This patient previously had Breast Augmentation surgery with Dr. Hochstein in Miami Florida 5 years earlier and then came back for Liposculpture. She was primarily bothered by the fat deposits in her hips, abdomen, and the inner & outer thighs which is very common. Most women have excess fat in the abdomen, hips, inner & outer thighs and occasionally knees. For men the stubborn areas are usually the stomach and hip or love handle area.
After continually working out and starving herself with the latest diets she found that the stubborn areas just wouldn’t come off. First it was important that she have a realistic goal of what Liposuction could conquer for her body type. Liposuction is not a good idea to consider as a weight loss device, in fact most people will not notice a big change in their weight after liposuction. But their shape, contour and outline should drastically improve. There are some limitations that cannot be overlooked. It is important to consider skin tone and elasticity. These things can be affected either by age, or drastic weight loss. Sometimes, by removing the fat, sagginess may occur. This is something that the surgeon must evaluate pre-operatively. This patient had average skin tone with average skin elasticity. After talking with Dr. Hochstein about her expectations she underwent liposculpture with the tumescent power assisted technique. Postoperatively she did well with resumption of full activity within a week. She continued to wear her compression garment for a full month. She was able to see some results within a week with swelling subsiding significantly by the fourth month at which time postoperative pictures were taken.
It is important to see a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon when considering Liposuction surgery. There are some patients that are going to Surgery Centers or Clinics to have Liposuction done to save on cost, or to try new unproven techniques. Dr Hochstein cautions against this as liposculpture is a surgery that is easy to do but very difficult to do well. Complications such as asymmetries, (when less is taken from an area than the opposite side) or not recognizing a pre-operative asymmetry can be common in inexperienced hands. Scar tissue from over doing an area and leaving an indentation is a severe and difficult to correct complication, and something Dr. Hochstein has seen often after “Smart Lipo”. This is a technique Dr. Hochstein cautions against, as he has seen some severe scarring complications from this technique.
To determine if you are a good candidate for liposuction you will need to set up a consultation with Dr. Leonard Hochstein.