Home|Body Plastic Surgery|Liposuction
Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery procedure designed to help individuals achieve a slimmer appearance by reducing unwanted deposits of fat in one or more regions of the body (depending on your individual goals). However, it is not a weight loss treatment—liposuction patients are usually at or near their goal weight.
Even with a strict diet and exercise routine, some women and men discover certain areas of the body that seem to be resistant to change. To help reduce these stubborn pockets of fat and create a more toned silhouette, liposuction has been an excellent option for many of our patients at Advanced Aesthetic Surgery.
Liposuction is ideal for reducing fat in areas of the body such as the abdomen, flanks, (muffin top), thighs, back, and arms. It can also be used in the chin and jowl area to create a more defined jawline.
With liposuction, many of our patients have been able to reduce or eliminate fat in problem areas. Some additional benefits of liposuction can include:
To find out if liposuction is right for you, please contact us today to learn more, or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Lintner.
Ideal liposuction candidates should be in good overall health and close to their desired weight. Liposuction is not a weight loss procedure—rather, it is intended to help individuals supplement their diet and exercise efforts. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle after the procedure is important, as well, since it is possible for patients to gain weight again after the procedure. If you are not a candidate for this procedure, board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Thomas Lintner will work with you to help you find an appropriate alternative treatment, such as non-surgical SculpSure®. Helping each patient achieve the best possible results while avoiding any unnecessary procedures is extremely important to Dr. Lintner, so if he feels liposuction is not the best way to accomplish your unique aesthetic goals, he will advise against it. In some cases, patients who have lost a significant amount of weight may also benefit from an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) or other body contouring procedures to help remove excess skin that can occur after weight loss.
I had found Dr. Lintner online and met with several other surgeons. As soon as I met him, I knew he was the right doctor. He really cares about his patients…I absolutely love my results.H.M.
Performed under general anesthesia or local anesthesia using nitrous oxide, liposuction is frequently done as an outpatient procedure, although certain cases require an overnight stay in the hospital for monitoring. In some instances, small-scale liposuction treatments can be performed in-office without the need for general anesthesia or a hospital stay. Dr. Lintner customizes treatment for each of his patients, so the duration of the procedure can vary, depending on your individual treatment plan.
In a typical liposuction procedure, a small cannula is inserted into targeted regions of the body through very small incisions. The cannula is attached to a suction device, enabling it to carefully and strategically remove localized pockets of fat. During the procedure, a tumescent fluid (saline solution) is administered, helping to disrupt fat, as well as reduce bleeding and/or bruising. Use of tumescent fluid can also potentially limit discomfort during recovery.
After liposuction, patients may experience a small amount of swelling and/or bruising in the targeted areas, but this should fade over time. Dr. Lintner provides each patient with personalized aftercare instructions to ensure they achieve the best possible results. Any discomfort after surgery can typically be managed with medication, when used as instructed by Dr. Lintner. Most liposuction patients are able to return to their daily routines approximately one week after surgery, although strenuous activities should usually be avoided for about two weeks.
Our board-certified plastic surgeon performs liposuction with safety as the highest priority. While your overall goals are being met through liposuction surgery, our experienced team will be ensuring that your treatment remains entirely safe and comfortable. Having performed numerous liposuction procedures, Dr. Lintner is highly trained and very experienced, which should leave you feeling safe and confident going into your surgical procedure. When performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Lintner, you can expect a reduced risk of complications and the highest of safety standards.
Seeing your final results from liposuction will vary depending on your unique and individual goals and needs. Generally, our patients begin to see results within the first week of their procedure. These results will not show the full scale of your transformation, but you will likely begin to see an initial recontouring of the targeted body area. More detailed changes to your body are often slowly revealed within a 6-week period after liposuction. Typically at this point, swelling from your operation will have subsided and you should be able to see noticeable adjustments in your overall form. Dr. Lintner will discuss your outlook and your overall needs at your consultation in order for you to have a better understanding of what to expect from liposuction.
Body contouring results from liposuction are often noticeable immediately following the procedure, but final results should become more apparent over time as swelling goes down. Fat cells removed during the procedure are permanently eliminated from the body; however, future weight gain is still possible. Following liposuction, patients who continue living a healthy lifestyle should be able to retain their results.
Since liposuction typically requires very small incisions, the visibility of scarring from this procedure is often minimal. In fact, for many patients, liposuction scars are barely noticeable. Dr. Lintner also strives to place the incisions necessary for liposuction in areas that are generally inconspicuous. The noticeability of scarring will largely depend on which particular areas are being treated; however, this procedure is well known for its ability to create effective body contouring results with little indication that major surgery has been performed.
Although there are some common temporary side effects of liposuction, such as swelling, redness, or bruising, some more serious risks are associated with the procedure, as well. Most of these concerns are similar to various other surgical procedures, such as infection, blood clots, fluid accumulation, irregular contours, and more. However, the chances of encountering complications like these can be minimized substantially when liposuction is performed by a skilled and experienced board-certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Lintner.
Dr. Lintner can discuss these risks in more detail during your consultation. Additionally, he will assess your overall health prior to the procedure, and advise against it if he believes it is unsafe for any reason.
While Dr. Lintner is experienced in providing patients with successful liposuction treatments, our practice does offer alternatives to liposuction. Occasionally, there are prospective patients who want to eliminate unwanted, excess fat deposits in their body, but are wary of liposuction or are not ideal candidates for the surgical procedure. In those cases, Dr. Lintner would recommend other surgical or non-surgical procedures that fit you better. We offer treatments such as SculpSure and BodyTite. SculpSure utilizes heat to reduce excess fat pockets while BodyTite applies radiofrequency energy to remove fat and tighten skin. Our practice will give you a variety of options during your consultation to ensure you are getting the best treatment for your unique needs.
When patients are considering abdominal sculpting, they often question whether liposuction or a tummy tuck is the ideal treatment for their needs. When helping patients explore their options, Dr. Lintner finds it helpful to outline the key differences between the two procedures. Abdominoplasty is a surgical procedure that can address excess skin and loose abdominal musculature to create a firmer, tauter midsection. It is often included as a part of a mommy makeover or post-bariatric surgery plan. Liposuction, meanwhile, is designed to break up, remove, and/or recontour targeted pockets of fat, but it cannot address loose skin or muscles. In many cases, the two procedures can be combined in order to help patients obtain the slimmer, smoother, more sculpted abdomen they desire.
Liposuction is capable of removing varying levels of excess fat. The treatment can be performed on areas affected by rather small quantities of excess fat or moderate to large volumes of fat. This procedure can often extract up to 70 percent of isolated fat in a particular body region; however, the surgical risks of treatment tend to increase when larger amounts of excess fat are targeted for removal. In order to minimize those risks, Dr. Lintner may advise patients who desire larger volumes of excess fat removal in a specific area to have their liposuction procedure staged over a series of treatments.
While liposuction can be an extraordinarily effective option to enhance body shape and contour, it is very important to remember that it is not designed to be a tool for weight loss. In fact, the best candidates for this treatment are typically those who are generally at the average weight for their body size, but need some help eliminating excess fat deposits that have proven to be quite stubborn when subjected to traditional diet and exercise regimens.
All patients must be 18 years of age or older to undergo liposuction procedures. Beyond that stipulation, there is not necessarily an “ideal” age to have the treatment. Dr. Lintner has performed liposuction for patients across a broad spectrum of ages, and the main criteria he will evaluate to determine candidacy for this procedure will focus more on an individual’s current state of general health and whether liposuction is a suitable option for one’s goals.
When performed under general anesthesia, patients should not feel any pain. If liposuction is done under local anesthesia with nitrous oxide, patients may experience some discomfort with the numbing process, as well as intermittently during their procedure—in which case we can either provide more numbing or more nitrous oxide. Following treatment, some degree of soreness in the treatment areas should be expected as the area heals during the recovery process. Dr. Lintner will advise each patient on post-operative pain medications that can help control discomfort.
Liposuction can remove excess fat, but it is not designed to give the skin a tighter or firmer appearance. Depending on the size of the area and the extent of treatment, patients with good skin elasticity may experience a certain degree of natural skin tightening after liposuction. However, others who have excessive amounts of loose, inelastic skin—such as patients in their 40s or older—may require a procedure specifically designed to lift and tighten the skin in order to achieve their ultimate goals.
Our plastic surgeon offers a variety of body lift procedures, including tummy tuck surgery, arm lift, thigh lift, and buttock lift options. These treatments can be performed as stand-alone procedures, or they can often be combined with liposuction in a single operation. Our practice also offers non-surgical options such as the Exilis™ technique for skin tightening and body contouring, which may be an ideal treatment for some individuals. BodyTite is another minimally invasive option that can be performed in conjunction with liposuction to help tighten skin.
During your initial consultation with Dr. Lintner, he will evaluate your needs and talk with you about your goals to determine whether an additional enhancement procedure may be necessary to meet your expectations.
Swelling is a common side effect of liposuction. While the majority of swelling should subside on its own within the first few weeks after surgery, there are some steps that can be taken to help the process along. In some cases, Dr. Lintner will prescribe a compression garment to be worn in the treatment area. This garment can aid the healing process and control residual swelling. In addition, it can help to have one or more lymphatic drainage sessions with our aestheticians to reduce swelling.
Limiting your intake of salt and alcohol during recovery can also help reduce inflammation and swelling. Dr. Lintner will provide you with post-operative instructions that include tips on how you can keep swelling under control and experience a smooth and effective recovery following liposuction surgery.
The ideal sleeping position after liposuction ultimately depends on where the treatment was administered and what positions are most comfortable for the patient. That said, Dr. Lintner generally recommends sleeping on your back with your upper body at a slight elevation—patients often use either pillows or a recliner—for at least the first few days after surgery. This helps keep the pressure off of your incisions and promotes blood flow for faster healing. Dr. Lintner can provide more personalized instructions and advice during your consultation process.
Patients should generally expect to abstain from strenuous activities and vigorous exercise for at least two weeks after liposuction. Dr. Lintner can provide you with personalized aftercare instructions based on the unique details of your treatment. We advise patients to consult with him prior to resuming their normal workout routine.
Gaining weight after liposuction can compromise your results, so it is important to commit to living a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a relatively stable weight. Since liposuction permanently removes fat cells from the treatment area(s), patients may notice that any weight gained after the procedure accumulates in other areas of the body. Furthermore, significant weight gain can cause new fat cells to generate throughout the body—even in the treated area. As such, patients are advised to eat a healthy diet and exercise regularly in order to best promote the longevity of their liposuction treatment.
Liposuction can often be performed either by itself or as part of a facelift or neck lift procedure to help contour the jawline, address jowls, and smooth out fat pockets. Dr. Lintner can help assess your candidacy for facial liposuction during your consultation.
If you are interested in liposuction for a more contoured silhouette, contact Advanced Aesthetic Surgery today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Lintner or to learn more about the procedure. In a one-on-one consultation, Dr. Lintner can address any questions or concerns you may have, and can help you determine if liposuction is the best procedure for your individual concerns.