Liposuction/VASER Liposuction

Liposuction is a surgical procedure where excess fatty tissue is removed from unwanted areas. Recent refinements in technique and equipment allows your surgeon to “sculpt” a new and improved contour to areas such as your neck, arms, chest, hips, waist, backs, knees and more. VASER liposuction is also offered for patient’s who request or need cutting edge liposuction techniques to achieve their surgical goals. Just ask your surgeon about VASER at your appointment.

Who is a Candidate for Thigh Lift Surgery?

• Liposuction is not a replacement for healthy lifestyle choices and/or weight loss

• Ideal candidates are at a stable healthy weight but have pockets of excess fat that fail to respond to appropriate diet and exercise

• Those who understand the limitations of liposuction and have realistic expectations for their body

• Non-smokers who continue to lead healthy lifestyles

• Many of our patients have a “familial” weight distribution. An area where fat builds up and won’t go away. Often these areas of concern are common to you and your close relatives-suggesting a hereditary tendency

Your Consultation Visit

During your visit, we will talk about your areas of concern and goals for surgery. We will review your medical history, previous surgeries, and current medications. From there, we determine the location of fat deposits and assess the condition of your skin in these areas. This investigation will allow us to talk about outcomes and alternative procedures available to you. For instance, we may determine that a tummy tuck would provide a more powerful result for you, instead of liposuction, based on abdominal wall tone or overlying skin quality.

We will discuss surgery and recovery in detail. This discussion will include going over the risks and complications of your proposed surgery.

A full hour is scheduled for your initial visit. This time allows for a thorough evaluation and an opportunity to get all your questions and concerns addressed.

The Day of Surgery

For your comfort and safety your procedure will be performed at an accredited surgical hospital. You will get to meet all nursing staff and anesthesia providers prior to your surgery. Your surgeon will also visit with your preoperatively to review surgical plan and preform surgical marking. All members of this team will work to provide a discreet, comfortable, and professional level of care from the moment you check in until your discharge.

The procedure involves inserting a narrow cannula through several small incisions in and around your treatment areas. The fatty layer of tissues is then injected with tumescent solution. This medication solution helps your surgeon remove fat, limit bleeding, and decreased postoperative discomfort. After the fluid is injected your surgeon may use traditional liposuction or the VASER liposuction systems. The VASER system has an extra step where an ultrasonic probe is used to breakup and “melt” the fat away. The VASER systems typically allows us to remove a higher percentage of fat, lower blood loss, and often we see lower rates of postop bruising and swelling.

Recovery

After your surgery the small incisions are closed, and compressive garments are placed to the treated areas. It is unlikely that you will require any surgical drains if you are just undergoing liposuction. However, all patients will be placed in compression garments. These specialized garments help your skin conform to its new contours and reduce post pain and swelling. While you are in recovery, your surgeon will visit with the friends and family who came with you to surgery.

Most patients go home the same day as surgery. Nursing staff will be ensuring you’re are safe and comfortable to go home. They will review postop instructions and go over your prescription medications with you and your care providers. Most patients will go home with a short course of narcotics for pain control and a few days’ worth of antibiotics to prevent infection.

We ask you to stay in your compression garment as much as possible following your procedure. Your treated area will feel swollen and sore for a few days following surgery. This discomfort should be readily controlled with the medications prescribed for you. You will need assistance getting around and doing normal activities of daily living.

You may shower the day after surgery. Expect some drainage from your liposuction incisions and bruising. However, the drainage usually subsides in a couple of days and the bruising fades in a week or two. We will encourage you to get up and walk around frequently after surgery to promote healing and reduce your risk for developing blood clots.

A follow-up appointment in clinic will be made for the week after surgery. During your recovery we encourage you to call our clinic whenever a question or concern arises. We want you to have a stress-free recovery focused on allowing your body time. Everyone’s recovery is unique to their experience. That is why we will want to be involved with your individual recovery process. However, most patients will be ready to return to work in 1 week. We ask that you avoid any strenuous activity for 6-8 weeks following surgery. Your result will likely be evident sometime between 3-6 months.

What’s Next?

If you are interested in surgery, spend some time reviewing this information and videos on our website. We also have photo library of before and after results from some or our past clients.

Then give our clinic a call at (605) 334-1930 to schedule your initial consultation.