Liposuction
Contour and Reshape Your Body with Liposuction
Liposuction is not a weight loss surgery, but it is a surgical procedure that can contour and reshape your body once you are near or at your goal weight. It can target and minimize stubborn areas of fat that have not responded to diet or exercise. This procedures can also be used for fat harvesting and fat transfer procedures to enhance other areas of your body, like your butt, breasts, and cheeks. Dr. Maloney is a Harvard-educated plastic surgeon who has performed thousands of successful liposuction procedures in Tucson, AZ. Schedule a consultation now to find out if you’re a good candidate.
View Liposuction Before and After Gallery
What is liposuction and when is it recommended?
What is liposuction
This is a type of plastic surgery that removes stubborn deposits of fat from the body. It can treat a wide range of areas, including the abdomen, hips, thighs, and arms. You can even have liposuction performed on a double chin. It is a surgical alternative to nonsurgical fat transfer and body contouring procedures like Sculptra, Kybella, Morpheus, Aveli, and Vanquish.
Why Consider Liposuction?
If you have tried diet and exercise and still have stubborn, unwanted fat deposits, liposuction can help. You might consider this treatment if you have tried diet and exercise for several years and certain areas of your body will not shrink. You can also use it to smooth out fatty bulges and to harvest fat for a fat transfer procedure. While it isn’t a weight loss surgery, it will contour and reshape your body and give you a smoother shape.
What Concerns are Addressed with Liposuction?
You can get liposuction on any area of your body that has stubborn deposits of fat. The procedure permanently removes fat cells that store fat from specific sections or areas of your body. The most common concerns addressed with this treatment are:
- Love handles
- Double chin
- Excess fat in certain areas
- Lumpy or asymmetrical shape
- Asymmetrical profile
- Weight loss irregularities
- Excess breast tissue
Am I a Good Candidate?
You might be a good candidate if you are an adult at an average or slightly above average weight, or if you are close to your goal weight. Ideal candidates are people who:
- Are in good health overall
- Don’t smoke or use tobacco products or are willing to quit at least six weeks before the procedure
- Don’t use recreational drugs or abuse prescription drugs
- Have realistic goals for the results of the procedure
- Have good skin elasticity and muscle tone
- Are committed to a healthy diet and exercise routine and maintaining a healthy lifestyle
- Can commit to pre- and post-surgical instructions
You might not be a good candidate if you have a life-threatening health condition or a chronic health condition that isn’t being managed, have unrealistic expectations, cannot commit to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, have poor skin quality, are underweight, have a BMI over 25, or can’t quit smoking.
Benefits and Risks
After the procedure, stubborn pockets of fat will be minimized, and you will have small incisions that typically heal quite well. You will have a smoother shape and more contoured body, and you may feel that your clothes fit better.
Liposuction has both aesthetic and health risks, and it is the patient’s personal decision whether the benefits outweigh those risks. More commonly seen risks include scaring, skin discoloration, bruising, swelling, pain, bleeding, asymmetry, excessive firmness, or changes in skin sensation. There are also more uncommon, but more complicated risks such as infection, bleeding or deep vein thrombosis. For a full list of risks, go to www.plasticsurgery.org.
What to Expect at Your Consultation with Dr. Maloney
When you come in for your initial consultation, you will meet Dr. Maloney and one of our clinical coordinators. Dr. Maloney will examine you to determine if you are a good candidate for the procedure. He will discuss details of the operation, show you before and after photos, and review your surgical options. A member of our team will review surgical fees, financing options and answer any other additional questions you may have. If you choose to have surgery with Dr. Maloney, you will return for a pre-operative consultation about three weeks prior to your operation. At this pre-operative appointment, Dr. Maloney will review the surgical plan with you as well as go through consent forms and give you your prescriptions. One of our team members will take pre-operative photos, review all of your surgical instructions, and give you a packet of information so when you leave this appointment you will have everything you need for surgery.
Meet Dr Maloney
How to Prepare for Your Procedure
Once you have met Dr. Maloney and have chosen a surgical date for your procedure, you should plan for your care and recovery after the operation. You will need to arrange a ride to and from the surgery center as well as arrange for someone to stay with you for the first twenty-four hours. You should take five to seven days off work for this operation. If you smoke, you must quit a minimum of three weeks before surgery. We suggest six to eight weeks, but three weeks is the minimum. Smokers heal more slowly and can have wound healing problems. If you take aspirin or another medication that causes bleeding, you should stop taking it three weeks before surgery. If you are taking any diet pills (prescription or over-the-counter) or if you are taking Metformin (a common diabetes medication), you should stop one week prior to surgery because of anesthesia risks. All medications, herbs, vitamins and dietary supplements you are taking should be carefully reviewed with Dr. Maloney prior to surgery. If you are under the care of a physician for any health issues, we may require surgical clearance from your physician and/or cardiologist.
At your pre-operative consultation with Dr. Maloney, you will be given a map to the surgery center and your prescriptions. Get these prescriptions filled before surgery. You need to stay hydrated. Have plenty of water or sports drinks around the house. We suggest you begin a stool softener as narcotic pain medication and anesthesia can make you constipated. If you are having surgery before 10:00 a.m., you cannot have anything to eat or drink after midnight, this includes water. If your procedure is scheduled for after 10:00 a.m., we suggest drinking 16-24 ounces of Gatorade or other “sports drink” (the full sugar version, not diet) four hours before your operation. Studies have shown this will decrease dehydration and nausea post-surgery. You should not have anything to eat or drink other than the Gatorade. Do not put any lotions, deodorant, or make-up on the day of surgery. Please do not wear any jewelry to the surgery center. You should wear comfortable clothes that are easy to get on and off. Bring your picture ID when you check into the surgery center. You will check in and then be taken back to the pre-operating area where Dr. Maloney will come and discuss the surgical plan, answer any additional questions you have and mark the surgical site. At this time, you will meet the anesthesiologist and ask him/her any questions you may have.
Liposuction Procedure and Recovery
How is Liposuction Performed?
It takes about one to three hours depending on how much fat needs to be removed. The anesthesiologist will put you to sleep for this operation for safety and comfort. Dr. Maloney will make several small incisions and inject tumescent fluid (saline, epinephrine, and lidocaine). He will then use blunt tipped cannulas to break up and remove the fat cells using suction. A compression garment will be placed, and you will wake up in the recovery room and be ready to go home in about an hour.
Recovery Time and Results
It may take six months or more to heal completely from a procedure. During the first six weeks, you will need to limit your physical activity, and you may not be able to complete all of your job duties or daily activities. After one or two weeks, you may be able to return to work and light activity. Liposuction is permanent, and even if you gain weight after the procedure, you won’t notice excessive weight gain in the areas where you had treatment.
Schedule a Consultation with Dr. Maloney and Our Team
Call us today to schedule a consultation with our Harvard-trained plastic surgeon, Dr. Maloney. We will evaluate your overall health and goals and determine if you’re a good candidate for this or other plastic surgery procedures. With decades of experience and countless procedures performed, Dr. Maloney is the perfect choice for anyone who wants to achieve beautiful, natural-looking results. Call us today or contact us online to schedule a consultation for liposuction in Tucson, AZ.
READY TO BEGIN?
Dr. Maloney’s consultations are in two parts. The first part is the virtual consultation where you will fill out some basic information such as the procedure you are interested in having performed, and you will upload a front and side view photo. Dr. Maloney will review these and determine if you are potentially a surgical candidate as well as give you pricing. After this portion is complete, you will come in for the in-person consultation to discuss your goals and the surgery in greater detail.
START YOUR VIRTUAL CONSULTATION WITH DR MALONEY
If you have not received a response within 3 business days, please call our office, as we typically respond within this time frame.
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