Liposuction

What is Liposuction?

Case #11458

Liposuction, sometimes referred to as “lipo” by patients, slims and reshapes specific areas of the body by potentially reducing excess fat deposits and improving your body contours and proportion. Liposuction techniques can be used to reduce localized fat deposits of several areas, including:

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

What are the benefits of liposuction?

Liposuction is a minimally invasive procedure that can permanently get rid of excess fat improving the contour of your body.

 

 

Am I a good candidate for liposuction?

In general, the ideal candidate for liposuction is someone who is in good overall health, is close to ideal body weight and is unhappy with the areas of exercise-resistant fat. Liposuction is not a fat loss procedure and is not a substitute to diet and exercise.

It is also important to note that the results of your liposuction can be jeopardized if you gain a significant amount of weight after your procedure. Maintaining a consistent diet and exercise routine after your procedure is incredibly beneficial for results and general health.

 

How is a liposuction performed?

Typically done under sedation anesthesia, traditional liposuction is performed through small stab incisions made near the area to be treated. The surgeon then injects numbing medication into the area to be treated. The fat is then suctioned out of the same small incision permanently removing it. At Samra Plastic Surgery, we also offer laser-assisted liposuction called SmartLipoÆ. In this procedure, similar small incisions are made and numbing medication is injected. However, before the fat is suctioned out, the laser is used to melt fat and to help tighten skin. Below is a chart that highlights some of the differences between traditional and laser-assisted liposuction.

SmartLipo Laserlipolysis*

  • Local anesthesia
  • Cannula (tube) with laser liquefies fat
  • Tighter skin due to collagen production from
  • SmartLipo’s thermal energy
  • Little to no scarring
  • No stitches
  • Downtime generally 1-2 days
  • 2 week compression garment
  • Complication rate of less than 1%

 

Traditional Liposuction

  • General anesthesia
  • Tube with vacuum sucks out fat
  • Sagging or loose skin sometimes necessitates additional
  • surgical procedures such as face or neck lifts
  • Scarring
  • Stitches
  • Downtime – roughly 7 days
  • 6 week compression garment
  • 10% complications rate

What is liposuction recovery like?

The procedure is typically done in our Ambulatory Surgical Center and patients go home the same day of their surgery. After either type of liposuction is performed, we place our patients in a compression garment. We will usually see our patients within a week in the office to make sure there are no immediate issues. It is common to have pain for about 3-5 days after surgery. You will be given pain medication and anti-inflammatory medication to help you with post-operative pain. Typically, 3 weeks after the surgery you will feel relatively “normal”, but it will still be too soon to resume strenuous activity or exercise. We usually ask you to wait until you are closer to 4-6weeks out from surgery before you resume them.

 

 

What will the scarring look like?

Liposuction produces very small scars that usually blend in over time.

 

Will insurance cover my liposuction?

Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that insurance will cover liposuction. This is typically considered a cosmetic procedure.

 

Are there good nonsurgical options for liposuction?

There are non-surgical treatments we offer that can be done to address unwanted fat in the abdomen, such as CoolSculpting and Vanquish, but these treatments do not allow us to customize the removal of fat.

 

Why should I have liposuction performed at Samra Plastic Surgery?

At Samra Plastic Surgery, we are highly skilled when it comes to body contouring procedures like liposuction. We have provided numerous people in the Monmouth and Middlesex County areas with outstanding results. We employ the latest techniques including laser and power-assisted liposuction.

Contact us to set up a personal or virtual consultation today.