Liposuction, also called lipoplasty or suction lipectomy, is the surgical removal of localized or regional excess fatty tissue.  In some cases it is performed alone, in other cases it is used with other procedures such as a male or female breast reduction, breast augmentation or a tummy tuck to enhance results.  

Liposuction can permanently reshape body contours, eliminate excess fat deposits in areas that are disproportionately large in an otherwise balanced figure, reduce fat deposits in cheeks, chin, neck, upper arms, breast or chest, back, abdomen and waist, hips and buttocks, thighs, inner knees, and calves and ankles, secondary procedures may be recommended to reduce excess skin.  Liposuction is not a substitute for proper diet and exercise, nor a treatment for obesity or cellulite.  

The Procedures

Liposuction is a surgical procedure that requires incisions in or near the area to be suctioned for insertion of an appropriately sized cannula. The incisions are small and only one stitch is required for closure. Once the cannula tip has loosened excess fat, the fat is removed using a surgical vacuum or powered suction device.  The amount of fat removed is limited to five liters to make the procedure as safe as possible.  Fat grafting/
manual suctioning with a syringe is more commonly used when fat removal areas are small and very isolated or when it is planned that fat will be processed and re-injected in other areas of the body.  This procedure may be used to fill in wrinkles or hollow areas of the body.

Key Facts

Good Candidates: Are an adult of any age close to your ideal weight for your body type and size, moderately fit and have firm, elastic skin and good muscle tone.  Patients should be healthy and not have a life-threatening illness or medical condition that would impair healing, don’t smoke and have a positive outlook and realistic goals in mind.

Anesthesia: General anesthesia

Length of procedure: This procedure can take up to 3 hours but times may vary from patient to patient depending on several factors.

Length of stay: Typically the patient will go home same day

Discomfort: Swelling, soreness and bruising can last several weeks and may take up to 3 months to resolve completely.  Pain level may be mild to moderate and controlled with pain medications but will vary from patient to patient.

Recovery: The patient will be required to limit physical activity to avoid stressing internal sutures as they heal.  It is very important to precisely follow post-op instructions given by Dr. Patrick Swier to ensure proper healing and exceptional results.  Patients are typically able to go back to work 1-3 weeks after surgery.

Final result: Improvement can be seen immediately but final results after the healing process can take up to 3 months.

Duration of results:  Results will last several years as long as the patient follows all post-op instructions, maintains a healthy lifestyle and pregnancy or substantial weight-gain does not occur.

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