Liposuction

Many people work hard to eat right and stay in shape but are still disappointed with fat deposits that just won’t go away. The truth is for some of us less calories and more gym time is still not enough to eliminate stubborn, diet resistant fat cells.

To treat localized pockets of fat in areas such as the hips, thighs, abdomen, buttocks and even the face and neck consider liposuction. Orange County is home to CosmetiCare, which offers liposuction treatments that can slim and reshape specific areas of the body by removing excess fat deposits, improving your body contours and proportion, and ultimately, enhancing your self-image.

Before a client chooses to undergo liposuction, CosmetiCare’s team of professionals will ensure he or she is a proper candidate. Liposuction candidates should have realistic expectations about the results of the procedure as well as these basic qualities:

• Firm, elastic skin
• In good overall health
• Areas of fat deposits that are out of proportion with the rest of your body and do not go away with diet and exercise, often called “diet resistant fat”
• Areas with minimal amounts of excess skin because liposuction removes fat not skin

Your doctor will discuss the specific liposuction technique best suited to your body type. Realistic expectations are important before undergoing any surgery, including liposuction.

During the consultation, your surgeon will discuss:

• Liposuction treatment options
• Your specific skin type
• Effectiveness and safety of the procedure
• Potential financial cost
• Liposuction expectations and treatment outcomes

Under most circumstances, recovery is usually quick when a patient undergoes a traditional outpatient liposuction procedure. Orange County CosmetiCare’s team of surgeons and staff will explain your specific outcomes and recovery time.

Factors will also include the type of surgery you undergo including Ultrasonic-Assisted Liposuction (UAL), 
Power-Assisted Liposuction (PAL)
or Tumescent liposuction. Orange County CosmetiCare staff can provide more details on each procedure.

As with any surgery, including liposuction, Orange County CosmetiCare doctors will discuss what results you can expect to achieve with liposuction and how to best maintain your new body shape. After a liposuction procedure most patients can see a noticeable difference in their body.

After surgery you can expect:

• The ability to return to work within a few days
• Stitches are usually removed within the first week
• Return to normal activities within about two weeks
• Bruising, swelling, and soreness for a least a few weeks
• Residual fluid drainage from the incision sites during the first 24 hours
• Additional improvement to your body shape after about four to six weeks, after most of the swelling has gone
• You will begin to notice even more improvement in your shape and contour after about three months.

Liposuction does not replace healthy eating habits and regular exercise. Instead, choose liposuction for the body contouring benefits that may be hard to achieve otherwise. During liposuction the fat cells are removed permanently, so if you gain weight after the procedure, it usually will not concentrate in the area that was treated. However, liposuction will not prevent you from regaining weight. To keep your new shape and new weight, you must follow a proper diet and exercise plan even after the liposuction. Newport Beach CosmetiCare staff can recommend post-treatment plans for continued success.

Am I a Candidate for a Liposuction Orange County Procedure?

After doing the research, many people find that liposuction is a good choice for them. Some of the best results are seen on patients of normal weight with good, firm skin elasticity. After determining you are a candidate for surgery, your doctor will go over treatment options such as Ultrasonic-Assisted Liposuction (UAL), 
Power-Assisted Liposuction (PAL)
or Tumescent liposuction. Orange County CosmetiCare staff can provide more details on each procedure.

Am I a good candidate for liposuction?

• What will be expected of me to achieve the best results?
• How will my procedure be performed?
• What technique is best for me (such as a tumescent liposuction Orange County procedure)?
• How long will the recovery be?
• What will my body look like over time?
• Do you have liposuction flanks before and after photos or (your specific area of concern) before and after photos available?

Liposuction Techniques:

FLUID INJECTED (TUMESCENT) LIPOSUCTION

Prior to the development of newer liposuction methods, the extraction of fat was performed without the “wet” or fluid injected technique. This meant that surgery was performed without placing fluid in the body. This limited the amount of fat that could safely be removed due to bleeding. This technique also caused more bruising, swelling and pain. Many patients have already undergone Tumescent liposuction. Orange County CosmetiCare staff can provide incredible before-and-after pictures of this procedure.

The Fluid Injected Tumescent liposuction technique is much more popular today. This technique uses a medicated solution that is injected into fatty areas before the fat is removed. This allows removal of larger amounts of fat more safely and easily, resulting in less blood loss, bruising and pain with the technique of Tumescent liposuction. Orange County CosmetiCare surgeons are able to offer this technique. Your Tumescent liposuction surgeon will fully explain the technique.

ULTRASONIC-ASSISTED LIPOSUCTION (UAL)

The Ultrasonic-Assisted Liposuction technique uses a special tool called a cannula that produces ultrasonic energy. During this treatment a sound wave generator is attached to a sterile hand piece with a titanium rod that vibrates at a very high, slightly audible pitch. This sound wave creates energy into the fatty tissue causing this fat to break up and liquefy, making it easier to extract. For patients with specific areas of concern such as the buttocks or abdomen, the doctor may recommend Ultrasonic-Assisted Liposuction. Flanks (also called love-handles) are located just above the crest of the hip-bone also tend to accumulate fat and may also benefit from liposuction. Flanks in women, often found just below the bra strap, are also a common target for liposuction.

The Ultrasonic-Assisted Liposuction technique also causes fewer traumas to the patient’s surrounding tissue, as it only requires low-pressure suctioning, making the procedure a bit gentler. This technique has improved the ease and effectiveness of liposuction in fibrous areas of the body that were once more difficult such as the upper back and the enlarged male breast.

POWER-ASSISTED LIPOSUCTION (PAL)

PAL uses a motorized liposuction cannula that oscillates, vibrating back and forth to allow penetration of the tissue and greatly reduces the surgeon’s amount of physical exertion. The PAL cannula is smaller, resulting in smaller scars and the surgery requires less time than other liposuction techniques. This technique is also used in conjunction with the tumescent liposuction method and helps to facilitate removal of fat in more fibrous, difficult areas including upper abdomen, back, waist and love handles through liposuction. Flanks before and after have shown excellent results in patients who undergo this type of liposuction.