Many individuals are unhappy about the appearance of fatty deposits around their stomach that are unresponsive to diet and exercise.
Today, liposuction is the most popular type of cosmetic surgery in the United States. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery indicates that almost 400,000 liposuction surgeries were performed in 2015 alone.
Loose fat on the belly may not vanish magically, but liposuction does provide an effective solution to treat belly fat and other types of unattractive flab. Board certified plastic surgeons at the Aesthetic Center for Plastic Surgery (ACPS) provide liposuction body sculpting to patients in Houston, Texas, TX, and surrounding communities.
What Stomach Liposuction Does
Aging leads to a general redistribution of body fat, particularly around the mid-body region. Childbirth can cause the development of stubborn and unwanted body fat in females. Genetics also account for a lot. But all fat is not the same when it comes to liposuction.
The fat that is resistant to diet and exercise is typically subcutaneous fat. This type of fat is located beneath the skin and on top of the abdominal muscle wall.
Liposuction body contouring plastic surgery is meant to remove subcutaneous fat. This procedure can effectively eliminate flab pockets, re-contour the mid-body area, and improve the overall body shape.
How Abdominal Liposuction is Done
A technique called “tumescent liposuction” is commonly used to remove fat around the stomach, ankles, buttocks, and thighs. This procedure is thought to be the safest. “Tumescent” refers to the large quantity of buffered saltwater that is injected into the fatty tissue beneath the skin.
The surgeon makes an incision in the treatment area. After this, they will insert a narrow tube called a cannula underneath the flesh. The cannula is attached to a vacuum and has a rigid wand at the end.
The surgeon will maneuver the cannula back and forth in a rapid manner to break down the fat. The procedure takes between 45 minutes and two hours to complete, and patients typically experience a downtime of up to two weeks.
The full effect of liposuction manifests in six to 12 weeks after the surgery. The surgeon will bandage the site after the procedure. After this, the patient will need to wear a compression garment for one to two weeks. The pain and bruising may last for up to two weeks while the swelling may sustain from two weeks to two months.
What Stomach Liposuction Cannot Do
Liposuction is designed to be a fat-loss procedure and not meant as a solution for weight-loss. It is quite effective in fatty pockets in particular areas. These fat deposits are resistant to exercise, especially around the hips, thighs, stomach, and buttocks.
The patient may lose a slight amount of weight. However, it will likely not be substantial. Liposuction cannot address a protruding stomach due to weakness in the abdominal wall. Also, it cannot tighten sagging skin. Sometimes liposuction is undertaken in combination with an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) to flatten and tone the abdominal area.
Post-Operative Healing
In general, patients do not require any pain drugs stronger than acetaminophen (Tylenol) after tumescent liposuction. The pain feels like muscle soreness or the burning sensation experienced after a vigorous exercise session. Cosmetic surgeons at the ACPS receive patients from Houston, Texas, TX, and nearby areas for liposuction body contouring.
For more information about The Aesthetic Center for Plastic Surgery (ACPS) physicians and the cosmetic surgery treatments and procedures they perform please click here or call us at 713.799.9999. We have offices in and around Houston, Texas.
Click here to see our pricing list.
The new body shape will be more or less permanent after liposuction cosmetic surgery. Even if the patient puts on a moderate amount of weight after the procedure, their physique will simply be a slightly bigger version of their new body shape.
Board certified plastic surgeons at the Aesthetic Center for Plastic Surgery (ACPS) provides liposuction to patients in Houston, Texas, TX, and surrounding locations.
Permanent Fat Cell Reduction
The advantage with liposuction is that once the fat cells are eliminated, they cannot re-grow. The human body does not typically generate new fat cells after puberty, even if a person puts on a moderate amount of weight. This means that the fat cells removed by liposuction will be gone forever.
Until the patient does not gain a substantial amount of weight, their new, sleeker body shape accomplished by liposuction will be permanent. But the patient should understand that the fat cells that remain in the body following liposuction can grow bigger in size if they put on large amounts of weight.
Furthermore, the natural process of aging produces normal changes in the body shape over the years. However, patients can be confident that the advantages achieved through liposuction will always be visible as long as they follow a balanced diet and regular exercise regimen.
Impact of Pregnancy on Liposuction Surgery Results
Some women may want to understand how a future pregnancy can affect their liposuction outcomes. In a majority of cases, patients can be assured that a pregnancy will not change their liposuction results permanently.
If a woman undergoes a post-lipo pregnancy and puts on weight, but loses the weight after childbirth, her original liposuction outcomes will return. Many women will appear as if they have not been through a pregnancy after liposuction at all.
But, women considering liposuction should understand that it is ideal to choose to undergo a plastic surgery procedure when they do not intend to get pregnant in the future. Pregnancy can lead to cellulite, stretch marks, and sagging skin in the breast, abdominal, thigh, and buttock areas. These cosmetic concerns are not related to liposuction.
Liposuction is meant for fat reduction and body contouring to enhance the body shape and proportions. However, it does not have a significant effect on the removal of stretch marks or cellulite, quality of skin texture, or tightening of loose skin.
Liposuction after Final Pregnancy
Multiple pregnancies can cause some women to develop stubborn fatty deposits in the abdominal area. If a candidate chooses to receive liposuction surgery after her final pregnancy, she can expect dramatic improvements in the shape of her abdomen.
Many patients may be able to avoid the more invasive tummy tuck surgery and attain a flatter and more youthful appearing abdomen with only liposuction after their final pregnancy.
When do the Outcomes become Visible?
A majority of patients will be able to attain 90 percent of their final liposuction results in around three months after the procedure. The post-op inflammation will resolve slowly over several months depending on the type of liposuction technique used and the extent of the surgery.
After the inflammation resolves completely, the full and final outcomes of the liposuction surgery will establish. Cosmetic surgeons at the ACPS receive patients from Houston, Texas, TX, and nearby areas for liposuction.
For more information about The Aesthetic Center for Plastic Surgery (ACPS) physicians and the cosmetic surgery treatments and procedures they perform please click here or call us at 713.799.9999. We have offices in and around Houston, Texas.
Click here to see our pricing list.