Patients can do all the right things — stick with a healthy diet, get regular exercise, and lose weight — and still have areas of fat that just won’t go away. When that happens, Dr. Jay Fine in Pembroke Pines, Florida, often recommends liposuction to eliminate pockets of fat and give patients their desired body shape. Dr. Fine’s extensive experience as a board-certified plastic surgeon gives him the technical expertise and the artistic skill needed to perform liposuction that achieves optimal results.
Liposuction Q & A
What is liposuction?
Liposuction is a surgical procedure that slims and shapes the body by removing specific pockets of fat using mild suction. This procedure has some distinct advantages over noninvasive fat treatments, specifically:
- One procedure treats larger areas.
- It produces more consistent results.
- Patients may need only one treatment to reach their desired shape.
Liposuction may be used in most parts of the body, including the abdomen, waist, thighs, hips, buttocks, upper arms, chest, chin, and calves.
The most important step is meeting with Dr. Fine, who will work one-on-one with patients to learn what results patients want to achieve and the amount of fat that needs to be removed. Dr. Fine will discuss the liposuction, as well as other procedures that he may recommend instead of or together with liposuction to achieve the results they want.
Who can undergo liposuction?
Since liposuction is not meant to be used for weight loss or total body contouring, it’s best suited for patients who are at or near their desired weight, yet have deposits of fat that don’t respond to diet and exercise. In the hands of an experienced plastic surgeon like Dr. Fine, liposuction eliminates pockets of fat and ensures that the resulting body contour after surgery meets patients’ expectations — a task that takes in-depth knowledge and understanding of each patient’s underlying body proportions.
What should patients expect during and after liposuction?
Dr. Fine performs liposuction as an outpatient procedure using general anesthesia. The surgery takes one to three hours, depending on the amount of fat being suctioned out. The incisions are small because the procedure uses a very thin, hollow tube. Patients won’t see their new body shape until the swelling and fluid retention subside, but total recovery only takes a week to 10 days.
As the body heals, skin molds to the new contour created through liposuction. As long as patients have good skin tone, their new profile will be smooth. Patients with skin that’s thin, dehydrated, or that has lost elasticity due to aging may have areas of skin that appear loose. Dr. Fine personally addresses these issues with each patient, recommending the best approach for dealing with the appearance of skin if it’s a concern following liposuction.