As we age, many of us develop small pockets of excess fat. They often take up residence in the abdomen, outer thighs, beneath the chin and around the back bra line. These “lumps and bumps” affect both men and women, and can make a person feel uncomfortable in certain clothing, dumpy and old.
Removing these unsightly bulges of fat with liposuction is a simple, safe and effective way to restore proper proportion. A body that is in harmony can make you look and feel like a new person. Dr. Stafford Broumand of New York City discusses liposuction and how, in the right hands, it is truly liposculpture.
What is Liposuction?
Liposuction is a surgical procedure to remove excess fat from just about anywhere on the body. Some of the most common areas that plastic surgeons address with liposuction include the:
- abdomen
- inner & outer thighs
- back
- under the chin & jawline
- neck
- hips/flanks
- knees
- buttocks
There are quite a few different liposuction techniques on the market today. Some use laser to break up the fat while others use a saline liquid. The right one for you is going to depend on your anatomy and needs. This is one of the many reasons why it is important to be assessed in person by a board certified plastic surgeon with a lot of experience in body contouring.
Liposuction Works
Besides being extremely versatile, the greatest thing about liposuction is that “liposuction works,” says Dr. Broumand. While some people are simply genetically predisposed to carry excess fat in certain areas of the body, for most of us, these bulges develop with age. Even super fit, healthy patients can develop “lumps and bumps” that are often resistant to diet and exercise. There is nothing more frustrating than working out hard and eating well to stay vital only to have these unsightly bulges making you look and feel tired.
Smoothing out your body contour with liposuction is a fast, safe and really effective way to look younger and feel more energized.
Liposuction is Not a Weight Loss Technique
One of the important things to keep in mind, however, when considering whether or not liposuction is right for you is that it is not a weight loss technique. “In our hands, liposuction is not meant to reduce someone’s volume from a large size to a small size. It’s to shape the body,” explains Dr. Broumand. “It’s liposculpture.”
The best patient for liposuction is someone:
- with localized areas of fat
- in good overall health
- who does not smoke
- within 10 pounds of a maintainable goal weight
Understanding Fat
Part of the job of any plastic surgeon is to educate the patient on what can and can not be achieved. With liposuction, this means teaching the patient about fat. There are really two types of fat in the body:
- visceral fat
- subcutaneous fat
Visceral fat is the kind of fat that is deep beneath your skin, wrapped around your organs. It can not be pinched and can only be reduced through diet and exercise. Subcutaneous fat, on the other hand, rests just below the skin. You can grab it with your hands and pull it away from the underlying tissue. This is the fat that liposuction addresses.
Furthermore, fat cells shrink and grow depending on what you feed or don’t feed your body. So, while a huge benefit of liposuction is that once the fat cells in a given area or areas are removed, they are gone for good, if you gain a significant amount of weight, typically 10 pounds or more, your remaining fat cells will expand. And this, in turn, can throw off your body proportion once again.
Other Benefits of Liposuction
Some of the other benefits of liposuction is that the procedure can be performed under:
- local anesthesia
- sedation
- general anesthesia
The right choice for you is really going to depend on your preference and needs. Liposuction can also address one area or multiple areas at the same time. Most patients describe the recovery from liposuction as uncomfortable, not painful. Dr. Broumand had liposuction in his lower abdomen and was back at work the next day.
As a runner who ate well, he was extremely frustrated at his inability to lose the pudge. Finally, after a derogatory comment from his son, he said, “That’s it. We’re going to do something.” He had the procedure and never looked back. Though most patients will need to rest for 48 hours following liposuction, you can expect to return to your normal routine in 3-4 days.
Liposuction is Ideal for Both Men & Women
Liposuction is a technique that is effective and popular with both men and women. Men often come in complaining about their neck and jawline. Removing the fat under the chin that can hang over a tie is a very simple way to create a crisper, more defined jawline and a smoother looking neck.
For women, especially those who have had children, the abdomen is an area that has taken a beating. Restoring a narrow waist by minutely sculpting away fat can help mothers to feel like themselves again. Liposuction is an incredibly effective procedure in the right hands and with the right patient. Most patients are so happy with their results that the first thing they say is: ‘Why did I wait this long?’