Liposuction, Liposculpting and Body Contouring

Liposuction can help remove impacted fat, however, it is not a substitute for weight reduction in obese individuals. It is best suited for addressing those fat areas that have resided years on end, and are now immune to traditional method of weight control. It can also enhance body contours and be used to highlight areas of the body and face.

Liposuction can sculpt hips, thighs, the abdomen and love handles, knees, ankles and areas of the face and neck. It can also treat large or overdeveloped breasts in men and in this capacity is used to treat gynocomastia. Often several areas can be treated during a single operation.

Your surgeon will mark the areas to be sculpted prior to the surgery. A small incision is made in the skin. Through this incision the surgeon will inject a solution usually called tumescent fluid. It consists of saline (salt water) and other medicines to help minimize bleeding, swelling, pain, and provide for easier and more efficient fat removal. A thin hollow stainless steel tube, a cannula, is inserted through this same small incision. The other end is connected to a vacuum pump machine that suctions the fat and tumescent solution while the cannula is moved in a back and forth pattern under the skin.

After surgery you'll be sore and will need to wear a special compression garment to reduce swelling and bruising. The garment will also help shrink skin to its new contours. The garment should be worn for about four weeks and is not noticeable under your normal everyday clothes. Any discomfort can be controlled with pain medication prescribed by your surgeon.

Recovery is fairly rapid after your surgery. You may return to work in a few days and resume your normal exercise routine in two weeks. The final result of you surgery will be apparent in about six to eight weeks when most of the swelling is gone.