Have you ever looked at your silhouette and imagined that you could just wish away those areas that just protrude out too far? Have you ever wished you could have those fatty bulges just melt away? There is no need to feel alone as most of us have similar problem areas that we wish would just go away. That is why liposuction is the most popular plastic surgical procedure performed in the United States. Liposuction is a procedure, which is ideal for improving one's shape, silhouette, contour or figure. It is perfect for those stubborn, unsightly collections of fatty deposits.

Liposuction is not a weight loss technique. In fact, the best candidates are those who exercise regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle but have stubborn areas of fat that just will not go away. There is often a genetic component to the problem as people are preprogrammed to collect fat in defined locations such as the thighs and abdomen. We often see similar body shapes within families. This genetic predisposition is what makes it so difficult to rid these areas of their excess fat. Some of the best candidates for liposuction are those people who are generally thin but have a bulge, which puts their whole figure out of proportion. Here is where Liposuction can really make an impact.

The best candidates for Liposuction are:People whose weight is within the normal range yet want to improve their figure. People with excess fatty tissue located in a well-defined area. Men and women who are in good general health. Patients with good skin tone and elasticity. The most common areas for patients to have Liposuction are the abdomen, waist, hips, inner and outer thighs, inner knees, arms, chest, back and under the jaw. In addition many men undergo liposuction for excess breast tissue, known as Gynecomastia.

One of the many benefits of liposuction is that it can be performed through tiny incisions, which can usually be placed in very discrete, well-camouflaged locations such as natural body creases. This allows for ideal healing and makes it very difficult for the scars to be visible with the passage of time.

Liposuction is actually a form of body sculpting. Prior to treating an area, your plastic surgeon, will infuse a saline solution containing both an anesthetic and a medicine to reduce bleeding. This will firm up the area to allow more accurate "Liposculpting" and better results. The procedure is performed with a small hollow tube, known as a cannula, thru which the unwanted excess fat is permanently removed. Liposuction works because fat cells do not have the ability to reproduce and make new cells. Since we are born with a fixed number of fat cells, the results are permanent. The improved contours are proportionately maintained no matter what the patient's future weight might be.

Hundreds of liposuction procedures are performed each day in the United States. The vast majority are performed safely with good results. Most are performed with the benefit of some form of anesthesia, such as general or sedation type anesthesia, under the care of a fully trained Anesthesiologist. The procedure is generally considered safe, but like all surgical procedures there is some risk. Potential complications include bleeding, scarring dimpling, asymmetry, fluid accumulation and the risk of anesthesia. A fully trained, board certified plastic surgeon will take every precaution to help prevent complications from occurring.

After surgery, there will likely be both swelling and bruising. The bruising usually resolves in about two to three weeks. The majority of the swelling typically also resolves in two to three weeks but some residual swelling can last as long as 4 to 6 months after the procedure. Patients are typically asked to avoid all exercise and heavy lifting for at least two weeks after surgery.

Now comes the fun part. Its not just the opportunity to buy new clothes or show off your new figure. liposuction offers the chance to improve ones self-image and self-confidence. When your self-confidence is high then everything you attempt in life becomes better; your social life, your professional life and your love life all tend to be better.