If 50 is the New 40, is Liposuction the New Tooth Whitening?

When I think back to the days when my mother was the age I am now, I find it striking how much our willingness to talk about certain topics has changed. Did she get her hair colored? You bet! But was she going to be caught admitting it, or talking about it at all? No way. She’d rather have bitten off her tongue. But with the passing of time things changed. Talking about your hair, who your hairdresser was, and how often you got it colored became a perfectly acceptable topic of conversation.

Today, plastic surgery, and particularly liposuction, is going the same way. What was a taboo topic back in the day, like whether you had breast surgery or not, is now openly discussed with friends or even on social media. Women proudly post entire storylines of their cosmetic procedures on public forums like RealSelf, including before and after pictures. Instead of hiding the work they’ve had done, many women freely share their results with the rest of the world.

Not only is it more acceptable nowadays to talk about your body contouring success stories, it is almost expected that you undergo a procedure to enhance your body, if one is available. Just think about your teeth. There was a time when stained or crooked teeth were perfectly normal, but nowadays we cringe when we see a mouth in need of orthodontic care. The same is true about hair, for women at least. We are expected to color it before it turns gray, whether that’s good or bad. And likewise, we are getting to the point where we face pressure to remove stubborn fat around our waistlines, simply because many of our friends are doing it too.

What, exactly, does liposuction do?

And yet, liposuction still retains a certain myth. What, exactly, does it do? Is it too good to be true? As one of the busiest liposuction centers in Tennessee, we are here to tell you a little more about it.

Essentially, liposuction is a cosmetic surgery procedure to remove stubborn, unwanted fat. We’re not talking about losing weight here. That’s something you still have to do the old-fashioned way, with diet, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle. However, even after weight loss, we often are left with pockets of fat that simply will not budge. Liposuction is the perfect way to target such fat cells and permanently remove them from our body.

During water liposuction, you typically receive a mild sedative to numb against any discomfort. The physician then uses a tiny cannula to break up and suction off excess fat from the area of treatment. This could be your abdomen, your thighs, your upper arms, or your bra bulges. Your doctor may also use a powerful laser – such as SmartLipo – to target more elusive fat cells and to tighten the skin.

The best part about liposuction is that you get to walk out of that building with a good portion of your fat gone from your body. You can literally see the results in a jar, unless you prefer not to. Your best results will appear after about six weeks during your follow-up visit, but there is no question that your fat is gone right after the lipo procedure. A typical procedure lasts about two hours. Most patients need about two days of recovery, after which they are able to resume their regular day-to-day activities.

How is liposuction different from other fat reduction procedures?

Liposuction is not to be confused with a tummy tuck – a procedure in which excess skin, and fat, are surgically removed from your tummy. Without question, tummy tucks produce beautiful results. But they are a good deal more invasive than liposuction in terms of sedation and recovery time.

Liposuction is also not to be confused with non-invasive treatments such as CoolSculpting, in which a nurse or technician passes a special wand over your abdomen to freeze excess fat. After they are targeted in this way, your body eliminates these fat cells over time. For many women – and men – who do not want to undergo even a minimally-invasive cosmetic procedure, this is a good first start. However, you should be aware that with CoolSculpting your fat is still in your body after your treatment, and that several treatments are needed to yield visible results.

If you are looking for liposuction in Nashville, please contact our Nashville Cosmetic Surgery Practice for a consultation. To schedule a consultation for liposuction in Memphis, please contact our Memphis Cosmetic Surgery Practice.