Total Body Surgical Blog

Thought ya'll might like a break from the breast this week!  I guess you can have too much of a good thing, BUT, don't forget about our spring breast deal...hit the button above to check out our offer, it's a good one!

After a cold winter of intermittent goody indulgences (think Christmas and New year) and less sporadic exercise, the question is..... are you going to be ready for Summer?  Would you like a jump start to a new and healthy lifestyle?  Are there areas on your body that despite all the exercise and dieting in the world, simply will not go away?  You can blame that on your genetics, baby.  Unfortunately, we can't pick our parents, so what options does that leave us?

Thin girl with "saddle bags"...genetics in action.

The answer to that question is liposuction.  You may also hear the term "body contouring" , the terms are interchangeable.  Many of our patients who undergo liposuction body contouring improve not just their confidence, self esteem, and overall quality of life; but also comment on their new and increased volition to exercise and maintain their body in a positive fashion. At a far more drastic end of the spectrum, we have had others comment that a simple body contouring liposuction procedure has allowed them to experience and achieve goals that their appearance or body shape has prevented them from achieving in the past. 

love handles...spare tire

Men often collect and store their fat over their abdomen, breasts, and neck, whereas women will collect it in their waist (the dreaded muffin top), their abdomen, arms, and thighs.

"Muffin top"...funny but true.

So you're asking, what does this entail?  "I've seen it on TV and it looks soooo rough and painful."  Guess, what?  Things have changed.  Drastically. At Total Body Surgical, we use a technique that was popularized around 2005 on the West Coast called, laser lipo, lunchtime lipo, smartlipo, etc.

CoolTouch laser used at our facility.

Essentially, the process involves three steps.  The first part is the hardest step and takes the longest time.  What happens is numbing medicine (lidocaine with saline mixed) is placed into your areas of concern.  Once you are numb, the next portion involves using a laser to go in and melt the fat.  The laser also serves another really beneficial purpose... it helps to shrink down the skin.  Ok, that being said, we need to take a side trip and discuss this whole saggy and loose skin thing.  Picture a  10 pound sack of potatoes.  If you took 9 pounds of potatoes out of the bag, you'd have a heck of a lot of sack left over, right?  This is the same concept with your body and liposuction.  If we go in and remove a batch of fat from an area, it's inevitable that you're going to have some extra skin.  Now, whether or not that skin is going to snap back depends, once again, on your  genetics.  We only have so much elasticity to our skin.  As we get older, have babies, and yo-yo diet, all these factors act to decrease the amount of give and elasticity to our skin.  It's kind of like your favorite pair of socks that ends up around your ankles at noon time because the elastic has given up.   The laser helps to counteract this somewhat.  As I stated already, the overwhelming factor of whether your skin will shrink down or not completely depends on your genetics, but the laser certainly helps to optomize the situation.  Lastly, the third and final step to the procedure is the fun part.  This is where we insert a tiny tube underneath your skin and suck out all the melted fat.  This is where you lose your inches and get rid of that darn fat deposit.

Now, take into account that you will retain water and be swollen enough to not allow you to see your final appearance for about 12 weeks.  That means, getting ready for Summer and planning ahead is essential.  Make no mistake, Spring is peaking its head above the covers, and Summer is just around the corner!

Beside the breast augmentation special we have going this spring...we always have great deals on liposuction!  Check it out by hitting the lipo button.  Remember that Cosmetic Consultations are complimentary, so what have you got to lose???  Call 918-786-7780 TODAY.  Financing also available.

I am writing on liposuction today to introduce a fall pricing reduction at Total Body Surgical!  We are pros at this procedure and NOW is the best time to do it.  Why??? Well, liposuction does take some time to completely heal and "stabilize".  Getting ready for next summer starts today!  I have extensive training and experience with all types of liposuction and not to toot my own horn....am pretty good at it!

Liposuction has been around for a long time.  The first procedures were deadly in fact.  It was rediscovered and refined later but still often required blood transfusion and hospitalization.  Due to the work of Dr. Klein (a dermatologist), new and better transformations in the procedure now make it safe and more effective for the right people. 

Who are the right people you might ask.  Liposuction works best for those who are "in shape" but have problem areas.  A chubby tummy, hips or love handles, saddle bags or outer thighs, inner thighs, chest, arms, or neck.  Liposuction IS NOT a weight loss procedure.  For those with smaller areas that they just cannot get rid of, liposuction is a procedure you should consider.

Modern liposuction can usually be done in an office procedure room.  We use sedation and tumescent fluid so that you can come and go the same day.  Tumescent fluid is the key to limiting pain and blood loss.   The technique, developed by Dr. Klein, is based on good science and is very safe when done properly.  The fluid is made using lidocaine (a local anesthetic), epinephrine (a normal chemical in the body that causes blood vessels to constrict or get smaller), and saline (salt water in concentrations that occur in the blood).  After marking the areas to be treated and sedation, the areas are injected with this fluid.  This causes the blood vessels in the area to constrict and numbs the area thus markedly limiting blood loss.  The areas fat is then removed with a small hollow tube.  This is done very carefully to not leave any defects or dents.The channels of fat removed shrink with time and the area smooths and recontours.  Without the fat!  Vaser and Laser liposuction are technologies that are used to heat the skin so that it shrinks to fit the smaller size of the underlying fat pad.  In my experience, using these technologies alone, without revoming the fat, does not give satisfying results and recovery times are about the same....a few days, then soreness for a couple of weeks.  The fat that is injured during the procedure and not removed is absorbed by the body.

The complications that can occur are:

-lumpiness (usually occurs if weight is gained after liposuction)

-bruising (resolves with time)

-sagging skin (the one variable that cannot be controlled.  Usually not a problem if the areas are selected appropriately)

-hyperpigmentation (especially in ethnic skin)

-dents (occur by removing too much fat in an area and can usually be repaired with revision)

Deaths can occur and are discussed by the media at length.  These usually occur when inexperienced physicians give too much lidocaine.  We are very meticulous about the dosing and when done properly, lidocaine toxicity is very rare.  However, any cosmetic procedure can have REAL complications and should not be taken lightly!  That's why I only do liposuction in the office on healthy individuals. I see patients personally, evaluate them, discuss the procedure's risks and benefits, and if I feel it is not the procedure to give you the results YOU desire, I will tell you.

Please go to my portfolio page to see some of my results and click on the picture or button to see our exclusive pricing on liposuction.  ACT NOW as this is a limited offer!!  Call 918-786-7780 for a complimentary consultation or fill out the contact form and we will call you....I look forward to meeting you!!