The Real Skinny on Lipo: Living through it and Loving the Results!
OK, fess up ladies… Liposuction… most of us have thought about it at least once or twice in our adult lives. Even if you feel pretty good about your thighs, with modern society’s eternal quest for a better appearance being so ingrained you’d have to be living on the moon not to at least wonder about whether it could actually work for you.
About six months back, I started to wonder about it for myself. You see… I have lousy genetics. No matter how much I exercise and/or diet, I’m cursed with massive thighs and upper arms. I’m not even exaggerating--they really are disproportionate. Since the age of 14, none of my clothes have fit. Pants are always too loose in the waist or too tight in the leg. Sleeveless dresses and blouses are impossible. And it’s not just about feeling self-conscious over the way I look, it’s that I never feel entirely comfortable in my own skin or my clothes. It impacts so many aspects of my life—from how I am at work, to meeting new people—even my posture by the end of the day. I started to think, “What if I could feel more comfortable in myself every day? What would that be like? What other things would it make room for?”
I decided to do some homework.
First the basics… What exactly is liposuction, again? Simply put, liposuction is a surgical procedure to remove excess fat. The surgeon makes a small incision in the skin, inserts a specially designed tube that excises and vacuums excess fatty tissue out of the body. At the same time, fluid containing anesthetic and a blood-clotting agent is injected under the skin to reduce bleeding, alleviate pain, and make the tissue easier to work with. In fact, in most cases, putting the patient to sleep isn’t necessary.
Who is the ideal candidate? (Am I?) For Lipo to really work, you pretty much have to start in a good place. Liposuction is not a substitute for weight loss. When it comes to straight up obesity, diet and exercise is still the best solution. Liposuction is most appropriate for someone who is of normal or nearly normal weight with areas of disproportionate fat accumulation. In my case, I would probably never be considered overweight—just misshapen with excess fat in my hips, thighs and arms. The other thing you have to be, for Lipo to work, is young(ish). Those under 35 years of age, who still have elastic skin, tend to fare better than older candidates, as the skin needs to conform to the new body shape. In my case, I’m 32—but a girlfriend of mine who is in her 40’s needed to combine her Lipo with a tuck because of the elasticity factor.
Will my fat come back? Technically no. Once the fat cells are removed, they will not regenerate. However, the fat cells that do remain may increase in size. I know it may seem unfair, but the bottom line is that to see the best results from Lipo, you still have to exercise and watch what you eat after surgery.
What’s the recovery like? Most people can go home on the same day as the procedure. You can expect to feel stiff, achy and numb with a return to normal activities in a few days. Wearing a special elastic undergarment for support for about three to four weeks after the surgery can ease discomfort—especially if you experience swelling.
What are the risks? Liposuction is generally considered a safe procedure, but knowledge of the risks is essential. In situations where a great deal of fat is being removed, the risk of blood loss is higher, and so you’ll either want to have the procedure done in a hospital setting (rather than an outpatient clinic) or you’ll want to break things down over the course of several sessions. I opted for the latter—doing one session for my thighs and another for my arms. It just made the most sense when considering risk, comfort and cost.
How should I choose a doctor? Doctors from a variety of specialties perform liposuction--you do not want an allergist working on your thighs! Be sure to choose a provider certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. This is extremely important in ensuring that the procedure will be carried out safely in accordance with the current standards of the profession. I also think you also need to feel super comfortable with the doctor, nurse and overall clinic environment during your initial consult—but more about this in my next post…
For now, while I am really happy with my decision to have Lipo, I think the most important thing to remember is: Don’t expect instant results. I have impatient friends who expected to wake up skinny and perfect. It’s just not how it works—which is one of the reasons I’m writing this blog. The real skinny on Lipo is that, as with any surgery, it involves a significant healing process, and you need to figure out how to enjoy that process in order to see the improvements... day by day…
http://elixirdevie.sg/liposuction.html
More on how to do that soon, xoxo!
OK, fess up ladies… Liposuction… most of us have thought about it at least once or twice in our adult lives. Even if you feel pretty good about your thighs, with modern society’s eternal quest for a better appearance being so ingrained you’d have to be living on the moon not to at least wonder about whether it could actually work for you.
About six months back, I started to wonder about it for myself. You see… I have lousy genetics. No matter how much I exercise and/or diet, I’m cursed with massive thighs and upper arms. I’m not even exaggerating--they really are disproportionate. Since the age of 14, none of my clothes have fit. Pants are always too loose in the waist or too tight in the leg. Sleeveless dresses and blouses are impossible. And it’s not just about feeling self-conscious over the way I look, it’s that I never feel entirely comfortable in my own skin or my clothes. It impacts so many aspects of my life—from how I am at work, to meeting new people—even my posture by the end of the day. I started to think, “What if I could feel more comfortable in myself every day? What would that be like? What other things would it make room for?”
I decided to do some homework.
First the basics… What exactly is liposuction, again? Simply put, liposuction is a surgical procedure to remove excess fat. The surgeon makes a small incision in the skin, inserts a specially designed tube that excises and vacuums excess fatty tissue out of the body. At the same time, fluid containing anesthetic and a blood-clotting agent is injected under the skin to reduce bleeding, alleviate pain, and make the tissue easier to work with. In fact, in most cases, putting the patient to sleep isn’t necessary.
Who is the ideal candidate? (Am I?) For Lipo to really work, you pretty much have to start in a good place. Liposuction is not a substitute for weight loss. When it comes to straight up obesity, diet and exercise is still the best solution. Liposuction is most appropriate for someone who is of normal or nearly normal weight with areas of disproportionate fat accumulation. In my case, I would probably never be considered overweight—just misshapen with excess fat in my hips, thighs and arms. The other thing you have to be, for Lipo to work, is young(ish). Those under 35 years of age, who still have elastic skin, tend to fare better than older candidates, as the skin needs to conform to the new body shape. In my case, I’m 32—but a girlfriend of mine who is in her 40’s needed to combine her Lipo with a tuck because of the elasticity factor.
Will my fat come back? Technically no. Once the fat cells are removed, they will not regenerate. However, the fat cells that do remain may increase in size. I know it may seem unfair, but the bottom line is that to see the best results from Lipo, you still have to exercise and watch what you eat after surgery.
What’s the recovery like? Most people can go home on the same day as the procedure. You can expect to feel stiff, achy and numb with a return to normal activities in a few days. Wearing a special elastic undergarment for support for about three to four weeks after the surgery can ease discomfort—especially if you experience swelling.
What are the risks? Liposuction is generally considered a safe procedure, but knowledge of the risks is essential. In situations where a great deal of fat is being removed, the risk of blood loss is higher, and so you’ll either want to have the procedure done in a hospital setting (rather than an outpatient clinic) or you’ll want to break things down over the course of several sessions. I opted for the latter—doing one session for my thighs and another for my arms. It just made the most sense when considering risk, comfort and cost.
How should I choose a doctor? Doctors from a variety of specialties perform liposuction--you do not want an allergist working on your thighs! Be sure to choose a provider certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. This is extremely important in ensuring that the procedure will be carried out safely in accordance with the current standards of the profession. I also think you also need to feel super comfortable with the doctor, nurse and overall clinic environment during your initial consult—but more about this in my next post…
For now, while I am really happy with my decision to have Lipo, I think the most important thing to remember is: Don’t expect instant results. I have impatient friends who expected to wake up skinny and perfect. It’s just not how it works—which is one of the reasons I’m writing this blog. The real skinny on Lipo is that, as with any surgery, it involves a significant healing process, and you need to figure out how to enjoy that process in order to see the improvements... day by day…
http://elixirdevie.sg/liposuction.html
More on how to do that soon, xoxo!
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