For many, diet and exercise can only take us so far. Despite our best efforts, we still have problem areas that have more fat than we would like. Liposuction in Dallas can permanently fix those areas by removing unwanted fat cells. Get in touch with North Texas Plastic Surgery to learn more about this body sculpting procedure.
Our plastic surgeons use the VASER ultrasound assisted liposuction technology. The VASER emits ultrasound waves that shake the fat free from the surrounding tissue. This allows our plastic surgeons to remove more unwanted fat than would otherwise be possible, so that you can achieve the shape of your dreams. The VASER allows our plastic surgeons to do this with up to 50% less bleeding. This means less bruising, a faster recovery, and the ability to be remove more fat safely!
Our plastic surgeons also use power assisted liposuction with the FAGA PAL system from Brazil. The FAGA allows the liposuction cannula to move back and forth up to 5000 times a minute. In so doing, it allows our plastic surgeons to remove more fat than would be possible without it.
Our plastic surgeons also offer BodyTite that can be combined with the liposuction procedure. The BodyTite uses radiofrequency to heat the skin to 160 degrees from the underside which has been shown to cause a 35% skin retraction. This means that in addition to fat removal, our patients can also receive simultaneous skin tightening.
The combination of three critical advanced liposuction technologies, VASER, FAGA, and Bodytite allow our plastic surgeons to achieve amazing body contouring results!
Liposuction is much more than fat removal. It is about sculpting the body to create hills and valleys, highlights and shadows. It is this vision and attention to detail that creates the look you can’t take your eyes off of.
Prior to your surgery, our plastic surgeons will create a 3-d simulation that serves as inspiration for the art of the surgery. With this simulation, you will be able to see the areas that your plastic surgeon will highlight, the curves that will result, and the nuances that will make your result stand out. You will also have the opportunity to have input on the design of the procedure, so that you can be sure that you will have the figure and silhouette of your dreams!
Your liposuction surgery will be performed at our fully accredited AAAASF office-based surgical facility. Accreditation with the American Association of Ambulatory Surgical Facilities ensures that our center in inspected regularly and meets the highest safety standards. Moreover, because our office-based surgical facility is dedicated to plastic surgery only, you can be confident that everyone involved from the pre-op nurse, to the circulating nurse, to the scrub techs, to the recovery room teams are intimately aware of the tiny details that make a big difference in your experience and results.
Anesthesia will be administered during your liposuction procedure by our team of anesthesiologists and CRNAs who have years of experience doing plastic surgery anesthesia. This experience is invaluable and ensures that you will be comfortable and safe throughout your procedure.
Our plastic surgeons believe that being fully asleep during liposuction ensures that you will not only be as comfortable as possible during your surgery, but it also provides us with the ability to achieve a better result. This is for two reasons:
Once the fat is removed with liposuction, there will be an asymmetry between the amount of skin in an area and the amount of fat. Rather than just relying on your body to contact that skin, which doesn’t always happen, our surgeons offer a combination of technologies to tighten the skin without additional scars. VASER uses ultrasound waves to which causes heat and skin tightening. Our surgeons also offer BodyTite which is a readiofrequency device that can heat the skin to 160 degrees causing an amazing 35% skin retraction without additional scars!
Rather than just non-specifically removing fat which can lead to odd or surgical body shapes, abdominal etching through high definition liposuction selectively removes more fat in certain ares than others in order to enhance and highlight muscular definition. It is the subtleties of the edges of the rectus abdominus muscle, the the fullness of the deltoid muscle relative to rest of the arm, and hills and valleys of the paraspinous muscles of the back that show the world how athletic you are.
If you want a result that emphasizes the hard work that you have been putting in at the gym, as opposed to just creating a flat shape, than abdominal etching and high definition liposuction is for you!
Rather than just throwing the liposuctioned fat away, our plastic surgeons can transfer the fat to other parts of the body to enhance your shape. Our plastic surgeons commonly transfer fat to they buttocks, a procedure called Brazilian Butt Lift, the breasts and the hip dips in women to help give the perfect hourglass silhouette. In men, our plastic surgeons can transfer fat into the buttocks, the shoulders or the pectoralis muscles of the chest to give a chiseled athletic look.
The fat cells that are removed with liposuction are gone for good and will not come back, provided that you do not gain a significant amount of weight after the procedure.
There are critical differences in the male silhouette from the female silhouette. Our plastic surgeons excel in emphasizing the athletic V-shape of the male which is distinctly different from the ideal hourglass shape of the female. In addition to the V-shape, our plastic surgeons can help shape the fat of the male chest to emphasize the pectoralis muscle, and the fat of the abdominal region to emphasize the six pack abs through a process called abdominal etching. Finally, targeted fat grafting to the deltoids can emphasize the shoulders, to the upper chest can emphasize the pectoralis muscle, and the buttocks, without the hips can help emphasize the gluteus Maximus muscle.
The objective of liposuction is to remove small pockets of fat to improve the silhouette, but it’s not a substitute for substantial weight loss. A good candidate for liposuction is someone who is already at or near their ideal healthy weight but has some “problem areas” that don’t respond to diet and exercise. For best results, candidates should have good muscle tone and firm skin. They should be willing to continue a healthy lifestyle after the procedure.
Liposuction is ideal for combining with other procedures, and many people who have procedures such as breast lifts, tummy tucks, and mommy makeovers, choose to have liposuction at the same time.
The fat removed during liposuction can even be transferred into other parts of the body, as in the Brazilian butt lift and breast augmentation with fat transfer.
Both liposuction and a tummy tuck can improve your waistline and your overall body shape, but they’re performed for different reasons.
The tummy tuck procedure is designed to remove excess skin around the abdomen and to tighten the abdominal muscles. It’s ideal for people who have lost a large amount of weight or who have been pregnant.
Liposuction involves the removal of fat only and is best for people who have a small amount of excess fat they want to remove and who have good muscle tone with no excess skin.
Prior to your liposuction procedure, you should be as close as possible to your goal weight. You must refrain from smoking, vaping, nicotine use of any kind, and recreational drugs 4 weeks before and 6 weeks after the procedure. If you are taking any nutritional supplements, please inform your plastic surgeon as we may need to stop some of them prior to surgery. During your consultation, your plastic surgeon will also thoroughly review your medication list to make sure that none of your medications will create problems with the anesthesia or with the healing and recovery process after liposuction.
After your liposuction procedure, our plastic surgeons will place you in a compression garment to help decrease the swelling in the area the procedure is performed. Patients are encouraged to wear the compression garment as much as possible to help achieve the best results as fast as possible. In general, patients should expect to wear the compression garments for three weeks 24/7 and then for an additional three weeks at least 12 hours a day. These garments are often called by their Spanish name “Faja” in online articles.
After liposuction, a combination of the fluid that is injected to assist with the liposuction and the healing and inflammatory fluid the body produces in response to the surgery will cause the areas that were liposuctioned to swell. Manual lymphatic drainage, also known as lymphatic massage, is a specialized massage technique that pushes this fluid towards the lymph nodes and lymphatic channels which can then take that fluid back to the heart. By taking that fluid back to the heart, swelling is reduced and the final silhouette can be brought out sooner.
In general, it takes around one hour to perform liposuction on one part of the body, so the time it takes for a procedure depends on how many areas of the body are being worked on.
If liposuction is being combined with another procedure, the entire surgery is likely to take several hours
Many people can go home on the same day as their procedure. If you have liposuction in several different parts of the body or combine liposuction with a procedure such as a tummy tuck or a mommy makeover, you might stay at our office-based surgical facility overnight before going home the next day.
As with any other surgical procedure, there are risks and complications associated with liposuction. In general, the better your general health and fitness, the lower your risk of experiencing complications.
There are some rare but dangerous complications that can be life-threatening. These include organ damage, formation of blood or fat clots, excessive fluid or blood loss, and infection. There is also a low risk of having a toxic or allergic reaction to the anesthetic solution that is injected into the body during liposuction.
To minimize the risks of liposuction, it is critical that you stop smoking, nicotine products, vaping, and are open and honest about what medications and supplements that you are taking. Patients should do their best to get as close to their ideal body weight as possible prior to the procedure. Finally, it is important that post-surgery patients walk as much as they can to minimize the risk of blood clotting, use an incentive spirometer, drink plenty of fluids, and protect themselves from the Covid Virus.
To prepare for your liposuction surgery, patients should stock up on electrolyte containing fluids, schedule lymphatic massages and identify an active and involved caregiver who can assist with walking, drinking and general post-operative care. Patients should plan for taking a week to 10 days off from work as well.
Most people experience certain side effects after having liposuction. Common side effects include swelling, bruising, and soreness around the parts of the body where fat was removed. There may also be some localized numbness. Some people may also experience some irritation of the sites where cannulas were placed, and in rare cases there may be small scars at these sites.
Finally, the skin around the treatment sites may temporarily appear looser than normal, but as long as skin tone is good, it should tighten up within a few months.
Some rare side effects of liposuction include changes in skin color in the treatment area and damage to nerves or other tissues in the treatment area.
It doesn’t take long to see the initial results of liposuction. Even though bruising and swelling linger for several weeks, it’s usually possible to see within less than a week that your body’s general shape has improved. The full results, after all the swelling has gone and the skin has tightened, might not be apparent for several months.
Do you think liposuction is what you’ve been looking for to rid yourself of extra fat and contour your body just the way you want it? Call North Texas Plastic Surgery to set up a consultation about liposuction in Dallas today! Our plastic surgeons serve patients in Southlake, Plano, Dallas, and Fort Worth.