Liposuction FAQs

Does someone have to be with me at home after surgery?
Unless you have had only a small area liposuctioned under a local anesthetic, you should plan to have someone with you for the remainder of the day and night of surgery.

Could I get the same results if I just dieted and exercised?
If it's becoming thinner and more toned that you're after, yes, diet and exercise is the answer, not liposuction. On the other hand, if there are shapes, bulges, and contours that don't seem to change much regardless of your weight or level of fitness, liposuction is the solution. We cannot diet in order to "spot weight reduce"; we can't change the unattractive shapes that we have inherited, like full "saddlebags" or love handles and so forth by diet and exercise. Only liposuction can sculpt away these unpleasant shapes that dieting won't remove.

Can I drive myself home after surgery?
No. Even if you have had a very limited liposuction under local anesthesia, the surgical experience may make you weak, shaky, or distracted enough that it is dangerous to drive. You should have someone bring you to surgery and take you back home. If you have had a general anesthetic, driving is out of the question.

Will Endermologie help?
Don’t waste your time or money. Endermologie has not been demonstrated to produce any long-term change or improvement, in spite of what the advertisements say.

Will the fat come back?
You are born essentially with a fixed number of fat cells that increase or decrease in size based upon weight gain or loss. When cells are removed, they do not grow back. However, that does not mean that you can’t gain weight! You can and will, if you overindulge. But the excess fat will be deposited predominantly in areas other than those that have been liposuctioned. That means other areas will get fat. And you may not be pleased with which areas they are! Think fat ankles, knees, or arms!

How long does it take to heal?
We encourage all of our patients to be physically active as soon after surgery as is practical. This is particularly true of liposuction. You will be wearing various elastic garments and girdles for between 3-6 weeks. These both control the amount of post-operative swelling and help to shape the new contours. You will be able to change these daily (or more often if necessary). The timing of normal showering and bathing will depend on a number of factors, but for most patients, showering starting the day after surgery (or even the night of surgery) is fine. There usually are no stitches that require removal.
Most people recover sufficiently to return to work in about 1 week. And you will be encouraged to quickly resume full, normal physical activities and exercise. The new shape should be a motivator the resume or begin a regimen of exercise, shaping, and toning.
The small scars will take months to soften and decolorize from re-to-pink-to-white. The results will be evident within several weeks. Still, where the fat has been removed, the tissues will be firm and even somewhat swollen for weeks to months. Massaging these areas will help to soften them more rapidly. You can combine professional massage (as long as it is gentle) and lymphatic drainage techniques in these areas with your own self-massage. Our staff will instruct you in the appropriate method of massaging these areas to speed the softening.

Should I apply heat or ice to the areas?
Absolutely not! Both cold and heat can severely injure the skin in the liposuctioned areas. The skin will not tolerate these.

How long will the results last?
The results are permanent. But this doesn’t mean that you can’t gain weight! It just means that the fat cells that were removed will not grow back. If you gain weight, very little of it will be deposited in remaining cells in the liposuctioned areas. It will tend to find its way to other areas which will them enlarge in size and become unattractive.

Is this surgery covered by my insurance?
Generally no. This is a cosmetic operation and is not covered by health insurance. Very infrequently, when there is a functional problem such as a large fatty tumor, a lipoma for example, or when a breast reduction is being performed using lipoma, some insurances may cover this procedure.

When can I start jogging and lifting weights?
As soon as you are comfortable. Everyone’s pain tolerance is different. But you will probably find that within a few days, you are able to resume brisk walking and within a week or so, jogging. Weight lifting probably almost immediately.

Can I have my surgery with a local anesthetic like I saw on TV?
No. We really don’t believe that this particular method as shown on TV is safe, useful, or effective for our patients. As presented, it really was a gimmick that doesn’t provide a safe and controlled surgical environment for the performance of good liposuction.

Will liposuction lift my butt?
No. In fact, liposuctioning the buttocks under most circumstances has the opposite effect and makes the buttocks flap and sagging.

Will my skin be looser after surgery?
It depends on a number of factors including: your skin tone, elasticity, and the amount of fat removed. If the elasticity is fair- to- poor, you may have some degree of looser skin after liposuction. It’s not always possible to be sure about the amount of laxity that will be present after surgery. To a extent, the surgery will cause the skin to shrink a bit, even where skin tone is only fair. In making your decision to have liposuction surgery, this may be one of the considerations. We will try to inform you to the best of our ability how much skin laxity, if any, to expect.

Should I lose weight before the surgery?
I don’t recommend losing weight specifically for the liposuction surgery. If you were to go on a major short-term diet and lose weight, it might give an unrealistic picture of the locations and amounts of surgical sculpting that are needed. Then, after surgery, you might gain back the weight and create new problems. It is preferable to save the weight loss and toning exercise for after the surgery.

How many scars will I have?
We won’t know for sure in advance. The number of scars will be determined at surgery by the number of access incisions necessary to get to the fat that needs to be sculpted. In any case, they will likely heal well with minimal visibility. Generally, these incisions (and therefore the scars) are about ¼- ½ inch in length.

When will the results be complete?
It will probably take up to 6 months for all of the normal scar tissue to soften and for all swelling to be completely gone, though much is gone in 3 months. A lot depends on location. Calves and ankles can be slow to soften. And the abdomen can feel lumpy for many months. Nevertheless, your new shape will be clearly present and enjoyable in about one month with continued improvement over succeeding months.

When can I resume my vitamins and supplements?
By 2 weeks after surgery you can resume these med’s and supplements. But you should still speak with the staff to be sure.

When can I begin having sex again?
As with exercise, in the case of liposuction, we encourage resuming sex when you are comfortable and as long as no pressure or trauma is applied to the areas that have been liposuctioned. So this can be a matter of days or in some cases, several weeks. You will find, however, that especially if the abdomen has been liposuctioned, the genital area may be very swollen and bruised for a while. Don’t be concerned. It will eventually disappear and look normal again.

Do I have to sleep in a special position?
No.

Do I have to stop smoking or should I use the nicotine patches or gum instead?
The nicotine in cigarettes as well as the nicotine replacement medications have a very bad effect on the skin following surgery and can result in poor healing and even areas of skin loss. Therefore, no smoking, nicotine replacements, or supplements following surgery for at least 1 week. Drugs that suppress the desire to smoke, such as Zyban® (www.quitsmoking.com) and Chantix® (www.chantix.com) can be used. Our staff will prescribe this for you if you wish.

Should I be on a special diet before surgery?
No. We suggest that you be on a well-balanced diet. Avoid radical or weight-reducing diets prior to surgery. You may take vitamin and mineral supplements, but avoid health-food supplements the ingredients of which are uncommon and may have drug effects.

Are there special medicines that I should take before surgery?
Our staff will provide you with preoperative instructions that include any medicines or supplements that we wish you to take. You should, of course, inform us of any medications that you are taking regularly or which your own doctor has prescribed. If those will not interfere with surgery or anesthesia, we will allow you to continue to take them. Otherwise, supplements such as iron, vitamin K, Vitamin C, Beta Carotene are all right. But Vitamin E needs to be eliminated beginning 2 weeks prior to surgery, as it causes prolonged bleeding.

Will I need any special tests before surgery?
Yes. You will be asked to have a complete pre-operative medical history, physical examination, and laboratory tests before surgery. Especially as this is elective surgery, we need to be sure that you are in good health. These can be performed either by your own physician or our staff will recommend a physician or a Physician Assistant to complete these for you.

How soon can I lie in the sun or use a tanning bed?
You need to protect the areas that have been liposuctioned from the sun until all bruising has completely disappeared. Otherwise, you will find that the skin will take-on a pigmentation that looks as if the skin is "dirty". This is from iron pigment being deposited and fixed in the skin by the sun-tanning effect. In addition, early on in the healing course, when the skin doesn’t have normal feeling (is a little numb), you could get a sever burn from sun exposure without being aware of it. Otherwise, (disregarding the skin cancer risks) as long as you protect the liposuctioned skin zones, you can be in the sun or tan other areas to your heart’s content.

Will both sides of my body be completely even?
No. The body is not symmetrical to begin with. You are probably aware that your shoes don’t fit exactly the same on both feet, and gloves don’t fit exactly same as well. A woman will find that her breasts are not exactly the same either. This is normal human asymmetry. Liposuction will not be able to create perfect symmetry; you shouldn’t expect it.

What about touch-ups?
It’s not uncommon to need to perform a little adjustment to the final result. This probably wouldn’t be for many months or even a year after the original surgery. It should be a minor bit of "tailoring" but would not include any additional fat that you gained (obviously this should be avoided) in the interim.

Can you put the fat that you take out somewhere else?
Some small amounts of fat can be transplanted to areas such as the face or certain other small spots of divots and indentations. Such fat transplants, if done in a way that places small quantities layered in various places will have a good chance of "taking" and remaining for a prolonged period of time, though not permanently. Large volumes can also be transplanted to specific areas such as the buttocks (Brazilian butt lift) The ability of the fat to “take” and develop blood supply from the surrounding areas is somewhat problematic and requires strict patient cooperation. While transplanting fat to the breasts has become relatively popular among a minority of plastic surgeons, it still is controversial because it may mask or imitate breast cancer on mammograms.

Is there anything to be done if my skin is loose after the liposuction?
Yes. Depending on the area of loose skin, it may be possible to remove excess skin and tighten the location. This is true of the abdomen, upper-inner thighs, and back of thighs, and buttocks (lower bodylift and abdominoplasty) in particular.

Can I continue my vitamins and supplements up until surgery?
It depends on just what those are. Please give the staff a complete list of these well in advance of the surgery date (at least 2 weeks) so that ones that interfere with surgery or anesthesia can be discontinued in time. Vitamin E and supplements that are intended to assist in weight loss or contain stimulants must be discontinued by at least 2 weeks prior to surgery.

How much weight will I lose?
Remember, this is not a weight loss surgery. We have no idea as to how much weight will be lost. And this is not as important as contour changes. A small weight loss can produce a major contour change.