| Dr. Jennifer L. Reichel is Board certified Dermatologist by the American Board of Dermatology. Here the doctor has answered some common questions that Bizymoms visitors have about Liposuction.
Q. What is Liposuction?
A. Liposuction is a semi-invasive procedure to remove unwanted fatty deposits. I perform tumescent liposuction. This procedure was invented by a dermatologist, Dr Klein, in the 1980s and has been refined and described as "liposculpture." The patient is awake during the procedure (I use a combination of pain medication and sedation to keep patients comfortable). I am amazed at how well people tolerate the procedure.
Q. How could a Liposuction candidate be determined?
A. I offer free liposuction consultations in the office. They take about 30 to 60 minutes. Liposuction is best for people who are healthy and relatively fit – but have unwanted, exercise resistant fatty deposits. Liposuction can also work great for people who may not exercise very much, but are not too heavy for their body shape and size.
Q. What are the complications and risks associated with a Liposuction surgery?
A. Tumescent liposuction is actually very safe with very few risks. We are very cautious and always put our patients on pre-operative antibiotics to avoid infection. We also insist that they have someone stay with them the night after the procedure so that if they are having any problems, someone is there. There is a risk of getting a blood clot in your leg if you go home and go straight to bed, so we talk to patients about "active healing" and needing to walk around the house or the block a couple of times after they get home.
Q. What are the advanced techniques used to perform Liposuction?
A. There are power-assisted liposuctions canulas that can make the procedure go a bit faster and make it a bit easier for the physician ("tickle liposuction"). As far as the "laser liposuction" goes – I am not a big advocate. I haven’t found that the laser assisted liposuction techniques improve the outcome, but they can increase the risk – as the laser light is hot and can cause burns. They also increase the cost – so I have not jumped on that band-wagon yet. If I see any really well done research that shows true improvement – that would be exciting. I do like to sometimes couple a liposuction with the use of a skin tightening laser 2 weeks later (such as the Thermage). I think that can increase the skin tightening.
Q. What is the estimated recovery period?
A. People recover very fast. You need 3-4 days off of any work or heavy exercise and then you can return to work and your daily activities. Most patients are still sore for 2-3 weeks and they have to wear their liposuction "garment" for 4-6 weeks.
Q. Does liposuction produce permanent results?
A. Yes – absolutely.
Q. How much would the Liposuction surgery cost?
A. It varies depending on the areas, but ranges from 3000 to 6000.
Q. How can we contact Dr. Reichel if we have further questions?
A. Check our website or facebook – pacificdermcenter.com. Or call to schedule a free consultation at 206-859-5777. Our email is jreichel@pacificdermcenter.com |
