The Basic Picture

From the internet to network news, you see that liposuction has had some well-publicized problems. There are advertisements promising everything under the sun. Liposuction is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures with over 300,000 thousand cases safely performed in 2007 in the United States. As you take all this in, you might wonder: "Should I do this?"

Of course the answer to this question may depend upon exactly what you are trying to accomplish and how you prefer it be done. There are choices.

Liposuction is a relatively simple operation that addreses fat for the most part. As long as fat alone is your primary problem, liposuction usually will perform well for you. Recovery tends to be mild (on the order of days).

Results, recovery and level of discomfort depend upon how the operation is performed.

Technique makes a difference and there are alot of techniques. The basic tumescent technique offers the ability for the surgeon to manually sculpt your fat. Laser and ultrasound-assisted techniques can improve fat removal and in some cases help smooth the results out a bit. They are more often than not associated with increased cost as technology is involved.

Anesthesia can make a difference as well. There is the choice of local versus more involved anesthesia. Tumescent anesthesia is the standard base for anesthesia for liposuction in this practice. Tumescent anesthesia is a modified "numbing solution" that is put into the fatty tissues to be treated before the removal begins. It makes the areas to be treated numb although the patient is able to feel the sensation of the removal instrument (the cannula) moving beneath the skin.

Some patients choose to add additional anesthesia along with the basic tumescent technique for increased comfort. The choices here include sedation or general anesthesia. Both involve adding an anesthesiologist to the procedure. The most important question on anesthesia choice is how aware does the patient want to be of what is happening during surgery versus how concenred is the patient with anesthesia overall. Some patients want to be "out" and others would rather not have to recover from much more than local anesthesia. This is a patient choice item usually with which the doctor can help you.

The patient's choice of Surgeon can make a difference as well in limiting the possibility of irregularities in the skin. Dr Di Saia is board certified in plastic surgery and specializes in breast and body contouring. Believe it or not some of Dr D's competitiors in the marketplace have no formal training is plastic surgery at all.

The Bottom Line:

Liposuction offers a low impact reduction in body fat that is more effective in certain areas than others. Patients with relatively little loose skin in the areas to be treated can achive nice reductions with little downtime. Choosing an expert in plastic surgery and having realistic expectations can make this operation one of the berst choices you have ever made.