Liposuction

Liposuction is not a weight reduction procedure. It is best to be near your ideal body weight when considering liposuction. If you are very overweight you may not be a candidate for the procedure.

When you’re learning about liposuction, you will hear of many different types of liposuction. Tumescent liposuction is the final common pathway because no matter what is done before that, all liposuction procedures conclude with tumescent liposuction. Laser liposuction, or SmartLipo, involves using a laser to melt fat and heat the skin prior to tumescent liposuction. It is thought to be less traumatic than tumescent liposuction alone. Heating the skin is thought to cause more skin retraction and tightening than just regular liposuction. Dr. Kayastha commonly performs laser liposuction (SmartLipo) for his patients in and around Albany, NY. Ultrasound-assisted liposuction has been around longer than laser liposuction and can be very useful in particular situations. VASER liposuction is the most popular type of ultrasound-assisted liposuction. Just like laser liposuction, VASER is performed before tumescent liposuction. The VASER device uses ultrasound energy just like SmartLipo uses laser energy to break up fat. VASER liposuction is particularly useful when performing high definition liposuction or when treating fibrous areas like the male chest. It can also be used in other areas to make fat removal less labor-intensive.

The type of anesthesia you require for liposuction will depend on how extensive your procedure is. Small to medium amounts of liposuction can be performed in the office with local anesthesia. Larger volumes or multiple areas of the body are typically done in the hospital with general anesthesia.

The first step in liposuction involves filling the treatment area with tumescent fluid. Tumescent fluid is composed of saline, lidocaine, and epinephrine. This fluid has multiple purposes. Lidocaine numbs the treatment area to increase comfort during and after the procedure. Epinephrine, or adrenaline, is a powerful vasoconstrictor. This means that it causes blood vessels to shrink. This works to very effectively decrease blood loss at the surgical site. The saline solution is used to distend and make the treatment area firm. This allows liposuction to be performed efficiently. After installation of the fluid, a metal tube (cannula) that has holes in the end and is connected to a vacuum is passed back and forth in the treatment area. Fat is broken loose with the cannula and removed with the vacuum.

Liposuction surgery is not very painful compared to other common surgeries. Most patients use pain medication for about three days following liposuction. Many patients having a single area done do not use any pain medication after their procedure.

Visceral fat is fat that is inside your abdomen surrounding your vital organs. Visceral fat cannot be removed. Visceral fat does shrink with weight loss. The first-line treatments for visceral fat are diet and exercise. Sometimes, gastric bypass may be considered for those who are unable to lose weight through diet and exercise.

Unfortunately fat does not weigh a lot. Even with larger volume liposuction procedures, actual weight loss is usually not more than a few pounds.

If you don’t maintain a healthy lifestyle and gain weight following liposuction, it is possible for fat to return.

When you’re learning about liposuction, you will hear of many different types of liposuction. Tumescent liposuction is the final common pathway because no matter what is done before that, all liposuction procedures conclude with tumescent liposuction. Laser liposuction, or SmartLipo, involves using a laser to melt fat and heat the skin prior to tumescent liposuction. It is thought to be less traumatic than tumescent liposuction alone. Heating the skin is thought to cause more skin retraction and tightening than just regular liposuction. Dr. Kayastha commonly performs laser liposuction (SmartLipo) for his patients in and around Albany, NY. Ultrasound-assisted liposuction has been around longer than laser liposuction and can be very useful in particular situations. VASER liposuction is the most popular type of ultrasound-assisted liposuction. Just like laser liposuction, VASER is performed before tumescent liposuction. The VASER device uses ultrasound energy just like SmartLipo uses laser energy to break up fat. VASER liposuction is particularly useful when performing high definition liposuction or when treating fibrous areas like the male chest. It can also be used in other areas to make fat removal less labor-intensive.

The cost of your liposuction will depend on your unique circumstances. A consultation is needed to get an accurate cost estimate. See our pricing page for average costs for the procedure you are interested in. We offer financing (kplasticsurgery.com/resources/payment-options/) to help pay for your procedure if needed. Call / contact us to schedule you consultation and to get a cost estimate for your liposuction.

Any time the skin is cut to perform surgery there must be a scar. The length of your scar will depend on the type of surgery and how extensive it is. Dr. Kayastha is committed to using the shortest scars possible while still achieving the results you want. Dr. Kayastha takes great care to ensure that you will have the best scar possible. Surgery is performed precisely and gently. After surgery multiple techniques including taping, silicone sheeting, scar cream, massage and lasers may be used to optimize the appearance of your scar.