Fat Reduction

How does liposuction work?

Liposuction, which patients sometimes call “lipo,” slims and reshapes certain parts of the body by getting rid of excess fat and improving your body’s shape and proportion.

Which areas can liposuction fix?

• Abdomen

• Ankles

• Arms

• Buttocks

• Cheeks

• Chin

• Hips

• Knees

• Neck

• Thighs

• Upper arms

• Waist

Liposuction can be done on its own or in combination with other types of plastic surgery, like a facelift, breast reduction, or tummy tuck.

What can’t be done with lipo?

Liposuction is not a way to lose weight or replace a healthy diet and exercise.

It is also not a good way to get rid of cellulite or loose skin. Cellulite is bumpy skin that usually shows up on the thighs, hips, and buttocks.

NONSURGICAL FAT REDUCTION

Minimally invasive procedures for fat loss without surgery

Nonsurgical or minimally invasive ways to get rid of fat include technology that uses heat, cold, or an injection of medicine to shrink fat cells.

What is fat loss without surgery?

There are ways to get rid of fat that don’t involve surgery or aren’t as invasive as surgery. For example, you can use technology that uses heat or cold or an injection of medicine to shrink fat cells. Even though none of these treatments can replace liposuction, they give people who don’t want or can’t have surgery other options. Non-surgical ways to get rid of fat include ultrasound, radio frequency, infrared light, vacuum massage, and medications that are injected.

Cryolipolysis (like CoolSculpting), injection lipolysis (like Kybella), radiofrequency lipolysis (like Vanquish), and laser lipolysis are all ways to get rid of fat without surgery (e.g., SculpSure).

Patients who are pregnant or who are nursing shouldn’t have any of the above procedures done.

LIPOSUCTION

Laser and ultrasound assisted

Before fat is taken out of the body with liposuction, it is melted with a laser or ultrasound.

What is liposuction with a laser or ultrasound?

Like traditional liposuction, liposuction with a laser or ultrasound is not a way to lose weight or treat obesity. They are used to help shape your body in places like saddlebags or a potbelly that don’t change with diet and exercise. Like traditional liposuction, laser- or ultrasound-assisted liposuction is most often used to reduce fullness in your:

• Abdomen

• Ankles

• Arms

• Buttocks

• Cheeks

• Chin

• Hips

• Knees

• Neck

• Thighs

• Upper arms

• Waist