3921 E. Baseline Road Suite 100 Gilbert, Arizona 480-289-5252
The best candidates for any surgery are those who are best educated on their chosen surgery and who have realistic expectations of their results. Patients who would be happy with a 50% improvement in the desired area are ideal. My goal is always to produce a result that is much better than that but it is important to note that some residual fat under the skin is necessary for normal body contour.
Patients also need to look at liposuction as a method of specific body contouring and not as a treatment for generalized obesity. It is not a method of weight loss but an overweight person with specific problem areas may be an excellent candidate for liposuction.Within 24 hours of surgery you will notice a significant reduction in the targeted areas. Most patients drain for 24-72 hours but some do experience drainage for a bit longer. It is important to continue to wear your compression garments for an additional 24 hours after all drainage has stopped. Most patients can return to normal activities within 48 hours, even working out. Many chose to wear their compression garments due to the added comfort and support they provide. Swelling and discomfort actually peaks approximately 3 weeks postoperatively and typically final results take approximately 3 months to develop. Itching also persists for 2-4 weeks and is associated with the healing process. It is therefore very important to time your procedure is some upcoming event is one of your incentives for surgery.
Liposuction has not become “smarter” or “cooler”. Rather, aggressive marketing of surgical tools often costing over $100,000 have created the illusion that better results can be had if these devices are used. No clinical studies published to date have confirmed the claims made by these multimillion dollar companies that the results produced are better than those accomplished through meticulous technique of liposuction performed under totally local anesthesia.
First and foremost you should expect honesty. You will be asked to fill out a complete medical history. You will be photographed and your questions will be answered. If you chose to have surgery you will meet with the surgical coordinator and financial arrangements will be made. A preoperative physical exam will be scheduled and arrangements will be made for any necessary preoperative testing. You can also review Dr. Mikel’s brochure, “Why I Chose to Have Liposuction” which chronicles his research and training as a physician and his personal experience as a liposuction patient.
“ I had my second baby in January, and despite dieting and keeping a busy schedule with two kids and work, I could not lose the “pouch” in my tummy. Dr. Mikel performed “awake liposuction” on me on Saturday morning, and I was able to return to work Monday with minimal discomfort. Liposuction is a surgical technique utilized to improve the body’s contour through the removal of excess fat from underneath the skin. It involves the injection of a solution to “tumesce” or swell the fatty deposits so that a surgical stainless steel tube, or cannula can be inserted. Powerful suction is then applied and the cannula creates small tunnels within the fatty deposits that when healing is complete significantly improves the body’s contour.
The procedure of liposuction was first performed in the 1920s in France. The modern concept of liposuction was developed by an Italian Obstetrician and Gynecologist. The technique had serious complications, the most frequent being excessive bleeding. Eventually small amounts of epinephrine were added to the liposuction solution and bleeding was decreased but it wasn’t until dermatologist, Dr. Jeffrey Klein developed the procedure of liposuction under totally local anesthesia that the complications associated with general anesthesia could be avoided.
The two major types of liposuction really are based on the philosophy of the surgeon. Tumescent liposuction under totally local anesthesia is also known as awake liposuction. It is based on scientific studies that have proven the safest method of surgery involves delicate removal of fatty deposits through 1-2mm incisions. Through these tiny incisions small micro-cannulas are used to produce more precise body sculpting. These incisions are so small that no stitches are necessary and they usually heal with no scars. Awake liposuction reduces the risks of general anesthesia and allows for the doctor and patient to interact before, during, and after the surgery for the best cosmetic results. Traditional or “super-wet” technique is performed under general or iv anesthesia. This procedure is more time efficient for the surgeon because larger volumes of fat can be removed using larger instruments. The major risks are those associated with the anesthesia. It is well recognized that local anesthesia is significantly safer than general anesthesia.
The word tumescent means swollen and firm. By injecting a large volume of an extremely dilute lidocaine (a local anesthetic) and epinephrine (a capillary constrictor) into subcutaneous fat, the targeted tissue becomes swollen and firm, or tumescent. Tumescent technique provides local anesthesia to the selected areas of fat and allows liposuction completely by local anesthesia. The tumescent technique eliminates the need for general anesthesia, iv sedation, or narcotic pain medication. The vasoconstriction provided by the solution provides that liposuction can be done with virtually no blood loss and provides for postoperative pain control so effective that only Tylenol can be used for discomfort.
Any type of surgical procedure carries with it some potential risk or side effect. Most of the complications of traditional liposuction are eliminated though the use of solely local anesthesia, open drainage, and post-operative compression. Some of the known remaining risks include skin dimpling, unevenness of results, bruising, loose skin or infection. The degree of skin tightening is related to age, genetics, nutrition and lifestyle (especially smoking)..
Areas Treated by Liposuction The most frequent areas my patients inquire about is the “baby pooch” or lower abdomen.
Fat cells removed from the body do not grow back. As long as the patient does not gain excessive weight, the effects will be permanent. Patients who gain significant amounts of weight may notice excessive fatty deposits in other areas of the body.
