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Attaining a sculpted, proportionate physique is challenging for many people. Diet and exercise may cause overall weight loss, but may not target certain small pockets of fat around the body, causing some areas to look disproportionately large. Liposuction can permanently eliminate unsightly deposits of fat from the body using numerous state-of-the-art techniques. Dr. Szczerba and Dr. Kapadia are experienced Chicago liposuction surgeons. The surgeons at Chicago Aesthetic Surgery Institute have helped numerous patients realize their body contouring goals. Learn more about liposuction surgery and our plastic surgery Chicago practice by exploring the information below.
Surgery Candidates
Ideal Chicago liposuction candidates have accumulations of fat that cannot be burned off with diet or exercise. Liposuction can be used to remove unwanted fat from the abdomen, hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, arms, chin, cheeks and neck. Patients should be physically and psychologically healthy, and with good skin elasticity. The better the skin elasticity, the better the skin will conform around the body’s new contours after surgery. Certain areas that are frequently treated with liposuction, such as inner thighs and arms, skin tightening is recommended to optimize your outcome. Heating the skin to very specific temperatures allows the skin to contract around the newly contoured fat.
Liposuction candidates should also have realistic expectations of surgery. Although it is a very effective procedure and the removed fat cells will not grow back, patients will need to follow a healthy diet and exercise regime to maintain the slimming effect.
The Procedure
General or local anesthesia may be used for liposuction surgery, depending on the particular treatment plan. If general anesthesia is used, it will be administered by one of our board-certified anesthesiologists or nurse anesthetists.
There are several liposuction methods offered at Chicago Aesthetic Surgery Institute, including:
- SAFE liposuction for removal of large volumes of fat for significant body contour changes
- Power Assisted liposuction that uses mechanical, vibrational energy to disrupt fat before it is removed
- Awake liposuction to focal areas of concern with tumescent anesthetic only without Intravenous or General Anesthesia
- Superficial liposuction focusing difficult to treat fat that lies just under the skin
- BodyTite radiofrequency (RFAL) liposuction that uses radiofrequency energy to break down fat cells before they are suctioned from the body. Additionally, RFAL enhances soft tissue and skin tightening optimizing outcomes for tough-to-treat areas like arms and inner thighs.
- Abdominal contour etching to outline natural abdominal contours
Tumescent liquid (containing local anesthetic) is injected into the treatment area for pain relief and to help the removal of fat from the body. During liposuction, the plastic surgeons at Chicago Aesthetic Surgery Institute make small punctures within the natural creases of the body. Tumescent fluid is then instilled into the area and pretunneling is then performed to loosen the fat of the area. A cannula is then inserted into the fat layer beneath the skin. The surgeon will move the cannula back and forth to break up the fat cells while removing the loosened and liquefied fat. Equalization of the treated area is performed and the entry punctures are closed. Etching of abdominal contours can be performed during the procedure to enhance abdominal muscle contours such as a “six pack”.
Recovery
Patients recovering from liposuction may experience some swelling, bruising and tenderness around the treated areas. It is recommended that patients take a few days or a week off from work to rest quietly at home. A follow-up appointment will be scheduled for you after about a week to check on the healing process. Heavy lifting and cardio exercise should be avoided for about a few weeks for optimal healing. Compression garments can be applied after the skin is assessed during your postoperative visits.
Liposuction Benefits and Risks
Liposuction is very popular because it can spot-reduce areas of unwanted fat definitively. Although liposuction is not a weight loss tool, significant body contour changes can be accomplished! Liposuction, however, cannot treat fat that cannot be pinched; patients with unhealthy fat within the abdomen known as visceral fat are not candidates for liposuction surgery.
Once the fat cells are removed from an area of the body, the body has some capacity to regenerate fat from stem cells within the body. The size of the fat however will not likely be to the same proportion. This capacity for some regrowth of fat highlights the importance of maintaining your outcome with a healthy eating and exercise plan.
As with any surgical procedure, there are some risks however serious complications from liposuction surgery are extremely rare. Liposuction risks include recurrence of fat, contour irregularities of the skin, excessive bruising or bleeding, infection, damage to underlying tissues or organs, anesthesia complications, changes in sensation, skin irregularity and unsatisfactory results. In carefully planning your surgery, the surgeons and the team at Chicago Aesthetic Surgery make safety the priority while balancing the benefits of the various types of liposuction offered.
Schedule Your Consultation Today
Contact our office today to schedule a liposuction consultation. During your appointment, our surgeons will perform a thorough evaluation of your body frame and overall health, and recommend the most appropriate procedures. In addition to liposuction of focal areas of unwanted fat, the surgeons at CASI also offer Liposuction 360, facial fat grafting, targeted fat graft to areas like the hands, tummy tuck, body lift and Brazilian butt lift in Chicago. They are also some of the leading Chicago mommy makeover surgeons.
