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How much will it cost? The fee for liposuction can be located in the suggested fees . Each liposuction area has a unique fee. Add up the areas to be treated to get an idea of the total cost. Please call my office for an accurate price quote or make an appointment for a personal consultation to discuss your specific concerns. My suggested quotes include professional fees, anesthesia fees, operating room costs, elastic garment, house calls, and before care and after care. They do not include hospitalization costs, prescriptions, home nursing care, preoperative history and physical examination, laboratory costs, or pathology fees. If you compare prices, make sure that you consider all these costs. In addition, liposuction usually requires some time off work for a safe recovery. I require complete payment two weeks in advance of all cosmetic surgery. What can I do about bulges on my thighs or torso? Some people have fat collections is certain areas of their bodies. Men typically have bulging of their abdomen and flanks while women typically have collections of the lateral thighs and flanks. Liposuction selectively reduces these deposits through small inconspicuous scars. What is ultrasonic liposuction? Ultrasonic liposuction (UAL) uses ultrasonic waves to liquefy or emulsify fat. The claims made are that this reduces bleeding during the operation and reduces the effort of the surgeon. This is true when compared to traditional liposuction but is insignificant when compared to tumescent liposuction. For this technique to work tumescent liposuction must also be employed. I believe any observations of reduced bleeding are related to tumescent liposuction rather than ultrasonic liposuction. This technique also carries a greater risk of complications including skin damage, fluid collections, and prolonged skin numbness. For these reasons, I have chosen not to use this technique. What is tumescent liposuction? Tumescent liposuction is a technique where large amounts of medicated fluid (saline mixed with epinephrine and lidocaine) into the fat to be removed. This makes fat removal easier and it reduces blood loss during the operation allowing us to remove more fat safely. Will I ever be exactly the same on both sides? It is normal for the body not to be the same on both sides. Liposuction can reduce these differences but not eliminate them. It will be necessary for you to adjust to some asymmetry after your surgery. Will there be scars after surgery? Scars are part of all surgery. It is important to understand where liposuction scars will be placed. Liposuction requires strategically placed small (one-eighth to three-eighths of an inch) scars. The combination of areas that are treated will determine the number and actual placement of scars. These are inconspicuous and easily covered with clothing and/or makeup. Almost every area of the body can be treated with liposuction. The most commonly treated areas are the thighs, hips, abdomen, and the neck. The maximum amount of aspirate (total fat and fluid) that can be removed safely at one time is about six quarts. I will determine how much fat to remove at the time of surgery. This depends on how many areas that are treated, the elasticity of the skin and the thickness of fat beneath your skin. You can estimate that for every quart of aspirate that is removed about one pound of fat is removed. If the maximum safe amount (six quarts) of aspirate (total fat and fluid) is removed you can expect to see about a five-pound weight loss. Usually less fat is removed. Do not expect to appreciate this weight loss until three to six weeks after liposuction due to the normal postoperative water retention. Remember that liposuction is not a treatment for obesity. You should not focus on weight loss. You should focus on changes in your figure or body shape. No. Skin irregularities of the thighs and/or buttocks (AKA cellulite) is difficult to correct. It is made worse if there is skin sagging. Thigh lift surgery may be the best choice to help correct cellulite. Will this problem return if I have children? Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict if this problem will return after having children. Changes in body shape do occur during pregnancy. What are the risks of liposuction? There are risks with any surgery. Infection, excessive bleeding, abnormal scarring, poor healing, slow healing, skin loss, changes in skin sensation, muscle or nerve injury, although uncommon, can occur with any operation. Fortunately, most problems that result from such complications are correctable with additional surgery. Although very rare, there have been reported deaths as a result of blood clots in the legs, severe infections, pneumonia-like conditions, and excessive fat removal. You must understand your risk of complications completely before you choose to have liposuction. I have heard about so many bad things on television, is it safe to have liposuction? There are always risks with cosmetic surgery. When severe complications are combined with inexperienced surgeons, poor results can occur. I believe that liposuction can be done safely with a high degree of patient satisfaction. Serious problems are usually related to excessive surgery and/or excessive fat removal. Most poor results can be improved with additional surgery. What can you tell me about this new technique that I saw on television? Everyone in America wants the latest in medical care. This is not always the best medical care. At times media presentations will leave out critical information about potential complications, quality of result, and FDA regulation. I am open minded when it comes to new technology but I would rather not use my patients to try out the newest techniques. Recently, there has been considerable press coverage of tumescent liposuction and ultrasonic liposuction. I have been practicing tumescent liposuction for over eight years. This does reduce intraoperative blood loss. In fact, this is not a new technique at all. Some of the original articles describing liposuction in France over fifteen years ago suggested this technique. On the other hand, I believe that ultrasonic liposuction offers very little, carries greater risks. How old do I have to be to have this surgery? Body development can continue into the early twenties. When liposuction is done before this time, there is a chance the surgery will have to be repeated. In addition, it may be emotionally difficult to adjust to the surgery during teen years. For these reasons, I suggest that surgery be postponed until eighteen years of age. For general health reasons, I recommend that all my patients stop smoking. It is clear that smoking increases your risk for developing all sorts of cancers. Breathing problems like emphysema and circulatory problems including heart attacks are also linked to smoking. Smoking can increase the risk of coughing after your surgery that can lead to unwanted bleeding. Smoking also reduces blood flow that can result in skin loss during the healing period. Both of these problems can ruin the results of your liposuction and lead to revision surgery. It is always best to stop smoking. There are other choices when it comes to liposuction. These include skin and fat excision, weight loss, acceptance of a deformity, and changes in clothing styles. Alternate liposuction techniques include ultrasonic liposuction. In my opinion, ultrasonic liposuction has no advantages over tumescent liposuction. It also costs more and it has higher risks. Always understand all your options before having liposuction. What additional procedures can I consider that will enhance the result? Surgeries can be combined to yield dramatic and complimentary results. For safety reasons, I recommend the length of surgery be limited to six hours and no more than two areas of the body be treated at the same time. Liposuction can be combined with almost every cosmetic surgery procedure to enhance the results. Notable combinations include liposuction of the hips and thighs with breast enlargement, neck liposuction with chin enlargement, buccal fat pad reduction, nose surgery and/or facial implants, and hip and thigh liposuction with tummy tuck surgery. Am I a good candidate for liposuction? This is a question that can only be answered after a personal consultation. Liposuction is suggested to patients with localized fat collections and good skin elasticity. I feel strongly that liposuction is not a treatment for obesity. Obesity increases the risk of complications and detracts from the aesthetic result. There are other things to consider as well including psychiatric conditions, life stress, medical illness, obesity, and motivation. You should be a healthy nonsmoker, within twenty pounds of your ideal weight. Major life stresses (i.e. grieving a death and divorce) must be absent in your life. The ideal candidate is motivated by internal desires to look better. How many times can I have liposuction done? Each time surgery is done, scar tissue is created in the surgical site. This scar tissue detracts from the natural result. For these reasons, I recommend that liposuction not be done more than two or three times in any one site. If you do not gain weight, the changes should be very long lasting. This is not a treatment for weight gain or obesity.
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