One of the most popular and versatile procedures I perform is liposuction. At our Naples/Fort Myers practice, many patients benefit from incorporating liposuction into other cosmetic procedures for the face, breast and body. All of us have unwanted fat (at least a little), and it allows me to sculpt new contours in many areas of the body, from the abdomen and arms to the thighs and the neck.
But liposuction expands a surgeon’s options in other ways, too. In some cases, the fat removed can then be transferred to an area of the body that needs to be filled out. In others, it simply helps create even better contours. Here’s an overview of how we use liposuction in other procedures.
Brazilian Butt Lift
Rounder buttocks are very desirable, and one of the perks of the Brazilian butt lift procedure is that it uses the patient’s own fat. Popular donor sites are the “saddlebags,” hips, and abdomen, and removing fat from these areas enhances the hourglass shape once that fat is then transferred to the buttocks.
Facelift
This one may come as a bit of a surprise. Facial aging has multiple causes — and while wrinkles and fine lines are the ones that get the most attention, lost volume in the face also plays a role. For many facelift patients, taking out a bit of unwanted fat and adding it to the cheeks or other areas can restore that lost volume in a very natural-looking way. (This is the same goal as injectable dermal fillers, but fat transfer is a much longer-lasting approach.)
Tummy Tuck
Any surgeon will tell you that when it comes to your abdomen, a tummy tuck is primarily for removing excess skin and repairing weakened abdominal wall muscles. However, most tummy tuck patients also benefit from liposuction during the same procedure to remove stubborn, localized pockets of fat, especially from the hips and flanks (love handles).
Breast Reduction & Breast Lift
Women who undergo these procedures want uplifted, perkier breasts. In many cases, the job doesn’t seem quite complete without a little liposuction of the ribcage to smooth out the “bra bulge” and refine the torso.
This is one of the many ways that we strive to make breast enhancement results look like more natural. We spoke about it in more detail in a recent blog post.
Multiple Options for Any Liposuction Procedure
Whenever liposuction is a part of a patient’s surgical plan, we also have multiple techniques available. In some cases, traditional (or tumescent) liposuction works best. For smaller, more targeted areas, the best approach may be power-assisted liposuction (PAL), which gently vibrates the cannula to loosen up the fat. And in other cases where trauma of the surrounding tissue may be a concern, Smartlipo® laser liposuction uses laser energy to break apart the fat cells for gentler extraction from the body.
In short, liposuction is often included in surgical plans for one reason: It makes the patient’s results even better. To learn more about how liposuction may be appropriate for you, please contact us and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.
Interested in getting my own fat injections on my face