Liposuction
has become the most popular cosmetic plastic surgery procedure performed
in the United States. Nearly 110,000 liposuction procedures were performed
in 1996. The ideal candidate for liposuction is a healthy patient with
localized areas of unwanted fat beneath firm, elastic skin. Although patients
of all ages may benefit from liposuction, the loss of skin elasticity
with increasing age limits the indications of the procedure for older
patients. If there is excess sagging skin along with excess fat, typically
skin removal needs to be performed along with the liposuction.
Women tend to seek improvement in the contour of the hips, thighs, abdomen, legs, buttocks and face/neck area. Men most frequently seek improvement in the waist and abdomen. Liposuction cannot compensate for deficiencies in diet and exercise, and is not designed to be a weight loss method. It is also not effective with superficial irregularities such as cellulite.
Like all surgical procedures, liposuction does have associated complications. The skin surface may be irregular and there may be asymmetry between the areas that have been treated. Numbness and pigmentation changes may also occur. Additional surgery in the future is occasionally needed.
Most patients recover quickly. Some degree of discomfort is experienced after surgery along with swelling, discoloration, and numbness. Patients wear compression garments for several weeks following surgery. Typically patients are able to return to work within a few days and to resume strenuous activity within the first month. Most of the discoloration and swelling disappears by six weeks but some swelling may persist for six months or longer. Liposuction is typically performed on an outpatient basis and is frequently combined with other cosmetic surgery procedures.
A downloadable (Adobe pdf) brochure on Liposuction can be obtained by clicking here.