When dieting and exercising aren’t enough, it may be time to consider one of the numerous methods currently available in the area of body contouring.  Though liposuction may not be for everyone, and at times the terminology can be confusing to patients – ultrasonic, power-assisted and tumescent liposuction, total body lifts, external versus internal ultrasound – patients now have more choices than ever about the changes in body shape they want to achieve.  These procedures can be tailored to fit not only the physical attributes that a patient is trying to correct, but in many cases their lifestyle and ability to tolerate downtime will also be taken into consideration. 

        For example, a patient of our plastic surgery team was a competitive bodybuilder and personal trainer, who had received awards at the state and national levels.  Despite having a body fat percentage in the 5% range during her competition phase, she was unhappy with excess fat in the medial thigh and lateral thigh or saddlebag regions.  Of course, when she gained weight in her normal training phases, these were the areas where fat seemed to preferentially deposit.  This is an ideal patient for the tumesecent liposuction procedure.  This particular patient was back to her workouts in two to three weeks.  The pain experienced during the recovery procedure is relatively minor for many patients, and of course rare complications of surgery such as scarring, infection, contour irregularity and the possibility of partial improvement always exist.  Follow-up visits help to further minimize these minimal occurrences.  The patient was so pleased with the results of this procedure that she is going to undergo a mini-tummy tuck in her next off-season to remove the excess skin in her lower abdomen which occurred after pregnancy and which no amount of training and weight loss can completely remove.

        This brings us to the numerous ways in which the more advanced body contouring techniques such as larger volume and ultrasonic liposuction, abdominoplasty, thigh and buttock lifts, and breast lifts and augmentation can be tailored to a patient’s particular desires.  The experience of the previous patient is quite common.  Having improved the area which has caused them the most problems, they then move on to the next problem area.  Other patients choose to have several procedures at the same setting so that the downtime experienced can be more focused to a certain time period.  Our newly expanded, fully certified ambulatory surgery center is an ideal setting for private, confidential treatment of all these cosmetic procedures.  Often, the procedures can be safety combined, but it is certainly important to choose a surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, to help ensure not only the training of your physician, but that he or she will keep your ultimate safety as the foremost concern.

        Whether you have a relatively minor problem are or if you are ready for a total body makeover, a consultation with our plastic surgeon will inform you of the latest techniques available in the rapidly changing field of plastic surgery, as well as helping you decide which of these techniques is right for you.

        All surgical procedures carry the possibility of risk and uncertainty.  Among these include infection, bleeding, blood clots, scarring, pigment variations, and adverse reactions to anesthesia.  Your results may be less than, equal to, or better than photos and descriptions depicted.  It is important to discuss your medical history during your initial consultation.  A thorough discussion with your physician of risks and benefits as well as your expectations will be completed prior to your surgery. 

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