There’s endless fascination surrounding liposuction. Granted, anything to do with ‘fat’ or ‘weight loss’ garners immediate interest. Add the term ‘cosmetic surgery’ and the odd Hollywood celebrity anecdote and you have a veritable cocktail of curiosity. But although all surgical procedures should be considered seriously, liposuction is relatively straightforward.
“In Australia, over 30,000 liposuction procedures are performed annually.”
30,000 lipo procedures are performed annually in Australia, while in the US, liposuction is the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure, with more than 300,000 procedures performed each year.
How liposuction works
There’s nothing mystical about liposuction, although we advise you to only choose a highly skilled practitioner. During the procedure, fat is removed through a hollow metal instrument called a cannula. This cannula is inserted beneath the skin, and a strong, high-pressure vacuum is applied to the cannula to suck the fat cells away.
No general anaesthesia or overnight hospital stay is required. Instead, Dr Feldman uses only local anaesthesia, and the procedure is carried out in a registered day surgery facility in South Yarra (near Toorak, Prahran and Richmond, Melbourne). Minimal pain management is required, post-surgery and most people are back at work within days or a week.
Liposuction is not a treatment or cure for obesity
If you’ve got excess kilos to lose, liposuction may not be for you. Rather than shifting the scales, liposuction aims to improve aesthetics by enhancing the contours of your body. Liposuction (a.k.a. lipo, liposculpture or lipoplasty) is an ideal option to remove stubborn pockets of fat that are resistant to diet and exercise, as it permanently removes the fat cells.
“ Enhancing contours, not shifting the scales…”
The best candidates are those who have a healthy lifestyle, exercise regularly and have a healthy diet. Although the fat cells are permanently removed through liposuction, if you don’t take care of your diet and exercise after the procedure, your remaining fat cells may increase in size.
Ideal candidates for liposuction
As mentioned above, some candidates are more suitable for liposuction than others. To be an ideal candidate for liposuction, you should:
- have a healthy weight and live a healthy lifestyle
- have good skin tone and elasticity (where the skin can mold itself into new contours)
- be confident that you can stick to a healthy exercise and diet routine after the surgical procedure
Common areas targeted for liposuction
There are many areas which can be targeted for liposuction, with the following the most common:
Liposuction is considered a relatively mainstream procedure and, in the hands of a skilled, experienced and appropriately qualified professional is considered safe with minimal risks attached. All surgical procedures carry some degree of risk, however, and with liposuction they may include bruising, bleeding or infection.
Choosing the correct surgeon for your procedure
Before any surgical procedure, we recommend you seek the opinion of at least two adequately qualified professionals. Along with checking their medical qualifications, you should also check the following:
- How did they train for the procedure?
- How many patients have they treated for this liposuction procedure?
- Ask to see photos of their work (then ask yourself, do you have the same aesthetic sensibilities as the doctor?)
Ensure that you feel comfortable with the doctor and can communicate well with them. Also, investigate after-care. Will the doctor be available for any emergencies? Will you be given detailed after-care procedures to follow? When will there be check-ups?
Dr Feldman is a Melbourne-trained doctor performing liposuction. Joni will always spend a long time with her patients, explaining the procedure in full and answering any questions they may have. For many women, it’s a comfort having a female doctor who they can relax and talk openly with.
Dr Feldman’s qualifications
M.B.B.S (MELB)- Fellow of LIPOPLASTY (ACCSM)
- Fellow of the Australian College of Cosmetic Surgery
- Founding Members of the Cosmetic Physician Society of Australasia
M.B.B.S (MELB)Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner. To discover more about the liposuction procedure, results and considerations, see our main liposuction page here. Read more about surgical risks here.