Here in the Bergen County area, and across the country, liposuction is one of the most popular plastic surgeries—and also one of the most misunderstood. In truth, liposuction is pretty amazing.
Liposuction makes “spot reducing” possible—when by any other means, including diet and exercise, it simply can’t be done. As plastic surgeons, we field a wide variety of questions about lipo in our New Jersey aesthetic practice.
We also find ourselves eliminating many myths connected to the liposuction procedure for our patients.
At Cohen/Winters, we enjoy helping our patients understand the possibilities of liposuction surgery – and helping them to clarify their goals and expectations.
We want you to get an idea of the types of things liposuction surgery can accomplish – and also what it cannot do for you. You’ll also find tips for making important decisions about your liposuction surgery, preparing for it and speeding your recovery.
Why is Liposuction so Popular in Bergen County?
Liposuction is a sought-after procedure for good reason. More women undergo the procedure, but men are now seeking liposuction in much greater numbers. For patients here in New Jersey and throughout the country, liposuction provides an opportunity to make a small change to the body that often makes a big difference in an individual’s life.
Standards of “beauty” differ widely from person to person (culture to culture and decade to decade) but it’s normal to want to look and feel your best as you face the world each day. As society in general becomes more fitness conscious, “erasing” any stubborn body bulges is becoming more and more common.
Liposuction isn’t suitable for everyone, but for many people in Bergen County, liposuction surgery is a perfect solution for a more streamlined shape.
How Liposuction Works
Liposuction is a procedure designed to contour and improve the appearance of certain localized areas of the body – by removing excess fatty deposits. The procedure is designed to streamline targeted areas, which often include: thighs, flanks or love handles, abdomen, buttocks, upper arms, neck, chin, male breast tissue and more.
Fat is removed from the desired area with a surgical tool called a cannula, through a small incision or incisions. The hollow cannula is used to “vacuum” or suction fat from beneath the skin. Alternatively, an ultrasonic probe is used to emulsify (break up, soften or liquefy) the fat and remove it with suction.
Who Can Benefit from Liposuction?
You might be surprised at the relatively small physical changes, from procedures like liposuction, that make a profound improvement in confidence and wellbeing for many people. Many changes are so small that only the patients themselves will notice – but what matters is exactly that.
It matters what you think, not what others might (or might not) see. Enjoy looking better in your bikini or swim trunks. Enjoy buying skinny jeans, maybe even a size smaller. Enjoy walking confidently into that meeting. But enjoy it all for you, first and foremost. Here are some very realistic goals that liposuction can readily accomplish:
- You want to get rid of that small bulge of upper thigh fat (we’ve heard the term “saddlebags” from some patients) that seems to run in the family.
- You’re troubled by an extra “tummy pouch” that has developed after giving birth.
- You want to banish the “love handles” that came about from hormonal changes later in life – common to both men and women.
- You’re bothered by annoying bra-strap bulges that have successfully resisted all of your fitness efforts.
- You’re self-conscious about a pocket of fat in the neck area or a double chin.
- You want that one out-of-proportion body area to fall in line with the rest of your figure or physique.
Liposuction can help with, and often eliminate, all of these body issues, and many more not listed here. Provided you’re a good candidate and provided your chosen surgeon shares your aesthetic sense, liposuction can improve your life. Liposuction works for hundreds of thousands of people each year. If your goal is close to one listed above, liposuction can help you get the look you want.
Who Should Skip Liposuction?
You might not be a good candidate if you’re too young. You may need to wait a while and re-evaluate. You might not be a good candidate due to health concerns, like chronic medical conditions.
You might not be a good candidate if you expect to look exactly like (insert name of famous female or male athlete or movie star here). If you want overall reduction in weight or body size, you’re not a good candidate. Liposuction is not intended for weight loss or to treat obesity.
As experienced plastic surgeons, we are trained – and personally motivated – to help you make the right decisions about your health. If you’re not a good candidate for liposuction, we will let you know. Most people we see in our practice are good candidates, especially those who do research, as you are doing now.
Liposuction in New Jersey: It Does Make a Difference
Experience matters when choosing a surgeon, of course, and you’ll find the most experienced surgeons right here in Bergen County. That’s why more people get liposuction surgery here in this area than almost anywhere else in the country.
It really makes a difference undergoing surgery locally, because you have access to some of the most knowledgeable and skilled liposuction surgeons.
Tips for a Successful Liposuction Procedure
- As with any form of plastic surgery, make sure you’re doing it for yourself. Don’t have a cosmetic procedure because your boyfriend or girlfriend wants you to. Don’t do it because you think you must in order to keep your job or be accepted by peers. (It’s not only teens that feel this way.) Don’t have liposuction surgery hoping it will fix all the problems in your life. In the end, you’ll only be happy if you do the surgery because it’s what you want.
- Remember that liposuction is not intended for overall weight loss.
- Do your research on the procedure and your surgeon.
- Meet with your surgeon and have your list of questions ready. It helps to make a list so that you don’t forget something that was very important to you.
- Make sure you understand everything the surgeon has explained about your liposuction procedure. Don’t “gloss over” anything. Ask follow up questions until everything is clear.
- Evaluate whether you feel comfortable with your surgeon after meeting him or her. If not, continue to search.
- Follow all pre-surgical instructions carefully, which may include avoiding aspirin or fish oil for 2 weeks before and after surgery.
- Fill any medication prescriptions in advance and arrange for someone to drive you both ways for your surgery and to stay with you the first night after. Don’t skip this because you think “it’s only liposuction.” All surgery must be taken seriously. You may be groggy, even after local anesthesia and/or may reach for something at home and cause excess bleeding, if you’re alone with no assistance.
- Be sure to wear you compression garment for the entire time proscribed by your surgeon. A good deal of your successful outcome is in your hands, so be prepared to follow instructions for a proper recovery.
- Please come to every follow up visit, even if you feel perfectly fine.
Liposuction is done as a stand-alone procedure for reducing, shaping and smoothing a particular body area. We may also use the technique as part of other plastic surgeries, such as: a tummy tuck, neck lift or breast reduction surgery, depending upon the specific case.
Benefit from Our Experience
Like most plastic surgery procedures, successful liposuction combines an artistic sense with impeccable surgical technique and a deep understanding of the human body.
At Cohen/Winters, we are confident in our abilities and our credentials, with a long history of satisfied patients behind us. We find that a well-informed patient has already taken the first step toward achieving a stellar outcome from their liposuction procedure.
Of course, the only way to know for certain if liposuction is right for you is to talk with a top NJ plastic surgeon. Visit our Bergen County plastic surgery practice for a no-charge consultation. We invite you to do so, whenever you feel ready for the next step in your journey to reshape your body.
