Unfortunately it’s all too easy these days for liposuction of all types to be performed by physicians ill-equipped or improperly trained to perform the procedures. A few days or few weeks of training is nothing when compared to the many years of supervised instruction a board certified plastic surgeon undergoes.
And often surgeons will undergo a couple of years of additional focused training specializing in liposuction while working under doctors of approved residency programs. The bottom line is that your safety is the most important thing to consider when undergoing a procedure of any kind, including all forms of liposuction.
For this reason, I highly recommend that you see a plastic surgeon who is highly experienced in Vaser Liposelection for the procedures you’re interested in, and discuss the best options for your unique situation.
VASER Liposelection is a great solution to removing unwanted fat deposits. I treat many patients with VASER for removing fat in areas such as the abdomen, inner & outer thighs, the “love handles”, and upper arms. Sometimes it’s possible to touch up the appearance of lumps or irregularities successfully with Vaser, if there is no skin laxity.
However Vaser cannot improve the appearance of loose or excess skin, and in fact further liposuction can actually make the situation worse. For patients who are interested in removing excess skin post liposuction, the best way to do that would be to have a tummy tuck if the skin is in the abdomen area, or a thigh lift or arm lift if the skin is in those areas.
The reason for this is that the excess skin will need to be lifted & removed in order to create the smooth and tight appearance you are looking to achieve. As with any procedure it’s always best to book a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon, experienced in the procedures you’re considering. You can then discuss options suited to your unique situation.
VASER Liposelection is a procedure that melts fat beneath the skin using ultrasound energy. It is a procedure often used for body contouring. It also involves only very small incisions, which makes for little to no scarring once a patient has healed.
This procedure is safe for patients of all skin tones & because of the VASER technology, healing from this type of procedure involves less downtime & is more comfortable than more traditional methods of liposuction.
However, as with any procedure the results achieved depend a great deal on the experience and skill of the surgeon you choose. Make sure you find a board certified plastic surgeon with experience using Vaser, and book a consultation to discuss the best options for your unique situation.
Looking in a mirror one day and saying to oneself, “My face looks so much older than I feel. How can I do something about it?” triggers a process of self analysis, investigation of (many) surgical and non-surgical options, and several difficult decisions. Not the least of these is deciding how best to spend your resources to best effect. It’s important to determine which of your facial features currently draw the most attention to your face and how those features could be improved.
Ask yourself:
Were your eyes once your most attractive feature but now they appear tired or drawn?
Were your cheeks once firm and rosy but now sag and appear hollow?
When once your smile lifted at the corners, does it now struggle against folds of skin at each side of your mouth?
Does your once smooth and defined jawline appear soft and droopy?
Pull out the family albums and examine photographs of your face over the past ten years (or more) to help you decide what you can gracefully accept in the aging process and what bothers you the most.
Set Goals and Find a Partner
Whether you decide it’s your facial lines and wrinkles, forehead and brow, eyes, nose, jaw or chin, set some priorities or goals before you schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon. That will enable you to target your questions and make the best use of the information your surgeon will give you. Take your photographs with you.
Be prepared to learn about an amazing array of surgical and non-surgical procedures and products to choose from. Make your surgeon your partner in deciding what would best achieve your objectives.
As a physician I am well aware of the detrimental effect that habitual smoking has on the health of any individual, and when the subject comes up I’m always quick to remind my patients of how much they have to gain by giving up the habit.
However, when I have a patient planning cosmetic surgery, I bring up the subject for a very specific and particular purpose. I strongly advise my patients who smoke to quit smoking for 6 to 8 weeks prior to scheduled surgery and throughout the post-operative recovery period.
Many studies have clearly shown that non smokers or those who quit temporarily have a lower risk of complications from anesthesia and during the operation itself and also far fewer post-operative complications.
Smoking inhibits the flow of blood to the heart, a vital process during surgery when the body is under stress. Smoking is also counter productive when it comes to post-surgical healing.It reduces the blood flow to the cell, inhibits the ability of hemoglobin to carry oxygen, and it reduces the amount of oxygen released to the cells, all processes essential to healing.
An important subject that you should discuss with your plastic surgeon before scheduling any surgery is the type and quantity of medications you may be taking for conditions unrelated to cosmetic procedures or surgery.
I make a special point of asking my patients during a preliminary consultation what medication they now take, have recently used, or plan to use. Often they will reply no on a printed questionnaire regarding medicines forgetting that they may be taking aspirin, antidepressants, using birth control, or may be planning hormone therapy shortly.
Some medications – and even some health supplements – can have an affect on blood clotting or blood pressure. Even some medicated skin creams can cause unwanted side affects during surgery.
Don’t take chances with your health; be candid and open in discussing any drug use with your plastic surgeon before setting a date for surgery.
Everybody I know takes nutritional supplements of one kind or another, and many people are not aware that the frequency and quantities of vitamins and supplements taken on a regular basis can have an adverse effect on the body while undergoing surgical procedures. Often I find that patients while having a clear understanding of drugs and their possible side effects, tend to dismiss vitamins and nutritional supplements as non-drugs or “natural” and therefore harmless.
Any supplements, such as garlic, ginkgo, and ginger pills, that act to thin the blood should be discontinued a week before surgery. Don’t overlook ‘natural’ diet pills, hair loss prevention supplements, and special energy drinks that may include blood thinning products.
The trend to take megadoses of some vitamins can also have a potential negative impact that minor amounts of most vitamins wouldn’t have.
Discuss with your surgeon all medicine, health maintenance medications, and supplements you take in order to rule out possible side effects and make your surgery a positive experience.
Many people could use some help with thinking about how to choose a plastic surgeon. Being outside of the industry, they don’t know what to look for so they can be easily wooed by glitz and glamour that have nothing to do with the all-important doctor/patient relationship.
My advice would be simple: pick your plastic surgeon just as you would choose anyone you would trust as a partner on an extremely important business project. You want to see their qualifications (certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, in the case of plastic surgery) and you need to feel that your ‘partner’ is highly capable and good at listening to your priorities and making them his or her own. Finally, you certainly only want to partner with people who are good, thoughtful and compassionate at the core. We all spend a lifetime honing our ability to judge others soundly. Listen to your gut:if you check for Board Certification and also you really feel that you are in good, capable, compassionate hands then chances are that you’re making a sound decision.
In the old days of surgery patients were told to stay in bed, even for days after surgery. Not any more! We now know that people who act sick after surgery (i.e. stay in bed and pamper themselves excessively) get sick after surgery. While we certainly don’t want anyone over-doing it after a delicate procedure, it is important to be up and moving even on the very day of surgery if possible.
Really, I’m only talking about a basic level of activity necessary to move around the house a bit and take care of your basic food & hygiene needs. But even this will help greatly to keep fluid off the lungs, lower the risk of blood clots, and speed your recovery along as it should.
There is a golden rule of attractiveness for the waistline compared to the buttocks, and that is the rule of the 0.7 ratio. If the narrowest measurement around the waist is divided by the widest measurement of the hips, the ideal number you can come up with is 0.7. Everything above that means there is a bit of hip excess, and everything below that value means the waistline is not as slim as it should be or the hips are too thin.
The Brazilian Butt Lift is a surgery that addressed just this situation. Liposuction is used to improve the waistline, while the same fat is used to improve the shape of the hips.
