Liposuction can be a great solution for individuals seeking to surgically reduce and/or sculpt areas of fat that have proved to be resistant to both diet and exercise. In women, some of the most common treatment areas are the abdomen, hips, flanks, back, inner and outer thighs, knees and neck. The areas most requested in men include the abdomen, love-handles, chest and neck. Depending on one’s unique needs and desires, liposuction can be used to remove excess fat from virtually anywhere on the body.
Liposuction is not a weight loss solution and should not be used for that purpose.
In addition to having the undesirable fat deposits which one wants to have removed, ideal candidates for liposuction should be in relatively good overall health and have no uncontrolled medical conditions that may impair or inhibit proper healing or place one at a high anesthesia risk. Examples of such issues include uncontrolled diabetes, severe hypertension, significant heart disease and angina. It is also important to be relatively fit and with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 35. The closer that you can realistically be to your desired or ideal body weight the better the results can be. Factors that can further impact an optimal outcome include skin quality and elasticity, stretch marks and scarring – all of which are taken into consideration when determining candidacy and assessing outcome potential.
Ultimately, it is important to understand that liposuction is designed to eliminate targeted fat accumulations that don’t respond to diet and exercise. For this reason, the best candidates are those who have made sincere efforts to get rid of excess fat in problem areas of the body on their own and now need liposuction to complement their efforts.
For more information, or if you would like to schedule a consultation with Phoenix plastic surgeon Steven H. Turkeltaub, MD to find out if liposuction is right for you, please feel free to contact the Arizona Center for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery today.