Will I benefit from Liposuction?

At South Florida Center for Cosmetic Surgery, we understand why liposuction can seem like a panacea for weight loss. Although liposuction is an effective means of eliminating stubborn pockets of unwanted fat that are resistant to diet and exercise, it is not meant for everyone. Here are some questions to ask yourself to help you determine whether you would benefit from liposuction.

Am I at or just slightly above my ideal body weight?

If you answered “yes” to this question, you might be an appropriate candidate for liposuction. Liposuction is not designed as a tool for substantial weight loss. Instead, it is best performed for individuals who are at or just above their ideal body weight but have localized fat deposits that do not respond to a healthy lifestyle.

One reason that liposuction is not intended as a tool for major weight loss is that removing too much fat at one time can cause serious surgical complications. Not to mention, removing too much fat in one instance with liposuction will leave patients with loose excess skin that will not shrink down to a smaller size or shape to fit the new body contour.

Am I at a stable body weight that I feel I can maintain after liposuction surgery?

It is important that you are at a stable body weight that you feel comfortable maintaining after liposuction; because, although any fat that is removed with liposuction will not return, regaining more than about 10 percent of your body weight may cause the residual fat cells to grow larger or new ones to crop up.

Do I smoke?

If you answered “yes” to this question, you must next ask yourself whether you are prepared to quit smoking for several weeks before and after the liposuction procedure. Why? The answer is that oxygen is essential to your body’s healing process; without it, the tissues take longer to heal. Smoking robs your blood of oxygen, instead replacing it with toxins. Smoking also causes blood vessels to constrict, so they cannot deliver vital oxygen to the healing tissues. In addition, smoking can cause serious surgical complications, including reopening the wounds at your incision sites. For these reasons, you must be prepared to quit smoking if you are a smoker who is seeking liposuction.

Do I have sound skin elasticity?

Try this: Pull on the skin on your abdomen. Does it snap back into place when you let it go? If so, your skin elasticity is most likely good. It is important for liposuction patients to have good skin elasticity, so their skin will “bounce back” to a smaller size once the fat has been removed.

Patients with poor skin elasticity may be better suited for another body contouring procedure, such as abdominoplasty (“tummy tuck” surgery), which is designed to eliminate loose excess skin and repair the underlying tissue structures.

Find Out Whether You Are a Suitable Candidate

Although these are helpful preliminary questions to ask yourself when considering liposuction, the only way to establish with certainty whether you would benefit from the procedure is to visit a board-certified plastic surgeon. A qualified plastic surgeon can evaluate your physique, listen to you cosmetic concerns and determine whether you are a suitable candidate for the procedure.

To schedule a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon, contact the South Florida Center for Cosmetic Surgery by calling (954) 565-7575.