Liposuction

Liposuction, sometimes referred to as "lipo" by patients, slims and reshapes specific areas of the body by removing excess fat deposits and improving your body contours and proportion.

What liposuction can treat

• Thighs

• Hips and buttocks

• Abdomen and waist

• Upper arms

• Back

• Inner knee

• Chest area

• Cheeks, chin and neck

• Calves and ankles

Liposuction can be performed alone or along with other plastic surgery procedures, such as a facelift, breast reduction or a tummy tuck.

What liposuction can't do

Liposuction is not a treatment for obesity or a substitute for proper diet and exercise.

It is also not an effective treatment for cellulite—the dimpled skin that typically appears on the thighs, hips and buttocks—or loose saggy skin.

Who is a good candidate for tummy tuck surgery?

A tummy tuck is a highly individualized procedure. You should do it for yourself, not to fulfill someone else's desires or to try to fit any sort of ideal image.

In general, you may be a good tummy tuck candidate if:

• You are physically healthy and at a stable weight

• You have realistic expectations

• You are a nonsmoker

• You are bothered by the appearance of your abdomen

What are the risks of liposuction?

The decision to have plastic surgery is extremely personal. You will have to decide if the benefits will achieve your goals and if the risks and potential complications of liposuction are acceptable.

You will be asked to sign consent forms to ensure that you fully understand the procedure and any risks and potential complications.

Liposuction risks include:

• Anesthesia risks

• Bruising

• Change in skin sensation that may persist

• Damage to deeper structures such as nerves, blood vessels, muscles, lungs and abdominal organs

• Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications

• Fluid accumulation

• Infection

• Irregular contours or asymmetries

• Irregular pigmentation

• Need for revision surgery

• Persistent swelling

• Poor wound healing

• Rippling or loose skin, worsening of cellulite

• Swelling

• Thermal burn or heat injury from ultrasound with the ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty technique

These risks and others will be fully discussed prior to your consent. It is important that you address all your questions directly with your plastic surgeon.

Secondary procedures may sometimes be recommended to reduce excess skin. Special considerations are needed when large amounts—usually more than five liters of fat—are suctioned.