Liposuction articles

It depends on what method was used to do your liposuction. There are some liposuction techniques that really benefit from massage therapy. This article explains why massage techniques are helpful in some cases and not needed in others.

Patients routinely get fat grafts to the face, breast, and buttocks. However, some patients do not get the result they wanted because the fat graft did not ‘take.’  So, what happened? Why do fat grafts sometimes die or fail to take? In this post, I will explain one of the most important factors in creating a long-lasting fat graft. When the recipient tissue is normal, there really should be no need for a touch-up, or revision. Plastic surgeons have all of the tools they need to create a good fat graft on the first try!

To get the smoothest result with Liposuction your plastic surgeon needs four things: SMALL 3 MM LIPOSUCTION CANNULA: The instrument that a plastic surgeon uses to remove the fat from your body is called a cannula. Cannulas come in a variety of sizes and are classified by the width of the long slender tube. After over 25 years of performing Liposuction, I have found that the cannula which works best is a small, thin, 3 millimeter diameter cannula. The small diameter cannula ensures that you don’t leave defects in the fatty tissue where fluids or blood can accumulate. Larger liposuction cannulas allow fluids to accumulate and have a higher likelihood of uneven scarring and surgery results. Uneven scarring is what causes skin contour irregularities.

For the best results following any plastic surgery procedure it’s important to choose your board certified surgeon carefully, discuss your goals and options very specifically, and follow your surgeons post-op instructions completely. Not wearing your compression garment after surgery might not seem like a big deal, but in fact, it is very important to your surgical result! I ask all of my patients to wear a compression garment after their Liposuction and/or tummy tuck surgery. Here’s why.

The Mommy makeover is a combination of cosmetic surgery procedures done at the same time to address the changes in the body after pregnancy. Each Mommy makeover is customized to your concerns. However, the Mommy makeover should address 3 main issues, which concern the breast , stomach, and upper body changes.

Very often a patient will ask me ” How much fat do you take out during Liposuction?”. The answer is dependent on two things: 1. liposuction area 2. patient height and weight Therefore, to answer the question, I will give my answers for a body frame type that I see most frequently. We’ll use as an example a woman of average height (5’3”-5’6”) who weighs about 150 pounds.

The use of non-laser liposculpture with fat injections can help a woman achieve a more feminine figure. Fat is removed where it is unwanted and reinjected to places where you desire more curves. Read more about it on Dr. Rodriguez’s CosmeticSurg blog.

In Episode #3 of my CosmeticSurg Video Blog I discuss the difference between two types of liposuction: tumescent (suction) liposuction vs. laser/ ultrasonic assisted liposuction. If you are considering laser or ultrasonic liposuction you must watch this video to understand why these new technologies may not necessarily be as good as regular tumescent liposuction!

Explore Cosmetic Surgery and the Science of Beauty with Dr. Rodriguez in his CosmeticSurg Video Journal. In Episode 1, Dr. Rodriguez, a Yale trained Plastic Surgeon with 20 years experience, explains the significance of cannula size in the liposuction procedure. Find out which cannulas are considered the gold standard and yield the best results for liposuction.

Dr. Rodriguez, a Yale trained Plastic Surgeon who has been practicing for over 20 years, gives his thoughts on Smart Lipo. With Smart Lipo, some damaged fat is usually left behind and the skin tightening is temporary.

Dr. Rodriguez explains the technique he uses when Liposculpting the love handle area. The small nuances that a surgeon makes when Liposuctioning can make the difference between a good result and a great result. Read about it in his Cosmeticsurg blog

The size of the cannula used in tumescent Liposuction can make a difference in the surgical result. You are more likely to get a smooth result if your surgeon uses a thin cannula . Read about the types of cannulas from Dr. Ricardo Rodriguez in Baltimore, Maryland.

In all other branches of medicine, a treating doctor assumes that the patient has some kind of medical problem that the doctor has to fix or make better. If the patient experiences some pain, gets a big scar, or has some side effects, it’s an acceptable trade off because it’s for the patient’s benefit to attain…

Is Liposuction to the hips for everybody? Recently, a patient came to me for a second opinion. She was an attractive, dark skin Hispanic female who had had Liposuction to the saddlebag area along with a tummy tuck and a breast lift. The result was great, but the patient was unhappy. She had a small waist, and a nicely defined hourglass figure. Her hips were curvy. Now why would a patient be unhappy with a ‘good’ result?

The question of whether to have a Tummy tuck or liposuction is a very common one. The two procedures address different problems. Liposuction deals only with fatty tissues, whereas Tummy tuck deals with muscle, skin, and fat. Some patients are candidates for lipo only, some for Tummy tuck only, and some could have either procedure, depending on their priorities. A candidate for liposuction only should have good skin tone. The skin will retract nicely after taking out the fat. Recovery time will be minimal, 7-10 days and you’re back to work. I like doing the procedure with a super fine cannula, and after surgery I apply foam pads to the skin to create the best possible smooth contour.