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Archive for the ‘liposuction pre-op tutorial’ category

Reader Question: Weight Gain After Liposuction – Guarantee?

July 26th, 2010

Reader Question:

I had tummy liposuction a year or so ago and my doctor removed 2000 cc. I didn’t lose weight but looked good. And now a year later my love handles are growing. I have a muffin top now and I am up 5 pounds. What gives? I thought I wasn’t supposed to gain weight after lipo. Is there some kind of guarantee?

First topic: Liposuction and weight loss.

Most patients don’t lose much weight after liposuction. Liposuction is a contouring procedure.

Second topic: Liposuction will not keep you from gaining weight. It tends to change how you gain weight though.

The best liposuction candidates are those who have their weight in a stable range (a few pounds) and still have problems areas. If you have weight fluctuations before liposuction, the surgery will not prevent you from having them afterward. Liposuction tends to change the way you gain weight (and where) and this varies between patients.

When used on patients with persistently fatty areas and good skin despite a good diet and exercise plan, liposuction usually works well. Determining who might be the best candidates takes experience and honesty.

Third topic: Liposuction guarantees?

Liposuction is presented differently by different practices. I do not know how it was presented to you before you had it. I am honest with my patients.

Personally, I find practices that guarantee results with liposuction amusing. How can anyone guarantee that another person will not gain weight after any procedure? Patients can even gain weight after gastric bypass surgery. Even the best plastic surgeon can’t in good faith guarantee that someone’s metabolism and appetite will not throw a monkey wrench into his surgical results.

I do guarantee that I remove fat if it is there and I can show patients images of that fat. I advise them appropriately before and afterward and do a quality operation. That is really all that a qualified plastic surgeon can guarantee. The rest is up to the patient.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Originally posted 2009-10-15 07:30:12.

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Reader Question – Liposuction for Weight Loss?

May 19th, 2010

I’m 110lbs over normal weight. I can’t seem to lose the weight. Is lipo a good idea for me? Besides my weight I’m healthy.

Liposuction is not a “cure” for weight problems. By the way you phrased your question it looks like that is your main goal. You are better off losing weight and getting into a stable range and then using liposuction for fine tuning if at all.

Overweight patients who have liposuction tend to put the weight back on and lose far less than they had hoped when all is said and done. Their remaining fat cells simply overfill with fat and/or new areas that were not problematic before surgery are recruited for more fat storage after surgery.

The bottom line is that really overweight patients who have lipo tend to gain the weight back later. Look elsewhere.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

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Reader Laura on “New Advertised Liposuction”

December 30th, 2009

Reader Laura’s Comment:

The ladies in this story have had a “new” form of lipo instead of a tummy tuck. Their stomachs do look thinner but their skin in wrinkly. Would they have been better served by having a tummy tuck and then lipo? Is it just their age that has their skin looking that way?

DailyMail

VASER liposuction has been around for a while. I have used it and it is effective. The main question with newer lipo technologies is: “Are they worth the expense and can they increase problems?”

Many of them (VASER included) make it even easier to take out more and more fat. As we have discussed here before of course more fat removal is not always desirable.

The concept of “oversuctioning” has been around far longer than these newer tweaked lipo technologies. It can happen with liposuction in any of its forms as each technique requires a judgment call. When a surgeon over suctions an area it can lead to a increased tendency for the skin sag unattractively making some of these women almost look like prunes. In the UK they are calling it “Turkey Tummy.” The age of the patient and any previous surgery are part of the story making the judgment call harder at times. Of course some patients will not agree to a tummy tuck even if it offers real skin tightening and this might also be part of the problem. I can do the “right” operation but only if the patient allows it.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Reader Laura on a UK Plastic Surgery Complications Story

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Tags: bad plastic surgery liposuction oversuctioning plastic surgery complications too much liposuction turkey tummy VASER

Lemonade Diet – Looks like Starvation

October 27th, 2009

Patients at times ask me about diets to maintain their cosmetic procedure results or get into the weight range they would like before a major cosmetic procedure like a tummy tuck.

The Lemonade diet (also called Master Cleanse) looks like starvation to me. Starvation isn’t sustainable so it is not really good for surgery preparation or anything else for that matter. I certainly wouldn’t recommend this kind of diet while a patient was recovering from surgery.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

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Reader Laura Asks about Water Jet Lipo – New Liposuction Breakthrough or Bull?

August 31st, 2009

Reader Laura Question:

I was wondering if you had heard of or are using this new method. What are your thoughts on this new procedure? Are there more or less risks with this?

King 5 News

Over its history, liposuction has had more gimmicks applied to it than just about any other cosmetic procedure. Some would have easily fit into a late-great Billy Mays’ commercial. This new potential gimmick is called Water Jet Lipo or Aqua Lipo. It reportedly uses water to break up the fat cells to allow their removal.

Amongst the liposuction techniques / advertising terms we have on the menu at present are:

Tumescent liposuction (pump the tissue up with fluid first)

Vaser liposuction (ultrasound used to break up the fat)

Smart Lipo (laser used to melt the fat)

and now

Water Jet Lipo

Each of these are marketing terms for versions of a liposuction system. They are all currently in use. I have used the first three at one time or another and have found that the results are very similar. In my practice I most often use a modified tumescent liposuction technique.

My conclusion:

Technology adds a selling advantage to liposuction. Even the representatives who sell the systems come to the office touting how their system will enhance sales. The technical aspects are very similar with occasional small advantages in specialized situations. I will not be rushing out to spend big bucks on any new technology unless good studies show it is better than that which I already use. Those studies are few and far between.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

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Reader Question: How Much Does Liposuction Cost?

August 21st, 2009

Reader Question:

How much does liposuction cost?

Liposuction cost is frequently hard to explain. This is probably because many types of doctors offer liposuction and their costs of doing business are not the same. Liposuction can also be performed in low cost settings (like an office) or higher cost places (like a surgical center.)

The bottom line is that you are value shopping like for anything else. If you choose the cheaper option often you are being operated under numbing alone (more uncomfortable) by the less experienced doctor or by the non-plastic surgeon. Beware that some of the problems with which an inexperienced or poorly trained surgeon may leave you cannot be fixed.

You need to decide what is important to you.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

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Julia Roberts – Liposuction?

May 20th, 2009

Daily Mail

I was asked about Julia Roberts and liposuction. It is possible that she might have had some looking at these pics, but then again she might have just lost weight after pregnancy the old fashioned way. She might be a good tummy tuck candidate with all that loose skin. Liposuction at this point wouldn’t offer her much. It really doesn’t tighten anything.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

Website Liposuction Index

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Liposuction in Children?

March 17th, 2009

Modern Medicine

Nevertheless, the indication for using liposuction in children and adolescents is in essence the same as in adults, namely remodeling or sculpting areas of the body where fat deposits are in disharmony or disproportion to the rest of the general physique of the patient.

Good reasons are pretty rare in children of course depending upon what you consider a reasonable use of liposuction. The standard may be different in different countries or communities.

Some of these atypical indications for liposuction include post-traumatic lipoma, post-traumatic asymmetry, lipodystrophy regardless of the etiology, adiposis dolorosa or Dercum syndrome and Klinefelter syndrome,” Dr. Berenguer says.

Lipodystrophy regardless of etiology means fatty problems regardless of reason. In this country, that reason would be looked at with jaundiced eyes.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

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Large Volume Liposuction Study

March 10th, 2009

Life Script

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Liposuction that removes large amounts of body fat can be a safe option for managing obesity in select patients, a new study suggests.

The procedure is not right for all overweight adults, however.

Liposuction on overweight patients usually does not result in weight loss at least not long-lasting weight loss. There are occasional studies trying to promote this idea however. This one contradicts itself somewhat.

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD

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