Types of Liposuction and Choosing What’s Best for You

If you’re considering liposuction in Wellington, FL, you’ll want to first have a clear picture of the techniques available and how each one works, so you can talk over the options with your board-certified plastic surgeon in Wellington, FL. An experienced surgeon can help you match the method to your body and goals.

Types of Liposuction in Wellington, FL

Liposuction uses suction to take fat from specific pockets of the body and reshape those areas. It is a contouring procedure, not a plan for overall or large-scale weight loss, and it works best when your weight is already stable and the fat that bothers you just isn’t responding to faithful diet and exercise.

When you gain weight, existing fat cells enlarge, so this surgery lowers the number of those cells in the treated zone. Those cells can’t ever regrow, though the remaining ones can expand. You should also know what this surgery does not do. It does not treat cellulite. It does not erase stretch marks. And it is not a substitute for nutrition, movement, or bariatric care if you have a large amount of weight to lose.

Tumescent Method

Tumescent liposuction is the most common approach. With this technique, your surgeon injects a large volume of salt water, mixed with lidocaine for comfort and epinephrine to tighten blood vessels, and as the tissue swells and firms, the fat comes out more easily. This method takes longer in the operating room than leaner wetting techniques, but it also can remove as much as three times the fat in a single session.

Suction-Assisted Method

Suction-assisted liposuction is the traditional approach. After the wetting solution is put in place, the surgeon makes small cuts, slides a blunt-tipped cannula into the fat layer, and moves it in controlled strokes while a vacuum draws fat and fluid out.

Super-Wet Method

With this method, the technique is basically the same, but the volume of fluid is closer to one-to-one with the fat that will be removed. That shorter wetting step can trim the operating time, but you may need more sedation or even general anesthesia because there is less lidocaine used with this method than in a full tumescent fill.

Power-Assisted Liposuction

Power-assisted liposuction uses a cannula that rapidly moves back and forth on its own. The vibration of this process breaks up dense or fibrous fat with less force needed from the surgeon’s arm. This can make it possible to do more volume in one procedure and even do some secondary procedures in the same amount of surgery time. This method can also mean less pain and swelling for some patients.

Ultrasound-Assisted Liposuction and VASER

Ultrasound-assisted liposuction uses ultrasonic energy delivered through a probe or cannula to emulsify the fat, so it can be suctioned out with less physical effort. Surgeons often use this method when they’re working in more fibrous zones, such as the upper abdomen, back, the male chest, or in revision cases where the tissue is no longer soft.

VASER is similar, except the vibration comes from the amplification of sound energy at resonance. The device is designed to break up fat while leaving more of the supporting tissue intact, which some surgeons use when they want finer shaping of the skin envelope.

Laser-Assisted Liposuction

Laser-assisted liposuction uses a laser fiber inserted through a small incision to deliver light energy to disrupt the fat before suctioning. The appeal of this method is the smaller entry point and the possibility of some heating of the underside of the skin, which can be useful for some patients and conditions.

Water-Assisted Liposuction

Water-assisted liposuction uses a pressurized stream of saline to loosen the fat while sparing more of the nearby vessels and nerves. Fat is then suctioned in the usual way. This method can result in less tissue trauma than traditional tumescent work, and so some patients report having less pain and bruising with this method.

Recovery

Whatever precise method you and your surgeon choose, you should expect a bit of soreness, bruising, and swelling for a while after your lipo. Many people return to desk work in just a few days, but you should plan to take off several weeks before returning to your full exercise regimen. Compression garments are standard for a few weeks because they limit swelling and help the skin settle. Your final shape takes a few months to settle as the remaining fluid leaves and the last fat cells find their new arrangement.

Consulting a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon in Wellington, FL

Technique names are easy to research online, but what no online search can tell you is the map of your fat layers, your skin quality and how all that might affect the right technique for you, and the influence your medical history will have on your choices. The choice among tumescent suction, power assistance, ultrasound, laser, or water is a clinical choice, and much depends on how fibrous the area is, whether you have been treated before, how much volume is reasonable to remove in one session, and whether skin tightening or fat grafting is part of your plan.

What to Ask About

When you meet with your surgeon, ask about how the wetting solution will be dosed, which technique they recommend and why, how much fat is a safe target for you, and what the plan is if your skin doesn’t shrink as hoped once the fat cells are gone. Ask how many cases like yours the surgeon has done with the specific method they recommend, and make sure they’re properly certified. Certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery means they’ve had extensive training in both cosmetic and reconstructive work and gives you confidence that the surgeon you’re working with has the skill and the artistry to get you the kind of results you’re hoping for.

What to Bring

Bring photographs of the areas that bother you and plan to give an honest account of your weight history, medicines, and nicotine use. This will help your doctor map out the right plan for you, decide if you’re a good candidate, and give you a clear idea of what to expect. Good planning also includes a discussion of combination surgery and what other procedures you might consider to reach your goals.

You should leave your consultation knowing which type of lipo is best for you, what it will and will not accomplish, and what recovery is going to look like for you specifically. Your surgeon will tell you more specifically what to expect, how to prepare for your surgery, and specific things to watch out for. When you leave after surgery, you’ll be given a list of things to do and avoid that are specific to your medical history and the type of lipo you’re having done.

Schedule a consultation at Palms Wellington Plastic Surgery today to review which type of liposuction fits your goals and find out more details about what each type involves. Dr. Itzhak Nir is a board-certified cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgeon specializing in aesthetic surgery and has received extensive training in a wide variety of cosmetic and reconstructive surgical procedures.