Liposuction FAQ

Typically about 3-4 areas can safely be treated with a single liposuction procedure.

Although fat is removed with liposuction, it does not prevent weight gain in the future—however, the areas that received liposuction will still look better than they would have without liposuction if the patient gains weight.

No more than five liters of fat should be removed during a single liposuction procedure.

Liposuction has a reputation for having one of the lowest complication rates of any cosmetic surgery procedure. Excessive bleeding, infection, and skin damage can occur in the hands of an inexperienced surgeon, but these are all very rare when a skilled surgeon is performing liposuction.

The cost of liposuction will depend on how many areas are being treated. You can get a good idea of how much your liposuction will cost during your consultation.

Because of the anesthesia, patients do not feel any pain during the liposuction procedure. However, as with any surgery, it is common for patients to experience pain, swelling, bruising, soreness, and numbness afterward. This is typically minimal and can be controlled with over-the-counter medications.

Anesthesia options for liposuction include general anesthesia and local anesthesia. General anesthesia puts you in a sleep-like state where you are completely unconscious.

At the Virginia Institute of Plastic Surgery, we also provide our "Little Lipo" procedure, which is performed with local tumescent anesthetic and anti-anxiety medication. Many patients prefer this procedure, as it requires less anesthesia.

Liposuction has very little downtime. In fact, most patients should begin walking the day after their procedure in order to speed up healing. Most patients return to their regular exercise routine between 1-2 weeks.

The surgeon who performs your liposuction procedure should absolutely be board certified. If he or she is not, you're putting yourself at risk. It's very important to choose a qualified, properly trained and experienced board certified plastic surgeon.

A small instrument called a cannula is used for liposuction. It is designed to be used with the absolute most minimal scarring possible—however, the amount of scarring will depend on both the number of insertion points that are required to treat the area and the patient's skin quality. Great care is taken to make any scars as invisible as they can be.

The best candidates for a liposuction procedure are non-smokers who are in general good health, and who have skin with good elasticity and focal collections of diet-resistant fat. They should be fairly close to their goal weight, but perhaps have stubborn subcutaneous fat (where fat lies between muscle and skin), and not visceral fat (where the layer of fat lies below the muscle layer around the abdominal organs).

Those who are obese should attempt to lose weight through diet and exercise before considering liposuction. Those who have loose skin or cellulite are also not the best candidates for liposuction in Washington DC, as the procedure may leave them with uneven or dimpled skin.