Liposuction is a fat removal procedure that has been performed safely and effectively for decades. We offer it at MilfordMD Cosmetic Dermatology Surgery & Laser Center in Milford, PA to help our clients achieve contours they can be proud of. However, this procedure is not right for everyone. Read on to learn more about lipo and what weight loss results you can realistically expect to help you determine whether it is right for you.
How Much Weight Can You Lose With Liposuction?
You may be able to lose between 10 and 11 pounds with liposuction, depending on your body mass and how much subcutaneous fat is in your areas of concern. The greater your body mass, the more fat we can remove safely during this procedure. Similarly, the more fat you have near your skin in your areas of concern, the more fat we will be able to remove effectively.
Besides your body mass and the amount of subcutaneous fat you have, there are other factors affecting the amount of weight you can expect to lose following this procedure. For example, as a general rule, the larger your areas of concern are, the more weight you can expect to lose. The efficacy of liposuction varies, in part, based on the size of the area of concern. It can remove around 26% of fat in large areas and 80% of fat in small areas.
An Example
Even though lipo can remove a larger percentage of subcutaneous fat from smaller areas, you should not expect more weight loss if you target smaller areas for fat removal. For example, if you have a pound of subcutaneous fat in your neck and chin, lipo may be able to remove around 12.8 ounces of fat.
On the other hand, if you have five pounds of subcutaneous back fat, liposuction will be able to remove roughly 20.8 ounces (over 1.25 pounds) of fat.
Another factor that affects how much weight you may be able to lose from lipo is the number of areas you are treating. If you need to remove excess fat from your thighs, arms, chest, and abdomen, you can expect to lose more weight than if you were only concerned with a few areas, like your knees, underarms, and buttocks.
What Can I Expect After the Procedure?
You can expect to feel pretty groggy after your procedure, but you shouldn’t expect to feel pain. This is because you will be administered either general anesthesia or a combination of sedation and local anesthesia before your procedure to keep you comfortable and calm. However, sedatives can make you feel groggy or drowsy for several hours.
Due to the medication administered prior to the procedure, you will not be able to drive yourself home when your surgery is over. However, lipo is an outpatient procedure, so you don’t need to worry about spending the night in a hospital. Rather, you’ll just need to ensure that you have a ride home. We recommend picking out comfortable clothes that will be easy to put on after your procedure, like a dress or soft button-up shirt.
When Will I Be Able To Drive Again?
How soon you will be able to drive after your procedure depends on the medications you take post-op. You may not operate a motor vehicle or any other heavy machinery for 24 hours after taking certain analgesics.
If you do not take such analgesics post-op, it may be fine for you to drive just 24 hours after your procedure. Just listen very carefully to your body during your recovery. If you feel exceptionally tired more than 24 hours post-op, don’t drive. Take a nap.
How Much Should I Sleep During My Recovery?
You should do your best to sleep for nine hours in a row every night during your recovery. If you can’t get nine consecutive hours of sleep nightly, aim to get nine hours of sleep total every night. Regardless of how long you sleep every night, make sure you are listening very carefully to your body. If you feel exhausted, take a nap. Recovering from surgery requires a lot of energy, and it is during REM sleep that most of your body’s self-healing occurs.
During your initial consultation, we will advise you on how to sleep after your procedure. If you get lipo to address excess fat in your chest or abdominal region, you will need to sleep on your back.
What Else Should I Do to Speed Up My Recovery Process?
It is vital that you remain hydrated throughout the recovery process. An adequate amount of water is crucial for a number of bodily functions, including the production and healthy maintenance of collagen. Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body, and one of its roles is to help your skin heal itself. To ensure that you have plenty of healthy collagen to get your skin healing itself efficiently, drink enough hydrating fluids that your urine is clear consistently.
You should also eat as nutritiously as possible to ensure your recovery is as short as possible. Besides water, your skin needs large quantities of amino acids and vitamin C to produce and maintain the health of the collagen that is responsible for cellular rejuvenation. Fortunately, there are several foods you can incorporate into your post-op diet to make sure you get plenty of vitamin C and amino acids. Examples include:
- Cruciferous vegetables
- Citrus fruits
- Tropical fruits
- Fish
- Poultry
Am I a Good Candidate for This Procedure?
As a general rule of thumb, good lipo candidates are relatively healthy and at or near their desired weight. They also have realistic expectations about the results of the procedure and feel confident that they can maintain their weight. Regarding expectations about results, to qualify for this procedure, you should understand that it is not a weight loss procedure. It is a body contouring procedure.
In other words, if you are obese, you will need to lose weight before you qualify. Specifically, this procedure was not designed to facilitate weight loss and will only be effective for people who are no more than 30 pounds away from their ideal weight. However, the best candidates for this procedure are no more than 10 pounds away from their desired weight.
What Other Fat Removal Techniques May Be Right for Me?
Depending on your health and goals, Kybella may be a better fit for you than lipo. While lipo involves at least one incision and requires time off from work to recover, Kybella only involves a few dozen injections. After the injections are administered, there is no downtime required. You can return to work on the same day as your treatment.
Kybella is a deoxycholic acid-based injectable that is similar to lipo in that it eliminates localized fat cells. One of the primary differences is that the fat cells are not suctioned out of your body. Rather, the deoxycholic acid melts the fat cells in the treatment area, and it is up to your body to eliminate the fat cells killed during the treatment.
What Results Can I Expect From Kybella Injections?
Depending on the amount of subcutaneous fat you have in your chin and neck, you can expect to lose between 20 and 30% of the fat cells per treatment session. Depending on your cosmetic goals and the severity of your concerns, you may need between one and six treatment sessions spaced four to six weeks apart to achieve your goals.
Injection sessions are spaced at least a month apart because it can take between four and six weeks for your lymphatic system to flush out the fat cells destroyed during the treatment session. This way, we can see how much progress has been made already and determine the ideal dose to administer. However, you should keep in mind that Kybella is only approved by the FDA for fat removal in the submental region. It is not appropriate for other concerns.
Book Your Evaluation Now
It is possible to lose between 10 and 11 pounds during a lipo session if you still have quite a bit of weight to lose. However, you may only be able to lose a few pounds if you are already at or near your ideal weight. If you think a fat removal procedure would help you feel more confident in your appearance, you may be a good candidate. Find out for sure by booking an appointment with us now at MilfordMD Cosmetic Dermatology Surgery & Laser Center in Milford, PA.
