Newport Beach Liposuction - Frequently Asked Questions

Newport Beach - Orange County, California

Will liposuction help me lose weight?

No, it’s not a weight loss surgery. It’s for removing pockets of fat. If you’ve been working at losing weight and have arrived at something close to your ideal weight, but find that certain areas just won’t lose the fat, then you could benefit from liposuction. It’s a procedure that will help with distribution of fat, but not with overall loss of fat.

Is liposuction permanent?

Yes, in the sense that those particular fat cells are gone for good. But if you revert to poor eating habits, or live a sedentary lifestyle, you could again gain weight. The liposuction causes some scarring which will inhibit fat cells from forming in that same area again. But they can form somewhere else. We gain weight both by forming new fat cells and by enlarging the ones we have. So though liposuction removes fat cells the neighboring fat cells in that area can enlarge.

Is liposuction safe?

All surgeries bring some risk because whenever the skin is punctured or incised, bacteria can invade and cause infection. That’s why surgical protocol is so strict in regard to sterilizing all instruments, wearing masks and gloves etc. In rare circumstances a patient may be allergic to the anesthetic, somebody turns out to be allergic to the anesthetic used, or some unusual complications develops.

Liposuction is safest when done in an surgical facility rather than in a hospital. And when the surgeon chooses only good candidates for the procedure, and if you are in good health and you follow the post-operative instructions, your risk of complications is extremely low.

Can liposuction be done anywhere on the body?

Yes, theoretically. But it’s done mostly in certain areas:

Is a laser used in liposuction?

Yes, lasers are used sometimes to tighten the skin after fat is removed from underneath it. To some extent, especially in younger people, the skin will tighten itself. But a laser can be used to shrink the skin from its underside, through the incisions made for the liposuction cannula. This is often done on the neck or chin area.

What sort of anesthesia is used for liposuction?

For the most part, general anesthetic is used rather than local anesthesia. If you choose, you can have a calming medication such as Valium.

View liposuction before & after photos.