Liposuction

Of all cosmetic surgery procedures, liposuction offers the most options to the patient seeking to improve and/or rejuvenate his or her appearance. Liposuction is applicable to many areas of the body, from the face to the ankles. The procedure uses a very small tube to suction excess fat from diet- and exercise-resistant sites on the body. Facial and/or bodily contours are thereby refined, and the result is a fit, youthful and pleasing silhouette. Liposuction can be performed on a very small area, such as a double chin, or on larger features, such as the buttocks or waist. It is appropriate for both men and women and for young as well as mature adults. Results are almost always permanent. The vast majority of patients tolerate liposuction easily and are very pleased with the new, slimmer contours that emerge after the body’s adaptation to its new shape are complete. Liposuction’s flexibility as a procedure, along with the high levels of aesthetic and emotional gratification that it offers patients, has made it one of the most frequently-performed cosmetic surgeries.

Special Cases

Men In the past few years, liposuction has become popular among men of all ages. For younger men, it offers the possibility of removing the bulges of fat around the waist (“love handles”) that even the most rigorous diet and exercise routines can fail to eliminate. Liposuctioning the abdomen and lower torso can further slim the waist and makes the abdominal muscles appear firmer and more defined.

Gynecomastia, or male breast enlargement, is a fairly common condition in both teenage and adult males. Liposuction is an effective treatment for this condition, as it significantly reduces the enlargement. In addition, Dr. Loving can employ liposuction to a greater or lesser degree in any area if the left and right sides of the chest are asymmetrical.

Many mature men have found liposuction to be a subtle but effective way to rejuvenate their appearance. Youth and vitality can be significantly obscured by the layers of fat that are, for many people, an inevitable result of aging. In men, the fat tends to concentrate under the chin, cheekbones and jaw and around the waist. The fat is often not so much an indication of weight gain as of the redistribution of weight that comes with age and the concurrent shifting of the skin’s layers. Imbalances between the left and right sides can become more prominent. The result is often a kind of blurring of facial features and bodily contours that can make patients feel as though they no longer recognize themselves. Through liposuction, Dr. Loving can significantly lessen these effects. Removing a double chin and jowls, for instance, can bring facial features back into focus. The procedure is much less invasive than a facelift but offers many of the same rejuvenating results. Liposuction of the waist not only allows many men to return to the pant and belt sizes of their youth, but can also instigate improvements in their posture, which often worsens with the physical and emotional effects of age-related fat distribution.

Liposuction and Rejuvenation As mentioned in the section above, liposuction is often the best option for men and women who wish to give their features a more youthful aspect. Dr. Loving can fine-tune the procedure according to the individual needs and wants of each patient. He can also liposuction several different areas during the same operation so as to achieve an overall effect of rejuvenation.

Many women are at ease with the surface indications of maturity, such as lines of expression, but are unhappy with the distortions of lineaments and contours that frequently come with age. The majority of women who seek cosmetic rejuvenation are particularly bothered by age-related changes in one or two very specific areas, such as their upper arms, neck or chin. They would like to regain the youthful shapes of those one or two features without making
radical changes in their faces and bodies. For them, age-appropriateness is as important as beauty, and liposuction is one of the best ways for them to achieve both goals.

Those women who do wish to address the surfacial signs of aging, may wish to do so via injectables like collagen and/or chemical peels rather than through a facelift. For these women, therefore, liposuction is still the best way to achieve rejuvenating changes in form.

Liposuction and Proportion Liposuction has become the surgical means of choice for adjusting the proportions of areas of the body. Many people, especially women, turn to liposuction in order to achieve an aesthetic sense of balance between their hips and their breasts or their thighs and their waists or their calves and their ankles-or between other areas. Aesthetic ideals and goals vary a great deal between people according to their cultural and individual standards. It is therefore important for each patient to openly and accurately describe his or her desires to Dr. Loving, so that the optimal procedural plan can be designed for each patient.

Surgery

As with all cosmetic surgery, liposuction requires a consultation with the doctor that includes a discussion of the patient’s medical history, medications and any medical conditions. The patient’s past experiences with weight gain
and loss and whether he or she plans to lose or gain weight in the future will also be reviewed. The elasticity of the patient’s skin will be evaluated, as will the amount of fat to be removed so as to achieve the best results.

The patient then has professional photographs taken of the areas that will be addressed by the procedure. These photographs further enable the doctor and patient to discuss and plan the procedure.

Liposuction is performed in the doctor’s operating facility, and is usually done under a combination of local and “twilight” anesthesia. During the operation, a small, hollow tube is inserted in or near the area being targeted by the procedure. The tube is attached to a vacuum pressure unit, which suctions away the unwanted fat. After the procedure is complete, the tube is removed, and the area is bandaged and covered with a special compression garment that gives the skin support and encourages the new form to develop. Usually, no stitches are required in the sites where the tube was inserted. They close up by themselves, leaving minimal marks that become almost invisible over time. The suctioned areas are bruised and tender for about a week to ten days, depending on how much fat was removed and on the patient’s healing tendencies. Pain is usually moderate, and can be controlled by the pain medication prescribed by Dr Loving.

Patients can usually return to work in just a few days, though those who have facial liposuction may want to wait for a week or so, at which time makeup can be used to conceal most remaining signs of bruising. While most patients can perceive a difference in the areas that were liposuctioned after a week or so, the aesthetic benefits of the procedure will become more and more obvious over time as the skin contracts over its new shape and fully reveals its new contours.

To request more information or to schedule a consultation with Dr. Loving, please call 212-472-0900.