Liposuction Cost: Worth Every Penny

Although the national average cost for liposuction charged by surgeons is $2,224 most patients agree that their liposuction was worth the expense. The benefits of liposuction are that excess fat is removed from deposits in the body, so underlying muscle is revealed, and the incisions for liposuction are small and well concealed so they won't be seen, in contrast to scars from procedures such as abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) which extend the length between the two hipbones.

Liposuction is a good choice for people who are healthy, in good shape, are an appropriate weight for their age and height, but have areas of fat that don't respond to diet, exercise or other weight loss methods. Liposuction is also ideally suited to younger people who still have good elasticity in their skin. Skin elasticity allows the skin to shrink to the new size after fat is removed. Skin that has lost elasticity is more likely to remain baggy. In this case a tummy tuck would be a better solution for removal of areas of fat. However, liposuction can be the best solution for older people as well and you should consult with a cosmetic surgeon to make the appropriate choice.

Prior to the operation, patients may be given general anesthesia, which is a common choice if a large amount of fat is being removed, or local anesthesia in addition to a sedative so he or she stays relaxed. Liposuction is done with a small cannula which breaks up and the suctions out the fat using a vacuum or a syringe. The cannula is inserted into tiny incisions made in strategic places so that fat from a wide area can be removed, but the scars will be hidden by clothing or natural creases of the body.

There are different techniques involved in liposuction, many dealing with the loss of fluids that is liked to liposuction. Patients can either remain on IV fluids or have a liposuction process of fluid injection. Here, fluids (salt solution, lidocaine, and epinephrine) are injected into the region before the surgery so the fat can more easily be removed. Different types of fluid injection techniques include tumescent, super-wet, or ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty techniques.

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Liposuction Vs LipoDissolve - Which is Better?

Even though we are in the middle of the summer (or maybe because we are), you may have decided to get serious about getting rid of those unsightly fat areas that diet and exercise just won't. But with different methods of fat removal available, which one is right for you? It may be tempting to think that a non-surgical method such as LipoDissolve which offers low cost and no recovery time is best, but let's examine the facts first.

Traditional liposuction is still the gold standard to which all other methods of fat removal must be compared. Done through small incisions near where the fat is to be removed, a small thin hollow tube (cannula, about the width of a pencil or less)) is placed underand the dislodg the skin. By moving the cannula in and out repetitively, fat is broken loose and then vacuumed out. This is the preferred method among board certified plastic surgeons for removing larger amounts of fat tissue and has been used in the United States for almost thirty years.All liposuction today is done with the tumescent or wet technique which keeps blood loss to only about 1% of the total fat removed. Liposuctioned fat volumes removed today are kept around five or six liters in a single operation to keep the risk of complications low. Serious side effects with liposuction are very rare. The most common problem with liposuction is skin irregularities but this problem is kept limited when done by skilled and experienced hands. Very good results can be obtained in the neck, stomach, waistline, outer thighs, and knees. More modest results are seen in the arms, back, inner thighs, and buttocks.

Liposuction done with the aid of a laser, also known as Smart Lipo, is one of the newer FDA-approved types of liposuction. A laser is inserted through tiny incisions in the skin. When the laser is fired, it melts the fat purportably tightening the skin at the same time. Smart Lipo has not been proven to produce better results than traditional liposuction but may be an alternative for removing smaller fat areas. This is certainly the way it is currently being sold, particularly to non-plastic surgeons which make up a significant percent of the targeted market. Because the removed fat volume is more limited, serious side effects are unlikely. The real question in my mind is whether Smart Lipo can help perform smaller liposuction procedures under local anesthesia in the office setting. This is where it would offer an advantage over traditional liposuction.

Lipodissolve, also known as injection lipolysis, uses a mixture of emulsifying chemicals (lecithin and cholic acid) which are injected under the skin to the targeted fat areas. This is a non-FDA approved treatment method although in my experience has proven to be safe. I have not seen any of the complications that are widely reported. Lipodissolve is certainly not a replacement or alternative to liposuction. It is best viewed as a fat removal technique when any form of liposuction is a bigger solution than the problem justifies. It is done as a series of injection done in the office over three or four months.I have found that it works well for small fat areas in the neck, jowls, bra rolls, stomach, flanks, thighs, and knees. Small areas, no bigger than the size of a hand, is the concept of a treatable fat area. Liposuction, like all plastic surgery, is an issue of value...what result do you get for what you pay. It is also a great method to touch-up any excess areas of fat after a liposuction procedure.

Since liposuction and lipodissolve remove fat by different methods (mechanical vs. chemical), they are best used for differently-sized fat issues. Small areas may be taken down with LipoDissolve, larger areas require traditional liposuction.

Dr Barry Eppley, board-certified plastic surgeon of Indianapolis, operates a private practice at Clarian North and West Medical Centers in suburban Indianapolis. He writes a daily blogs on topics and trends in plastic surgery at http://www.exploreplasticsurgery.com

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