What Liposuction Treats & What to Expect

Everything You Need to Know About Liposuction

Liposuction is a well-established, versatile procedure with a strong track record of patient satisfaction. Here's a detailed look at how it works, who's a good candidate, and what you can expect before, during, and after your procedure.

Treatable Areas

One of the things that makes liposuction so widely useful is the range of areas it can address. At Will Surgical Arts, a liposuction procedure can be used to treat: 

• Abdomen
• Hips
• Thighs
• Arms
• Neck
• Face
• Knees
• Ankles
• Breasts

If you have a specific area in mind that isn't listed here, your physician can let you know during your consultation whether liposuction treatment is a realistic option for that part of your body.

Who Is a Good Candidate?

The best candidates for liposuction are adults who are at or near a stable, healthy body weight and have good skin elasticity. Skin tone matters because liposuction removes the fat beneath the skin, and the skin then needs to contract and settle smoothly over the newly contoured area. Good skin elasticity helps ensure a clean, natural-looking result.

It's important to understand what liposuction is and isn't. It's a body contouring tool designed to address isolated pockets of stubborn fat, not a treatment for obesity or a solution for significant weight loss. Body contours that are irregular because of excess fat can often be improved with liposuction, but irregularities caused by other factors, such as muscle weakness or a hernia, are not something liposuction can correct.

Candidates should also be non-smokers in good overall health, as smoking impairs healing and increases the risk of surgical complications.

How the Procedure Works

Liposuction at Will Surgical Arts is performed on an outpatient basis under general anesthesia in our accredited on-site surgical center. The procedure typically takes an hour or more, depending on the number of areas being treated.

During the procedure, your surgeon makes small incisions, each less than half an inch, in the treatment area. A thin tube called a cannula is inserted through these incisions. The cannula is moved back and forth to loosen the fat cells, which are then suctioned out of the body. The incisions are small and discreet, and the resulting scars are minimal.

To ensure patient safety, there's a limit to how much fat can be removed in a single session. If multiple areas are being treated, your physician will discuss the safest approach for your specific situation during your consultation.

Liposuction Recovery and Results

Recovery from liposuction is generally manageable, though you should expect some swelling and bruising in the treated areas during the first couple of weeks following surgery. You'll be given a compression garment to wear over the treatment area. This garment helps reduce swelling, supports healing, and encourages the skin to contract and conform smoothly to your new contour.

Here's a general timeline of what to expect:

• You should be up and moving around the day after surgery, which actually helps with circulation and recovery.
• Most patients can return to desk work or light daily activities within three to five days.
• More active work or exercise typically requires waiting 10 to 14 days, with full activity resumable at two to four weeks, depending on your progress.
• Stitches are usually removed within a week to 10 days after surgery.
• Results will be visible almost immediately, even with swelling present, and will continue to improve over the following weeks as swelling resolves.
• Incision scars may appear pink or slightly raised for the first several months, then gradually fade and flatten over the course of six to 12 months.
• You may notice some temporary numbness, tingling, or a mild burning sensation near the incision sites as the area heals. This is normal and resolves over time.

You'll also want to protect the treated areas from sun exposure until all bruising has cleared, as reduced sensation in healing skin can make it easier to get a sunburn without realizing it.

The results of liposuction are permanent in the sense that the removed fat cells don't grow back. However, significant weight gain after the procedure can still affect your results and lead to uneven contours in the treated areas. Maintaining a stable weight after surgery will help preserve your outcome long-term.