1. What is a successful liposuction surgery?

That is going to be different for each person. In general, the proper amount of fat is removed from the areas that concern the patient. There is minimal swelling and bruising and minimal contour deformities.


2. What Alternatives Are There to Liposuction?

In some cases diet and exercise may work. Unfortunately, we can' t pick areas from which to lose weight and there may be some areas from which we cannot lose weight no matter how much we diet or exercise. There are several new technologies that are minimal or non invasive. They are promising but we don' t have long term data to determine how they compare to traditional liposuction.


3. What type of liposuction is the best?

As with any technique, the most important factor is the technician. In the case of liposuction, that would be the surgeon. If your surgeon has experience with a particular type of liposuction and feels comfortable with it, then he/she is more likely to get good results. Standard tumescent liposuction is the most commonly performed type of liposuction and the other types of liposuction are variations of tumescent liposuction. Each equipment company will argue that their type of liposuction is best.


4. How is Tumescent Liposuction performed?

Tumescent liposuction refers to injecting the area that has excess fat with a fluid (tumescent fluid) that usually consists of saline, local anesthetic and epinephrine. This helps make the fat easier to remove and minimizes bleeding and postoperative pain. Much of the fluid is removed with the fat but some is left in the body and is reabsorbed over time. Some of the fluid may leak out from the small incisions but this usually stops the next day after surgery.


5. How long does Tumescent Liposuction take?

It depends on how many areas are treated and how much fat is present that needs to be removed.


6. What anesthesia is used with Tumescent Liposuction?

While small areas can be performed under local anesthesia or IV sedation, larger areas usually require general anesthesia.


7. Who can perform Tumescent Liposuction?

Unfortunately, there aren' t any laws that govern which doctors can perform liposuction. Only licensed physicians are allowed to perform liposuction (M.D.s or D.O.s). It is often useful to make sure that your surgeon has privileges to perform liposuction in a local hospital.