Liposuction

Doctor Arons has helped many patients attain a slimmer physique and improved appearance with this surgical procedure, first introduced in the United States in 1982.

Liposuction is used to remove localized collections of fatty tissue in several different areas of the body. It is also known as lipoplasty or suction lipectomy. By using a powerful vacuum device, Doctor Arons can suction fat from the legs, buttocks, abdomen, back, arms, face, and neck.

Doctor Arons and other board certified physicians, have seen an increase popularity of liposuction due to the effectiveness of the technique and the fact that it leaves only tiny scars.

Liposuction is neither a substitute for proper diet and exercise, nor a cure for obesity. It should never be thought of as a weight loss technique. To get the most from this procedure, you should be of average weight with extra fat localized in specific areas where it has remained despite proper diet and exercise. It is usually not an effective treatment for cellulite. Liposuction can, however, permanently reshape body contours where excess fat deposits create areas that are disproportionately large in an otherwise balanced figure.

Ideal candidates for liposuction are defined as healthy individuals who do not have a life-threatening illness or medical condition that can impair healing; nonsmokers (as with any of the plastic surgical procedures described here); individuals with a positive outlook and specific goals in mind for body contouring. It is also important that you have healthy elastic skin with the capacity to shrink evenly after surgery. Since liposuction removes only fat, it cannot eliminate dimpling or correct skin laxity, and is therefore usually best indicated for younger patients who have not yet lost the normal elasticity of their skin. If there is significant lax skin that remains, it must actually be cut out as a separate surgical procedure. Men also can benefit from liposuction, particularly for the breasts and the waist (“love handles”).

Although the scars are small, liposuction is still a surgical procedure that is performed in an operating room. Risks of liposuction are rare, although they can and do occur, as with any surgical procedure. The significant complications and even deaths that have been reported in the media occurred when liposuction was performed with other procedures of very long duration, and when very high volumes of fat were suctioned. Following surgery, you will wear a snug compressive garment for up to six weeks to promote skin shrinkage and to minimize swelling and skin discoloration. Perhaps the biggest “complication” of liposuction is contour deformity and/or asymmetry. Sometimes additional liposuction is necessary as a revision. You should plan to limit your physical activity for 4-6 weeks following liposuction.