San Fernando Valley Lipo
Liposuction
A combination of age, poor diet, and lack of exercise leads to the expansion of fat cells. Liposuction can correct this problem permanently.
Advanced liposuction techniques such as ultrasonic, tumescent, power-assisted, and microcannula techniques are available for body sculpting. These techniques are designed to minimize patient blood loss and reduce post-operative recovery time. The artistic skill of your surgeon is considered of prime importance. Dr. Cheski has taught other surgeons these liposuction techniques and has even had the procedure himself.
Liposuction and Liposculpture are used to treat many areas of the body.
The information given here is general. Because each patient is different, questions that you may have regarding your body may not be fully explained here. A consultation visit with Dr. Cheski is highly recommended to give you the best information about your specific case.
What options do I have with liposuction surgery?
During a consultation with Dr. Cheski, you will be asked about your expectations and goals, medical history, and the reasons why you want liposuction (“lipoplasty”). He specializes in a variety of liposuction methods, offering the following techniques:
- Tumescent liposuction
- Ultrasonic liposuction
- Power-assisted liposuction
- Microcannula liposuction
In order to determine which is better suited for your particular needs, be sure to visit our California liposuction surgeon. Dr. Cheski provides excellent care to his patients, including those in the San Fernando Valley and Lancaster area.
To see the results achieved for previous patients, we invite you to view
liposuction before and after photos. You can also view various clips of Dr. Cheski’s TV appearances in our Media/Video gallery. For insight to the care provided by our plastic surgeon, feel free to read our patient testimonials.
You may also wish to inquire about other body contouring procedures available. Some of these include
breast augmentation (“augmentation mammaplasty”) and tummy tuck surgery (“abdominoplasty”).
Los Angeles liposuction specialist Dr. Cheski performs liposuction surgery, as well as
breast augmentation, rhinoplasty, face lift, and other plastic surgery procedures at his Los Angeles and Lancaster, California offices.
The Procedure
In this procedure, a very small incision is made in the skin, most often at or near the area to be treated. Then a thin, smooth, blunt, surgical suction rod is inserted and connected to a vacuum source. The vacuum suctions the fat, leaving the skin, muscle, nerves and blood vessels intact. This allows your surgeon to carefully sculpt your stomach into a new, improved contour, changing the look of your body with almost no scar and only minimal pain. The procedure is often done with local anesthetic supplemented with light sedation; in smaller cases the procedure may even be done with local anesthetic alone. Pain is generally minimal, both during and after surgery.
How is it done?
Liposuction begins as your surgeon makes small incisions, approximately one half inch in length or less. A thin, hollow tube, called a cannula, is inserted, and is attached to a machine or syringe that creates a strong vacuum. Your surgeon will then strategically manipulate the cannula under the skin to remove the unwanted fatty deposits.
Depending on the type of anesthesia, you may feel pressure, movement, or an occasional stinging sensation during the procedure, but not actual pain. Your surgeon will determine the amount of fat to remove by feeling and pinching the skin throughout the surgery.
Newer liposuction techniques involve injecting the area to be suctioned with a special fluid/anesthesia combination prior to removing the fat. This is called tumescent liposuction. The fluid constricts the surrounding blood vessels, making the procedure nearly bloodless, while minimizing the pain. The rest of the procedure is performed in the same way as traditional liposuction.
How long does surgery take?
Surgery takes about one to two hours per area.
Does the fat come back?
Fat cells are not thought to regenerate, and contour improvement should be permanent. If you gain weight, the fat cells that are left behind will get bigger, just as all of the other fat cells in the body do, but your body will retain the improved proportions. The liposuction areas can never become as fat as they once were, (relative to the rest of the body), because fat cells have been permanently removed. This is the key point about the results achieved by liposuction, and explains why it is also called body contouring or body sculpting.
Does it hurt?
Modern day liposuction does not hurt much at all. After surgery, your stomach may feel as if you have done a lot of sit-ups, and may be a bit stiff or achy, but patients often do not even require pain medications post-operatively. Discomfort is moderate during the surgery, and can easily be controlled by anesthetic agents. Small areas can even be treated under local anesthesia alone.
Do I need to be put to sleep for the surgery?
For small areas, local anesthesia alone (numbing medicine) suffices, just like going to the dentist. For larger areas, you will probably be more comfortable if you are given medicine to make you go to sleep, and in some cases, general anesthesia may even be recommended.
Do I have to stay in the hospital?
If you have no medical problems and the amount of fat is not excessive, you will probably be able to go home the same day as your surgery.
How long until I can go back to work?
After liposuction surgery, it is prudent to wait a few weeks before resuming strenuous activity, but quiet activity can usually be resumed within a few days. If your work is sedentary, a few days off should suffice, and in smaller cases, you can return to work the next day. Remember also, however, that a compression garment (a girdle or abdominal binder) may be recommended for the first few weeks, and this may interfere with your work.
How long before I can resume normal activities?
Most patients are mobile immediately after liposuction, although an extra day or two of bed rest may be needed when large amounts of fat are removed. Keep in mind that healing is a gradual process. Your surgeon will want you to begin normal activity as soon as possible to reduce post operative complications, but in some cases you may be advised to avoid strenuous activity for a few weeks. Light exercise is usually permitted within a few days.
Your surgeon may recommend that a tight-fitting garment, similar to a girdle, be worn after surgery to reduce swelling. This may need to be worn for up to six weeks. Your stitches, however, will be removed within a week and a half if they are not the type that dissolves.
You may not feel great just after your surgery. You've been given extra fluids during the procedure, and you'll likely experience swelling and some bruising, but this is only temporary. You may feel a little bruised and sore as if you had over-exercised that part of the body, but this passes quickly. You should be completely back to normal within about six weeks, or maybe sooner. You can resume all normal activities at this time.
Remember, liposuction is a surgical procedure, and your body has to heal before you see the full benefits. Your results will likely be visible within two or three weeks, but the full effect may not be fully evident for six months to a year after surgery in some cases.
What benefit could I expect from the surgery?
The fat that is removed is gone forever, resulting in a permanent recontouring of the body. This can offer a new shape for people who never thought it was possible, giving a psychological boost and the incentive to exercise even more than before to improve the rest of their physique. Liposuction will not, however, prevent you from gaining weight in the future, and will not keep you fit and in shape. The skin shape after liposuction will more closely resemble the shape of the stomach muscle, but this surgery will not give you good abdominal tone. This is up to you. Liposuction is not a weight loss technique, and is not a cure for overall obesity. It is, however, a great way to get rid of that little bulge that you cannot seem to get rid of any other way. The goal is for you to be more comfortable with your body and happy with your new shape.
How long do the results last?
The fat that is removed is permanently gone, and will not come back, but the fat that remains can increase in size if you gain weight after liposuction, but will do so throughout the body so that the proportions maintain their improvement. This is why the procedure is now often referred to as “liposculpture.”
Is there much scarring?,
There is a small (less than one centimeter) incision made to insert the cannula, which may require one or two stitches to close. These scars are usually not too noticeable, and are often concealed in skin creases or in parts of the skin that are usually hidden (like the umbilicus).
Can liposuction help me lose weight?
The best way to lose weight is still diet and exercise. Liposculpture will remove some fat, but the main purpose is to recontour your body, not to make you thinner everywhere.
Is it safe?
Liposuction has become remarkably safe, although some risks do persist. In the early days of liposuction, there were problems associated with blood loss, infection, shock, and inexperience with the use of the catheters. With increased attention to these problems, the risk now comes mostly from the anesthesia. Removal of large amounts of fat can still result in moderate blood loss, and may require hospitalization, but for the routine liposuction, these problems are unusual. Infection is also uncommon, but remains a major concern to all doctors performing liposuction.
Risks/complications?
Nothing in life comes free, and liposuction is no exception. Some bruising and discomfort can be expected after the operation, although these are usually not too bad and resolve within a few weeks. There are the standard risks associated with anesthesia (allergy to the medicine, increased risk if you are not healthy, etc.), which you will need to discuss with your doctor and/or anesthesiologist. There is a slight risk of scarring, although the incisions are so small that this is not usually a problem. The risk of infection is ever-present any time the skin barrier is broken, but infection after liposuction is unusual.
Even with the most highly-skilled surgeon, however, variations from the ideal results are possible. Complications include uneven skin surface, especially in patients with poor skin elasticity, bleeding, infection, discoloration, fluid accumulation beneath the skin, numbness and scarring. Although complications with this surgery are extremely rare, infection and excessive loss of fluid can lead to serious illness and even death.
What are the alternatives?
Diet and weight loss are the standard ways of losing weight and toning up. They are recommended for everyone. If you cannot lose a certain bulge in this way, and especially if that bulge is always there, even when you are fit, then liposuction is a good alternative. If there is loose skin, it may be necessary to remove this skin as well, with the help of a "tummy tuck." Removal of the fat along with the skin can be performed in any area, but the scars associated with this larger surgery make it unpopular.
Special Instructions
Wash carefully before surgery. Avoid aspirin and aspirin-containing medicines for two weeks prior to surgery. You may need to get a compression garment to wear after the surgery.
This information is only intended as an introduction to the procedure and should not be used to determine whether you will have the procedure performed.
There are many factors to consider in choosing the right surgeon for your procedure. Dr. Cheski has the experience and knowledge to perform the procedure you desire, improve your self-esteem, and help you look and feel better than you ever have before.
Costs
Costs for this procedure vary, depending on the doctor, the location, and the difficulty of the specific case.
Call For a Free Consultation
Call (310) 575-1500 or (661) 575-0800 today and speak to one of our knowledgeable surgical consultants to schedule an appointment for a free consultation.
Oftentimes, no matter how much a person exercises and diets, there are some stubborn fatty areas that still remain. Peter Cheski, M.D., F.R.C.S. can perform
liposuction in Los Angeles to help alleviate these problem areas and reshape the patient’s body.
It is important to consult with a physician who has the proper training and experience. Dr. Cheski is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology (ABOto) and a member of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS).
This information is only intended as an introduction to this procedure and should not be used to determine whether you will have the procedure performed.
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