Liposculpture

Tumescent liposculpture, also known as “Awake Lipo” is the most advanced technique available for permanently removing excess fat deposits in areas resistant to diet and exercise. The fat removal procedure is called tumescent, which means “swollen,” because it involves the surgeon filling and swelling the targeted fatty areas with a special anesthetic solution.

The solution completely numbs the treatment area, stops bleeding, and thins the fat, allowing patients to undergo the procedure with tiny suction cannulas that do not require any closing and without general anesthesia for a faster recovery.

Generally, liposuction is effective for contouring areas prone to fatty deposits that do not respond to diet and exercise, including:

• Abdomen
• Love handles
• Hips
• Thighs – inner thighs, outer thighs (saddlebags), anterior thighs (front of thigh)
• Buttocks
• Neck and jowls
• Upper arms
• Back (mid and lower)
• Calves
• Ankles
• Breasts (both female and male breast reduction)
• Above the knees

Why Choose Cosmetic Laser Dermatology For Your Liposculpture Treatment? 

Our board-certified dermatologists in San Diego are liposuction and fat removal experts, with more than 60 years combined experience, and having authored over a dozen articles for peer-reviewed medical journals, spoken at national and international medical conferences, and contributed chapters to best-selling medical textbooks on liposculpture treatments. At our research center that keeps us at the forefront of liposculpture treatments, we recently found that tumescent lipo offers long-term satisfaction.

Our doctors have also pioneered the innovative Cool³ body sculpting treatment plan that combines contouring treatments in a single session to achieve superior results. We often combine liposuction with ThermiTight, but we can also add procedures like CoolSculpting and/or CoolTone to put the finishing touches on your new contour.

Is Liposuction Right For You?

If you are ages 16-80, in good overall health, with fatty areas on the body that are resistant to diet and exercise, then you may be a good candidate for liposuction. And lipo is not just for women; if you’re a man looking to remove stubborn deposits of fat, you may be a good candidate, as well.

Lipo treatments are not a method of weight loss. They are a supplement to your good eating and exercise habits.

Furthermore, if you’re hesitant to have invasive surgery, liposuction treatment may be a good option because it is done on an outpatient basis with local anesthesia while you are wide awake. You walk into and out of our certified operating room. Of course, we provide intravenous and/or oral sedation to make it an even more pleasant procedure.

What is Tumescent Liposculpture?

Tumescent Liposculpture, otherwise known as microcannula liposculpture, involves the usage of a very small cannula or needle when performing the treatment. Benefits of this approach include: 

• Less risk of rippling: Dermatologists have higher control over this procedure due to the small cannula used. This allows our expert dermatologists to ensure they are not taking too much fat from the body, to avoid an effect called rippling. This is when results show a hollowing of the skin. 
• Minimal scarring: Due to using a smaller diameter cannula, the incision site is relatively small. Additionally, the post-treatment care we provide at Cosmetic Laser Dermatology only decreases the chances of scarring even further.
• No pain associated with the procedure: We provide local anesthetic so that we can be sure our patients are comfortable while undergoing treatment. 
• Stimulation of collagen: When the fat cells are removed and moved to provide the desired aesthetic, the cannula moves superficially beneath the surface of the skin. This creates a sort of trauma to the cells, which stimulates collagen production. This lessens the chance of getting loose skin over time and also tightens the skin. 

There are other benefits that tumescent liposculpture offers, though some are still in debate among scholars. Some of these debated benefits are that the procedure improves heart health and other medical conditions such as: 

• Lipodystrophy syndrome, in which the body stores too much fat in one area and not the other
• Gynecomastia, or male breasts 

Tumescent liposculpture removes fat, reducing fatty deposits in the body. This is performed artfully by the board certified dermatologists at Cosmetic Laser Dermatology, as a means to slim down the figure. 

Unlike liposuction, tumescent liposculpture uses local anesthetic (lidocaine and adrenaline) which is much less invasive and does not require general anesthesia. A microcannula is inserted into the area of unwanted fat through small incisions that do not even require sutures to close, and the fat is suctioned out of the body. 

What is the Difference Between Liposuction and Liposculpture?

Ultimately, both liposuction and liposculpture are the same procedure.

The benefits to you are:

• More precise sculpting
• Less invasive, not requiring general anesthesia
• Enhanced results
• Much smaller incisions
• Less scarring
• Faster healing
• Quicker recovery

The result is smooth and natural-looking contours without any telltale signs that you’ve had liposuction treatment.

Schedule A LipoSculpture Appointment At Our San Diego Medical Spa 

If you have small pockets of fat, then why not schedule a consultation with one of our body sculpting experts to understand how the procedure works and how your appearance and self-confidence will be forever changed.

Our fat removal experts have more than 100 years of combined experience. They will work with you to determine your aesthetic goals and the right treatment plan to achieve them.

To schedule an appointment, call us at (858) 943-2113 or schedule an appointment with one of our fat removal experts online via our contact form. For more information about our medical spa, reviews are available via Yelp and Google.

Treatment Guidelines 

Going Home:

• Rest is recommended immediately after surgery, but you can walk around the house as tolerated.
• The day after surgery, you should feel well enough to drive your car and engage in light physical activities.
• Have some absorbent pads available (light Maxi pads work well) to use as post-op dressings. It is also helpful to sleep on an absorbent pad the first two nights so that oozing does not stain your bed linen.
• You should expect a small amount of blood-tinged anesthetic solution to drain from the small incisions during the first 24 to 48 hours. It may be necessary to change the absorbent pads that are under the compression garment.
• DO NOT cover the incisions with Band-Aids or stop the drainage in any way. No hot/cold compresses on the incision sites.
• You must wear your compression garment 24 hours a day for the first 3-7 days. After that, you may switch to a lighter garment such as Spanx and wear daily for a month, or longer if you choose.
• Your post-op appointment will be scheduled the day after surgery.
• You may resume light exercise 3 to 4 days after surgery. You should wait for 2-3 weeks after surgery to resume more vigorous physical activities (golf, jogging, tennis). It is suggested that you begin with 25% of your normal work-out routine and increase your activity daily as tolerated.

Discomfort and Bruising: 

• The soreness is the worst about 24 hours after surgery and then improves daily.
• For relief of soreness and inflammation, take Tylenol 500 mg, 1-2 pills every 4 hours while awake for the first 48 hours AFTER surgery.
• DO NOT TAKE ASPIRIN or IBUPROFEN or any other medications that contain aspirin or ibuprofen for 3-5 days after surgery as this may promote bleeding.
• Do not apply ice packs. Bruising is normal and can last 1-2 weeks.

Medications:

• Take the full 10-day dose of oral antibiotics as directed.
• Your doctor or pre-operative nurse will discuss the use of Arnica Montana to reduce bruising.

Bathing:

• When you are given permission to shower, wash the incisions with soap and water, pat them dry and apply Polysporin antibiotic ointment daily.
• DO NOT submerge in water until the incisions have healed completely (about 1 week).
• Caution-when garments are removed during the first few days after surgery, patients often feel dizzy.  Avoid this by removing the garments while lying down, then sit on the edge of the bed and stand up slowly.  Rest after showering to dress.

Diet:

• Start with a soft diet and progress to your normal diet. Light foods are recommended for the first meal after surgery. You may resume your usual diet about 4 hours after surgery.
• Drink adequate amounts of water, and fruit juices to prevent dehydration. Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages for 48 hours.

**If you develop a fever, rash, blisters, increased pain, severe itching, or change in color of the weeping fluid, call our office immediately as these symptoms may be a sign of infection. **

At Cosmetic Laser Dermatology, our physicians are liposculpture experts. In fact, our doctors perform the procedures, one of the few San Diego dermatology practices that do so. Our friendly, compassionate practitioners are committed to your health and safety and dedicated to helping you reach your aesthetic goals.

To learn more about liposculpture visit ncbi.nlm.nih.gov or contact our San Diego office today to see how this minimally invasive procedure can help you achieve the body you want.