Dr. David Bottger is a distinguished plastic surgeon with over 20 years of experience operation out of Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. In this article he answers some of the more common questions patients have about plastic surgery.
Did you know that some people can’t lose weight through diet and exercise the way most people can? It’s true, and genetics is at fault in many cases. If diet and exercise don’t work, or if you’re just looking for a weight-loss shortcut, you may have considered undergoing liposuction, a surgical procedure used to remove fatty deposits from the face, abdomen, arms and other areas of the body.
Several factors will be used to evaluate whether you are a good candidate for liposuction, and these include:
Outlook. Do you have realistic expectations for the outcome of the surgery? For instance, it’s important to understand that every surgery has risks, and you and your doctor need to evaluate whether the benefits outweigh the risks.
General Health. Liposuction is ideal for persons who are up to 25 pounds overweight and are in overall good health.
Localized Pockets of Fat. Many areas of fat can be difficult to remove through liposuction, especially if they’re connected to muscles or other organs.
Age. While age is not a major consideration in the decision to undergo liposuction, older people, who have less elastic skin, won’t get the same results a younger person. Furthermore, many doctors won’t perform liposuction on children under 18.
How is Liposuction Performed?
While there are different types of liposuction, it is usually quite literally a process of suctioning fat out of the body. The two major types of liposuction are tumescent and ultrasound assisted.
In tumescent liposuction, a saline (saltwater) solution containing a mild painkiller is injected beforehand. In addition, this solution will contain epinephrine, a hormone that helps reduce blood loss by constricting your blood vessels.
The procedure is usually performed in a single day, but in some cases can require an overnight stay. The less fat being removed, the shorter your stay is likely to be. Most procedures take 1 to 2 hours.
Before the operation, your doctor will anesthetize you with a local, regional, or in rare cases, a general anesthetic. A local anesthetic only numbs the area being treated and is the most specific of the three types of anesthesia. A regional anesthetic is given via an injection in the back and numbs the entire bottom half of your body. General anesthesia is the least commonly used anesthetic in liposuction procedures since it renders the patient unconscious, which always presents additional risk—especially for smokers.
After the patient has been anesthetized and the saline solution has been injected, an incision is made in the relevant area in order to insert a tube called a cannula which is attached to a pump and suctions out the fat with the saline solution.
Ultrasound assisted liposuction is a technique that uses ultrasonic waves to loosen and liquefy fat before it’s removed. This type of liposuction is less common and carries the risk of complications such as blood clots and nerve damage.
How Long Will Recovery Take?
While the length of recovery time will vary according to the amount of fat removed and the general health of the patient, most people heal quickly. Liposuction patients are usually back at work within 3 days of surgery, and any bruises or soreness will usually heal within 3 weeks.
For optimal results, you will likely be asked to wear a compression garment that will help with body contouring for the first 3 weeks. After the first 3 weeks, you will see about 60% to 70% of the final result you can expect after 3 months.
What Risks Are Associated With Liposuction?
Liposuction has become the most common plastic surgery performed in America, and with that, the safety of the procedure has advanced. Again, all surgeries have a certain amount of risk, and in the case of liposuction, these risks can include swelling, numbness, infection, sagging skin and discoloration.
Will My Health Insurance Cover My Liposuction?
Most likely, liposuction will not be covered by your health insurance provider since it is classified as a cosmetic procedure.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
