Liposuction

What Is Liposuction?

Liposuction (sometimes referred to as “lipo”) is a surgical procedure whereby fat is removed from the body using suction. This technique removes excess, stubborn fat from specific areas of the body. Liposuction is one of the most popular surgical procedure in cosmetic surgery performed across the United States, but in Dr. George Lefkovits’s New York cosmetic surgery office as well.

The weight-loss journey can be difficult and stressful, especially if you have a problem area that isn’t responding to traditional diet and exercise methods. At Park Plaza, Plastic Surgery Center, our plastic surgeon offers multiple liposuction treatments. Focusing on natural looking results, Dr. Lefkovits can help you gain a smoother appearance by removing pockets of fat from the neck, arms, abdomen, waist, thighs, and calves.

Before and After Photos

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Procedure

Liposuction is not a weight loss procedure. It is strictly a body contouring (fat reduction) procedure.

Multiple areas of the body do not respond to diet and exercise. These resistant areas are best treated with liposuction.

Treatment Areas

If you have a desire to remove stubborn pockets of fat on certain parts of the body, liposuction may be a suitable procedure for you. It can remove unwanted fat cells from various specific areas in both men and women.

Areas of the body which are appropriate for fat removal include:

Where Is Liposuction Performed?

Liposuction is generally performed in an outpatient setting, either in the office surgical facility or in an outpatient surgical facility. These should all be certified and accredited by a proper credentialing organization such as the AAAASF (American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgical Facilities).

How Is It Executed?

Prior to the advent of liposuction, the only method of removing fatty areas was to cut them out which left a large scar and an unsatisfactory result. 

Nowadays, liposuction is done by using a blunt-ended tubular instrument called a “cannula” which has openings at its end to allow fat to be aspirated through a plastic tubing via its attachment to a suction machine. The cannula enters the face or body using a very small incision which usually leaves an inconspicuous scar.

Ideal Candidate

Ideally, the procedure is performed on patients with the proper weight and BMI (Body Mass Index) who still have resistant fatty pockets. But, most patients don’t have an ideal weight and are somewhat overweight. These patients, too, can have liposuction as long as their overweight is not excessive and are otherwise in good health.

If the doctor suggests that liposuction is not suitable for the candidate, he/she might propose an alternative procedure such as a tummy tuck, neck lift, or facelift.

Consuderations

If you are considering liposuction, you should:

Liposuction Techniques

TUMESCENT TECHNIQUE

The gold standard of liposuction and the one with the longest track record is the “Tumescent Technique Liposuction”. This technique involves the use of a dilute anesthetic (Lidocaine) along with very dilute adrenalin. The solution expedites the procedure, with the lidocaine providing some postoperative pain relief and the adrenalin minimizing bleeding.

This is the technique that Dr. George Lefkovits prefers because of its long and successful track record.

Benefits of the tumescent liposuction technique include:

LASER-ASSISTED LIPOSUCTION

Laser-Assisted Liposuction, which is sometimes referred to as “Smart Lipo”, uses a blunt solid probe that introduces a laser light that melts the fat into fatty oils. These oils are then removed through standard liposuction.

Dr. Lefkovits does not use this technique for various reasons:

ULTRASOUND-ASSISTED LIPOSUCTION

The ultrasound-assisted liposuction uses ultrasound energy to loosen the fat which then requires extraction via standard liposuction.

This is again a two-step process instead of just one step using the Tumescent Technique and, therefore, Dr. Lefkovits does not use this technique.

Procedure Length

The procedure can last between half an hour and 3 hours, depending on:

Anesthesia Types

Dr. Lefkovits, like most plastic surgeons, uses general anesthesia in his Park Plaza Plastic Surgery Center in New York. General anesthesia is used because it allows for a total painless liposuction procedure while the anesthetist maintains complete control of the patient’s vitals. 

Some plastic surgeons use local anesthesia too. Dr. Lefkovits does not use local anesthesia except for small volumes and small areas of liposuction. He does not want his patients to experience any intraoperative pain and wants to make sure an anesthetist is taking care of the patient’s vitals.

Postoperative Course

After the surgery, the patient is taken to the Recovery Room with a compression garment where a nurse provides post-op care. Most patients can leave the facility after about 2 hours, depending on the scope of the surgery.

Patients are encouraged to drink lots of liquid, especially Gatorade. They are also instructed to get out of bed as soon as possible and to sit and ambulate as much as possible.

The patient returns after 7 days to check on the surgical sites to make sure there is no evidence of bleeding or infection.

At Park Plaza, we offer a post-op course of massage and ultrasound treatments which help with the healing process and expedite the resolution of swelling.

Because of massage and ultrasound treatments, we do not insist on the wearing of compression garments for 6-8 weeks like other centers. Instead, we suggest wearing the garments for about 3 weeks. 

Possible Complications

Just like other surgery procedures, there are possible complications. These are minimized when liposuction is performed by an experienced Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon in an accredited surgical facility.

Possible complications include:

A serious complication is a fat embolus which involves fat that has traveled to the lungs which can compromise lung function and is a very serious complication requiring hospitalization in an intensive care unit. Fortunately, this is quite rare.

Recovering

Return To Work

The patient should be able to return to work within a few days after the liposuction.

Pain Medication

This is different from patient to patient, and it also has to do with the area(s) being treated. Most patients only require mild pain medication, or not at all.

First Postoperative Visit

Excess Skin Tightening After Liposuction

If the patient is feeling concerned about loose skin after liposuction, he might be a candidate for surgical procedures that are able to remove excess skin such as tummy tuck and/or body lift cosmetic procedure.

Results

Liposuction techniques we use at our clinic, alongside with more than three decades of experience in plastic surgery can help you attain long-lasting results. The first results are noticeable within one week of the treatment, but once bruising and swelling are gone you can expect to see these results better.

Many patients are often worried that after the liposuction excess fat is going to return. This gently does not happen as long as you don’t put on excess weight.

This is a 27-year-old male patient shown before, and 1 year after the surgery. He underwent liposuction of his midsection (abdomen and waist)

Liposuction of the neck is a very common procedure that you can undergo regardless of your body weight. Here you can see result of a 45-year-old female patient who underwent liposuction of her neck

Arm liposuction aims to remove excess fat from under the skin of the upper arm. You can see before and after photos of the upper arm liposuction patient underwent at our clinic

Contact

Dr. Lefkovits has been performing liposuction for 35 years and is therefore very experienced in the procedure, having performed thousands of these cases.

He completed his Plastic Surgery training at Lenox Hill Hospital where he also served as Chief Resident. Lenox Hill Hospital is recognized as a leading institution for training in Aesthetic Surgery and has an illustrious, world-renowned faculty.

He is one of the few plastic surgeons who are Double Board Certified Plastic Surgeons by both the American Board of Otolaryngology as well as the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Lefkovits has a very strong aesthetic sense and strives for natural-looking results. He will refrain from performing surgery on patients whom he feels are not good candidates for surgery.

Cost

We understand you may be having concerns regarding payment options. If you have any questions, we strongly suggest calling our office at (212) 750-9494. Members of our time will do their best to create a low-cost financing plan that fits within your budget.

Contact

If you’re thinking about undergoing a liposuction procedure you may be wondering what can you discuss with our plastic surgeon.

During the initial consultation:

Free Consultation

If you would like more information about liposuction and how it can help reduce fat deposits in certain areas of your body, please contact plastic surgeon Dr. George Lefkovits today at (212) 750-9494 to schedule your initial free consultation at our New York City office.