Liposuction has been one of the cornerstone treatments of cosmetic surgery. Millions of men and women have gained greater confidence by putting their hips, waist, thighs, or another body part into the hands of their skilled plastic surgeon. Why, then, would we say what you don’t know could hurt you? Because we have seen many patients turn away from the liposuction procedure, thinking it something it isn’t. We want to touch on some of the ideas that people have that keep them from considering the value of a little surgical fat reduction.

• Fat reduction is only necessary if you have a lot of fat on your body. The idea as liposuction as a fat-reducing procedure may perpetuate this assumption. This assumption may keep an ideal candidate from the procedure they would benefit from most. Liposuction removes fat, but the intent of this surgery is to contour the body, not make it ultra-thin. If you’ve got a muffin-top, a double-chin, or excess fat on the backs of your arms, you could reap the rewards of liposuction body-contouring.
• Liposuction will remove fat and therefore move the scale. Weight loss moves the scale, so it would make sense to think that weight will go down after surgical fat removal. Typically, this doesn’t happen. It doesn’t happen because that’s not the goal of liposuction. What we encourage patients to use as milestones is attributes like pant-size or visible body contours, not weight.
• Fat reduction is all that is needed for a great new body. A large percentage of men and women treated with liposuction do, in fact, feel completely satisfied with their results. However, there are instances in which a little skin-tightening is needed to put the finishing touches on a gorgeous new shape. Before liposuction surgery, skin laxity is assessed, and the potential need for tightening procedures such as abdominoplasty are discussed.

Liposuction is not nearly as limited in its capabilities as you may imagine. This gentle procedure has been gaining new fans, and awareness about cosmetic surgery has expanded. If you don’t quite have the shape you want, consider how liposuction may be ideal for you. Get the facts. Call our office near Los Gatos at (408) 559-4700.