Help is at hand!
Some ‘fatty areas’ of the body can’t be worked off no matter how much exercise or dieting you do. If you have tried healthy eating and exercise and still cannot budge some troublesome areas of your body, then liposuction can help reshape your body.
Things you should know
- Women in general tend to accumulate more fat than men, much to do about their hormones and their life cycle involving having children.
- Liposuction is NOT a weight reducing procedure.
- Liposuction is not a facelift for the body, however it can reshape your body to both feel more comfortable and give you greater satisfaction for wearing your clothes.
- Commonly, excess fat accumulates in areas such as the thighs, stomach and arms all of which can be treated with liposuction/ liposculpture through small, inconspicuous incisions.
- Typically, most areas prone to excess fat deposits can be removed in a single procedure. Most women can return to work within a few days depending on the areas treated.
- The best candidates for liposuction are in good general health, are of relatively normal weight, and have firm, elastic skin.
Arms
With age, fat can accumulate on the upper arms and can be a difficult to shift through either diet or exercise.
- Liposuction is often the only means to help remove and or reshape these difficult areas.
- Liposuction in this area can be safely performed under local anaesthesia at our Armadale theatre with patients being taken home by a friend or family member.
- After the procedure patients are required to wear a compression garment to assist in skin retraction for best results.
Breasts
Many women who are interested in Breast Reduction are interested in reducing the size of their breasts to fulfill a number of issues.
Reasons for Breast Reduction
- To ease the discomfort of weighty breasts and improve their posture
- to help fit more comfortably into clothes
- to aid in making their body shape become more proportional.
Typically, women who seek a Breast Reduction by Liposuction have considered their surgical options such as Mammoplasty, which can give a much smaller and youthful breast appearance; however it does involve a much longer recovery period and some scarring.
Breast Reduction by Liposuction is not for every one; however
- It is minimally invasive as the only scars will be tiny (0.5mm) puncture sites under the breast
- it can be a good option for the right patient whose breasts mainly consist of fat and whose secondary consideration is of breast reconstruction.
Bra Bulge
The ‘bra bulge’, is seemingly an area of ‘fat’ accumulation at either the front or back of the arm area of the bra. It is an area which often seems to get bigger over time with age, and is annoying noticeable in tight clothing such as tee shirts and summer tops.
In reality the ‘bra bulge’ is a combination of fat, fibrous tissue and loose skin. Liposuction in this circumstance has a two fold result, it reduces any fat and fibrous tissue and can also help firm the skin slightly by superficial suctioning.
Although theses areas can often be improved by liposuction, frequently there is also a component of hardened tissue (gristle) which also contributes to the thickening and may not be able to be completely removed.
Abdomen
The abdomen is a common problem area for women. A woman’s weight can fluctuate due to the changes she experiences in her life whether it’s from pregnancy or commonly in menopause or just their busy lifestyle.
Commonly, fat accumulates slowly and steadily over time causing the tummy to protrude making it difficult to fit comfortably into clothes.
In most cases abdominal liposuction can make a dramatic difference to a woman’s self esteem as she regains her shape and in most cases can assist in skin retraction when there has been some loosening of the skin.
Things to consider
- As a common rule, any fat that you can pinch can be suctioned and reduced.
- Usually, as the abdominal fat expands, so to does the waist, hips and back flanks. Suctioning these areas at the same time can dramatically reshape a woman’s body.
- When there has been significant loss of muscle tone or skin elasticity (stretch marks) in the area, other cosmetic procedures such as abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) may also have to be considered.
Women, have a definite advantage in this area as the majority of women accumulate their fat above their abdominal muscles, which can be easily removed. Unlike men who usually accumulate fat below their muscle wall and can only be removed by healthy eating and exercise.
Legs
Legs are a major trouble area for a lot of women.
Problem spots!
- Isolated pockets of fat on the inner and outer thighs, and inner knees are a common problem area and can be effectively reshaped by liposuction/liposculpture.
- Other areas such as calves and ankles are not commonly treated, although the areas can be improved by liposculpture techniques.
- Women often complain of ‘big bottoms’ when really what they are seeing is their outer thigh pads giving the illusion of a larger bottom.
- By careful liposculpture techniques the leg areas can be reshaped to stop annoying problems such as the inner thighs rubbing together.
Legs usually, do not carry the same large amounts of fat as other areas of the body and just by careful thought and technique a new silhouette can be sculptured.
FAQs
Will my skin pull in?
When liposuction / liposculpture is considered Dr Rich always carefully inspects the skin for any loss of elasticity. In most cases there are no concerns. For some patients who have had frequent weight gains and losses, or who have many stretch marks the risks are explained. All patients are also required to wear a compression garment which helps skin retraction.
Can I do more than one area at a time?
It is common for more than one area to be treated during a procedure as most patients have areas that join to create one shape. An example of this would be the tummy, waist and hips. By treating all the areas together no matter which way the patient turns their silhouette will be smaller.
Do I need time off work?
Recovery from any procedure is a personal experience. After liposuction you are not sick; however you are bruised and sore. The more areas you have treated the more bruised and sore you will be. Most patients take three days to one week to feel comfortable moving around; however once again this depends on the areas treated.
