Liposuction in Los Angeles

Give Yourself The Body That You Deserve

According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, liposuction is the most common plastic surgery procedure performed in the USA with over 400,000 procedures carried out each year. Liposuction is an option to remove small bulges of fat that you can’t seem to get rid of with proper dieting and exercise, and to improve your body's shape. It's most commonly done on the hips, abdomen, thighs, buttocks, and face. Most often, liposuction is performed on the abdomen and thighs in women, and the abdomen and flanks in men. These problem areas are commonly known as "saddlebags," "thunder thighs," "love handles" and "double chins." Often, these stubborn areas of fat have genetic origins, and cannot be reduced by diet and exercise. Liposuction does not remove cellulite, only fat.

The basic surgical challenge of any liposuction procedure is:

• To abstract the right amount of fat
• To cause the least disturbance of neighboring tissue, such as blood vessels and connective tissue
• To leave the person’s fluid balance undisturbed
• To cause the least discomfort to the patient

As techniques have been refined, many ideas have emerged that have brought liposuction closer to being safe, easy, less uncomfortable, and effective. Overall, the advantages of 30 years of improvements in liposuction surgery have been that more fat cells can more easily be removed, with less blood loss, less discomfort, and less risk. Recent developments suggest that the recovery period can be shortened as well, especially when using the tumescent liposuction technique that Dr. Younai is highly experienced in conducting at the California Center for Plastic Surgery. His board certification ensures that only the best technique will be used when performing the liposuction procedure, which means that you will achieve the best possible results from your cosmetic surgery with the least possible scarring and side effects.

Liposuction Candidates

Many people wonder whether or not they are legitimate candidates for liposuction. A good candidate for liposuction should have realistic expectations about the results of the procedure. In addition, he or she should be in good overall health, and of average or only slightly above-average weight, with firm, elastic skin. Age is generally not a major consideration when discussing liposuction. Older adults, though, often have less elasticity in their skin and thus may not get the same results that a younger person with tighter skin might get. Liposuction is NOT a treatment for obesity and should not be used for such intents. Liposuction is for people who have concentrated pockets of fat that do not respond well to diet and exercise. This makes liposuction a more fitting choice than Bariatric Surgery or Gastric Bypass among those who don’t want fat reduction from their entire body. People with cellulite are not good candidates for liposuction because they may develop skin irregularities in the treated area.

People with circulation (blood flow) problems, such as coronary artery disease, diabetes, as well as those with weakened immune systems should not undergo liposuction. During your initial consultation at his Los Angeles and Beverly Hills facility, Dr. Younai will evaluate your health and body contour, and he will determine exactly where on your body the unwanted fat deposits are. Based on his years of training and experience as a board certified cosmetic plastic surgeon, Dr. Younai will select the body-contouring method that's most appropriate for your body and give you a detailed, step-by-step explanation of the liposuction procedure. 

Liposuction Techniques

In general, during the liposuction procedure, a cannula (a hollow tube) is placed through small incisions made by the cosmetic plastic surgeon and then the fat is removed with the help of an aspirator (a suction device). Liposuction techniques can be categorized by the amount of fluid injection and by the mechanism in which the cannula works.

-Tumescent liposuction is a technique that provides local anesthesia to large volumes of subcutaneous fat and thus permits liposuction totally by local anesthesia. In the past, liposuction surgery required blood transfusions because of significant blood loss in the liposuction aspirate. The tumescent liposuction technique eliminates both the need for general anesthesia and intravenous narcotics and sedatives while minimizing blood loss. By injecting a large volume of very dilute lidocaine (local anesthetic) and epinephrine (blood vessel constrictor) into subcutaneous fat, the targeted tissue becomes swollen and firm, or tumescent. The tumescent technique can be used with general anesthesia or IV sedation. However, with appropriate instrumentation and surgical method, the tumescent technique permits liposuction of large volumes of fat totally by local anesthesia only, without IV sedation or narcotic analgesia. Since its inception, liposuction performed using the tumescent technique has had an excellent safety profile and has been widely used across most forms of liposuction. In recent times, the tumescent technique has also been used to safely remove increasing large volumes of fatty tissue; in a practice known as “Mega Liposuction”.

-Lipozap is one of the newer arrivals on the market for non-surgical fat reduction.  Lipozap combines mesotherapy, and the VelaSmooth machine to improve the contour of your body.  Mesotherapy is injections of lipo-dissolve or phosphatidylcholine into pockets of fat targeted for reduction. A series of four to nine injections are effective in reducing small pockets of fat, such as under the chin or jowls.  VelaSmooth is a combination of endermologie type suction massage, infrared light and bipolar radiofrequency that temporarily improve the skin and the contour of the body with a series of four to nine treatments. Although it is not a substitute for liposuction, it does offer an alternative solution for those who are not prepared to, or who do not qualify to, undergo liposuction.

-Power Assisted Liposuction uses a specialized cannula with mechanized movement, so that the cosmetic plastic surgeon does not need to make as many manual movements. Otherwise it is similar to the traditional Suction-assisted liposuction, which is the standard method of liposuction. In this approach, a small cannula (hollow tube) is inserted through a small incision made by the plastic surgeon. It is attached to a vacuum device. The surgeon pushes and pulls it in a forwards and backwards motion, carefully through the fat layer, breaking up the fat cells and drawing them out of the body by suction.

-Ultrasonic Assisted Liposuction also known as ultrasonic liposuction, is where a specialized cannula is used which transmits ultrasound vibrations within the body. This vibration bursts the walls of the fat cells, emulsifying (liquefying) the fat and making it easier to suction out. Ultrasonic liposuction is a good choice for working on more fibrous areas, like the upper back or male breast area. It takes longer than traditional liposuction, but not longer than tumescent liposuction. There is slightly less blood loss. There appears to be slightly more risk of seromas (pockets of fluid) forming which may have to be drained with a needle. After ultrasonic liposuction, it is necessary to perform suction-assisted liposuction to remove the liquified fat, or to deposit additional fat cells, used in high definition liposuction, to create more volume where it is needed.

What Results to Expect from Liposuction

Before making the decision to undergo liposuction, each prospective patient should review their goals and ideas regarding their ideal body weight and contour with Dr. Younai. It is important to understand the limits of liposuction and what it is best used for. Although some studies have shown that liposuction may provide some health benefits in regards to disorders related to being overweight (diabetes, etc..), it is crucial to understand that liposuction is NOT the treatment for obesity or disorders related to being overweight. The intent of liposuction is to remove small bulges of fat that persist, in spite of diet and exercise, and to improve your body's overall shape and contour.

The fat cells in the area you are undergoing liposuction on are removed permanently. However, it is important to note that liposuction will not prevent you from gaining weight. If you gain weight after the procedure, it usually will not concentrate in the area that was treated. To keep your new shape and new weight after liposuction, you must follow a proper diet and exercise plan that Dr. Younai will help you come up with. Make an appointment today for consultation with Dr. Younai at his Los Angeles and Beverly Hills plastic surgery center.