Am I a Good Candidate for Liposuction?

Each human body prefers to store fat in different areas, and once stored there, it can be extremely difficult to budge. Regardless of where your challenging fat has found a home, liposuction can help get rid of it. This procedure removes excess fat and sculpts the area to help you achieve your desired shape and contours. You can have liposuction alone or with other procedures to achieve your sculpted final results.

What is Liposuction?

Most casually known as “lipo,” liposuction is a body contouring procedure that removes fat using a thin tool called a cannula. Men and women seek this treatment to address stubborn bulges or pockets of fat that their healthy lifestyle has not eliminated. At Specialty Aesthetic Surgery, liposuction is performed by Dr. Michael Stein, a board-certified member of our surgical team who specializes in body and breast procedures. It can be performed alone or as part of another procedure, such as a tummy tuck.

How Does Liposuction Work?

The details of your lipo procedure depend on the area being treated and the amount of fat being removed. Your surgeon may use local or general anesthesia to keep you comfortable. One or a few small incisions are made in the skin and used to insert the cannula. This device works by separating the fat cells from each other and surrounding tissues so they can be removed using suction. After fat removal, your surgeon uses a few small sutures to close the incisions. You will be monitored for a short time, longer if you had general anesthesia, before being released.

Am I a Good Candidate for Liposuction?

While liposuction is safe and very effective, it is not ideal for everyone. During your consultation, your surgeon will learn more about your goals, lifestyle, and medical history to determine whether this procedure will help you see the results you want. Good candidates for liposuction should be physically healthy and have achievable goals.

Candidates should understand that liposuction is not a weight loss solution. While it does remove unwanted fat, it is intended to target specific problem areas for body contouring. The best candidates for lipo lead a generally healthy lifestyle and are close to their goal weight but want to enhance their figure with body sculpting.

As with any procedure, all candidates should have a clear understanding of what results they can expect. Your surgeon will work with you to understand your goals and ensure you are pleased with your results. Communicate your concerns and goals clearly to ensure your results align with your expectations.

Which Areas Can Liposuction Treat?

In the hands of a skilled surgeon like Dr. Stein, liposuction can be used almost anywhere on the body where you have unwanted fat. Some of the most common areas for lipo include:

Abdomen
Hips
Flanks
Under the chin (double chin)
Thighs
Upper arms
Chest
Back

Depending on the area of the body and the amount of loose skin, your surgeon may recommend a body contouring procedure. For example, someone with problem fat and loose skin in the abdominal area might benefit more from a tummy tuck, which will remove excess skin as well as fat. Your surgeon may also recommend radiofrequency skin tightening with Morpheus8, a non-surgical treatment that can firm the skin after lipo.

How Much Fat Can Liposuction Remove?

The amount of fat removed during liposuction varies widely depending on the area and your goals. Your surgeon will strategically remove enough fat to give you the sculpted results you want while maintaining natural-looking contours. While liposuction can remove a significant amount of fat, you should not expect it to help you lose weight. In many cases, removing a fairly small amount of fat in targeted areas will provide dramatic improvements. Rather than a fat removal tool, liposuction should be considered a precision body contouring technique.

How Long is Recovery After Liposuction?

Most people experience some swelling, bruising, and soreness after liposuction. Your surgeon will give you a compression garment to wear, and this will help control swelling as well as support the area while it heals. People with low-activity jobs can usually return after one to two weeks. Swelling decreases significantly after the first week but can take several months to resolve completely. Most people are cleared to return to their exercise routine and other strenuous activities after four to six weeks.

How Long Do Liposuction Results Last?

Although your fat cells can change size if you gain or lose weight, your adult body does not make any new ones. As a result, the fat removed with liposuction will not return, making your results long-lasting. However, your remaining fat cells can still store additional fat if your weight increases. The best way to keep your sculpted figure is to maintain a consistent weight and lead a generally healthy lifestyle. If your weight remains relatively stable, you can expect to enjoy a lifetime of results.

Take the Next Step – Request a Consultation

Want to learn more about liposuction? Schedule your consultation online or by calling Specialty Aesthetic Surgery at (212) 737-8700. We look forward to working with you!

Specialty Aesthetic Surgery serves the greater NYC metro area.

About Our Surgeons

Bruce Moskowitz is an experienced and board-certified oculoplastic surgeon. His practice encompasses all areas of oculoplastic cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. He has a well-known reputation for revision surgery, and a large portion of his practice comes from other colleagues to revise sub-optimal outcomes.

Grigoriy Mashkevich is an experienced and double-board certified facial plastic surgeon. He belongs to a highly select group of surgeons with a focused specialization in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the nose, face, and neck.

Dr. Anna Frants is a board-certified facial plastic surgeon who is experienced in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. Her areas of expertise include surgery of the face, neck, nose, eyelids, eyebrows, and ears.

*Individual results may vary