeons) Website.  These highly trained surgeons are best suited to apply liposuction techniques appropriately, safely and reliably. They will discuss your individual desires, and provide insight and educational material. Your surgeon should be able to demonstrate proficiency with liposuction. Pre and post operative photographs of treated patients should be available. Risks and expectations should be understood before proceeding to the operating room.

Liposuction is typically performed as an outpatient.  Though techniques vary, the tumescent technique is most often used.  Here, a dilute solution of local anesthetic is injected into the proposed sites of treatment. This limits blood loss and permits the procedure to be performed with sedation alone. The surgeon then creates some discreet access incisions and removes the fat, along with some of the injected treatment fluid. Surgeons usually come at the fatty area from different directions using as small-sized a suction removal instrument as possible.

After surgery, a compression garment is part of the period of convalescence.  This garment is usually worn for about a month.  Massage of the areas can help speed recovery.  Initially the treated areas may be bruised, swollen, and sore.  But, as time passes, the contour correction reveals itself and becomes permanent.  If weight is maintained, the liposuction treated areas will not change.

No surgical intervention is without risk, but judicious liposuction performed by skilled plastic surgeons on appropriate patients has reproducible and gratifying results.   So, if you just can’t get those stubborn fatty bulges to budge, make an appointment with your plastic surgeon to discuss the risks and benefits of liposuction. It may be right for you.