Liposuction

Liposuction is a minimally invasive way to permanently remove fat without the need for large incisions or significant downtime. Since its inception in the 1970s, improved techniques and devices have allowed surgeons to perfect the art of fat removal with less damage to the surrounding connective tissues and more natural-looking contours. If you feel that you have unwanted pockets of fat that haven’t responded to diet or exercise, liposuction can sculpt them away to promote an attractive, slimmer silhouette that highlights the curves you desire.

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If you feel ready to explore the benefits of liposuction and find out if it’s right for you, consider booking a consultation with Dr. Monika Kiripolsky, a board-certified cosmetic surgeon, laser specialist, and dermatologist.

Dr. Kiripolsy is a renowned board-certified medical doctor  with multiple publications, presentations, and research studies in various areas of dermatologic, laser, and cosmetic surgery, keeping her up-to-date concerning the current knowledge in her fields of expertise. She balances surgical skill with her artistic vision, allowing her to create the most beautiful, aesthetically pleasing results that you can love for a lifetime. To book a consultation with Dr. Kiripolsky in her Beverly Hills, CA office, call (424) 652-6563, or reach out using her contact form, and a staff member will help you schedule an appointment at a time most convenient for you.

The Basics of Liposuction

As one of the most common body sculpting treatments in the United States, tumescent liposuction involves injecting a biocompatible solution into the treatment area to engorge the fat cells and prepare it for removal with strategically placed suction. In 2020 alone, American surgeons performed over 210,000 liposuction procedures, ranking it as number four in terms of popularity. ⁽¹⁾

As a minimally invasive procedure that incorporates incisions that are only a few millimeters in length, the procedure has an infection complication rate of only 0.1% and has low complication rates overall. ⁽²⁾ Since the development of liposuction, surgeons have also gained a better understanding of the subcutaneous fat layer just under the skin and have developed new and advanced ways to improve the procedure. This has facilitated the development of over 50 new technologies that have revolutionized liposuction and other fat-removal surgeries. ⁽³⁾ Still, the essence of this procedure remains the same with the use of tumescent fluid, a mix of liquid compounds that includes lidocaine, epinephrine, and sodium bicarbonate. While the lidocaine provides further numbing for your tissues just beneath the skin, the epinephrine restricts blood vessels to minimize bleeding. The sodium bicarbonate, a type of saline, makes the fat swell so that the suction device, the cannula, can easily sculpt it away from fibrous tissues around the fat. With tumescent liposuction, you can enhance the contours of your:

What are the Benefits of Tumescent Liposuction?

With Dr. Kiripolsky’s liposuction technique, you will only need local anesthesia, so you can avoid the risks and negative side effects that come with general anesthesia. This removes the need for administering sedatives and narcotics during surgery. With the administration of tumescent fluid, there is minimal to no bleeding during the procedure. The cannula used in liposuction is only a fraction of an inch in diameter, so it can access the fat layer through a tiny incision in the skin- eliminating the need for sutures.

Liposuction Candidates

The best candidates for liposuction are healthy men and women who are close to their ideal body weight and are looking to sculpt additional unwanted fat from a certain area of their body. Ideally, they should be non-smokers, but Dr. Kiripolksy will consider those who are willing to quit for some time to optimize their healing process and results. Prospective patients should also have decent skin elasticity that can recoil after the removal of underlying fat. Liposuction is not a weight-loss procedure, so patients should have realistic expectations for their results and be willing to maintain them with diet and exercise after their recovery.

Personal Consultation

During your consultation with Dr. Kiripolsky, she will review your overall health and get a comprehensive idea of your body sculpting goals to prescribe a tailored treatment plan. She will provide you with a comprehensive overview of the procedure itself, how to best prepare, and what you need to know to promote a successful recovery. You will have the chance to ask her questions and discuss alternative treatment methods that may be more suited to your unique aesthetic concerns. If you are looking for premium quality care, professionalism, and sensitivity regarding your body goals, contact Dr. Kiripolsky’s Beverly Hills office at (424) 652-6563 or get in touch using our online form. We can’t wait to help you feel like your most confident self.

How to Prepare

A critical part of preparation is ensuring that you are in good physical health without any conditions that could impact your recovery or the procedure itself. Dr. Kiripolsky will do this by conducting blood tests and reviewing your medications and/or supplements. She may require that you make adjustments to make liposuction a safer, more effective procedure.

For example, blood thinning medications can cause excess bleeding and bruising, so you must avoid them for a certain amount of time leading up to your procedure date. If you smoke or consume nicotine in any form, you should quit for at least a few weeks before and after liposuction to get your circulation working optimally. On the day of your surgery, you should arrive in loose, comfortable clothing that will be easy to take off after you are discharged. Since you will be sore and tender for a few days following, you should make sure that you stock up on certain OTC medications that Dr. Kiripolsky approves of. She will provide you with more personalized preparation steps that are customized to your needs.

Tumescent Liposuction Procedure Steps

Dr. Kiripolsky will first use local anesthesia in the treatment area to ensure you don’t feel any discomfort for the duration of the procedure. She will then administer the tumescent fluid to numb subcutaneous tissues and engorge the targeted fat deposits. She will allow the solution to settle for 15 to 30 minutes to ensure proper blood vessel constriction. Depending on the size of the treatment area, Dr. Kiripolsky will make, on average, 1 to 3 incisions that are only 1.5 cm in length. ⁽⁴⁾ She will be sure to place these incisions in more discreet locations where clothing can hide them and/or the creases of your natural curves. She will introduce a thin cannula through these incisions and make to-and-fro motions to strategically suction away the fat. Once she finishes the contouring, the liposuction incisions are closed. She will give you a post-surgical compression garment that will reduce swelling and encourage your skin to retract to your new figure.

Recovery and Results

Since liposuction is not as invasive as many other procedures, you will be able to go home the same day, so long as someone else drives you. Your treated area and the surrounding areas will initially be more swollen and sore, and you may experience some bruising. You will have the option to take prescription medications, but many patients find that they only need over-the-counter medications for a few days. Applying the compression garment allows you to eliminate swelling faster and reduce your risk of seroma- fluid buildup in one area. You will have to wear this snug garment for about 3 to 5 weeks, depending on the extent of the sculpting. Still, you will likely be able to return to work in about 1 week, depending on your healing rate. As soon as you stop wearing the garment, Dr. Kiripolsky will re-evaluate you to see if you can safely go back to your regular gym routine and other strenuous activities. You’ll begin to notice your final results at around 6 weeks, and they will continue to improve over the next few months as residual swelling subsides.

How to Recover Faster from Liposuction

Following Dr. Kiripolsky’s exact instructions for using the compression garment is one of the biggest factors in the success and speed of your recovery. However, you should also make sure to walk around for brief periods as soon as you feel well enough. This will promote more blood flow around your body and prevent blood clots from forming. You should also consult Dr. Kiripolsky about lymphatic massage of the treatment area.

Corresponding & Complementary Procedures

Fat Transfer

For a fat transfer procedure, Dr. Kiripolsky will perform liposuction, store the collected fat, purify it, and re-inject it into another part of the body. With fat transfer, you can accentuate and add natural, youthful volume to your hips, buttocks, breasts, and face. She can also use the fat to diminish the prominence of veins, wrinkles, and tendons on the hands and feet.

Cost of Liposuction in Beverly Hills

The total cost of your liposuction procedure will depend on the number of treatment areas, any prescribed medications, follow-up appointments, and other related fees. Dr. Kiripolsky will give you an estimate at the time of your consultation to help you decide if this procedure is right for you. If you would like an alternative payment plan, consider applying for CareCredit, offered at Dr. Kiripolsky’s practice. To explore other options outside of liposuction, browse through her blog to better inform yourself.

We offer liposuction treatment and other cosmetic procedures in Beverly Hills, a well-known center for the country’s top surgeons. Call us at (424) 652-6563 or use our contact form to get in touch.

References

1. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Plastic Surgery Statistics Report.; 2020. https://www.plasticsurgery.org/documents/News/Statistics/2020/plastic-surgery-statistics-report-2020.pdf 
2. Cuevas Bustos R, Cervantes Gutierrez O, Perez Tristan FA, Acuña Macouzet A, Flores-Huidobro Martinez A, Jafif Cojab M. Necrotizing soft tissue infection after liposculpture; Case report. International Journal of Surgery Case Reports. 2020;77:677-681. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijscr.2020.11.078 
3. Beidas OE, Gusenoff JA. Update on Liposuction: What All Plastic Surgeons Should Know. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. 2021;147(4):658e668e. doi:https://doi.org/10.1097/prs.0000000000007419 
4. Dhami LD. Liposuction. Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery : Official Publication of the Association of Plastic Surgeons of India. 2008;41(Suppl):S27-S40. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2825130/