LiposuctionFat Reduction Surgery in Latham, New York

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can I reduce fat through exercise?

  Exercise is good for the mind and body in general and toning the muscles can help fill out loose skin.

  By suppressing the appetite and slightly increasing the metabolism, exercise can assist weight loss.

  But unfortunately, there is no such thing as a “spot” exercise to make the body lose weight in a certain area. Troublesome areas — typically the chin, abdomen, hips, or thighs — have an inherited tendency to accumulate fat. This is known as “stubborn” or “diet-resistant” fat.

  There is no way to lose fat in a specific area of the body with exercise or pills. Liposuction, however, is ideal for accomplishing that. For Dr. Polynice’s patients, when patients see their desired liposuction results, it creates a higher sense of self-esteem.

• Why Choose The Williams Center for liposuction?

  Dr. Polynice offers liposuction for many different parts of the body, including the abdomen, breasts, hips, thighs, buttocks, arms, knees, and calves. In the hands of a board-certified plastic surgeon such as Dr. Polynice, liposuction is one of the safest procedures performed.

  For patients interested in fat reduction of facial areas such as the neck, jowls, or cheeks, schedule a consultation with board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Edwin Williams.

  All doctors at The Williams Center have years of education and experience helping patients achieve natural-looking contours via liposuction and other procedures and treatments. They work with each patient to develop a plan that achieves their desired results.

• What Happens During a Liposuction Consultation?

  At the time of the initial consultation, we will perform a careful physical examination to identify problem areas that can be treated effectively with liposuction. Questions will be answered at that time, and we will discuss patient goals and options for how to achieve them.

  Through the consultation process, doctors will explain the numerous services available at the Williams Center as well as their skill sets and eye for aesthetics.

  The surgeon will take a thorough medical history and discuss the technique, anesthesia, recovery, cost, and risks.

  The consultation is also a good time to review expectations and emphasize that this procedure is intended for women and men who are already near their ideal body weight; it is not a weight-loss solution and is ineffective in areas where there are significant amounts of excess skin or stretch marks.

  In some cases, Dr. Polynice may recommend a tummy tuck instead, designed to address loose skin as well as the lax abdominal muscles that cause the stomach to look flabby.

  Liposuction is often one component of a tummy tuck as it removes small amounts of fat to better help the abdominal skin sit as flat as possible once it has been pulled tight.

• Does Liposuction Leave Scars?

  Liposuction is performed via small incisions that are placed carefully so that the resulting scars are as inconspicuous as possible. Depending upon the area being treated, most scars can be hidden in the natural folds of the body.

  For example, incisions are placed behind knees for calf liposuction and in the belly button for the lower abdomen.

• How is a liposuction procedure done?

  After the administration of an anesthetic to dull sensation in the area, Dr. Polynice will make the necessary incisions in the targeted area. He will then insert a cannula, using it to loosen the fat cells from any connective or other tissue. The more liquefied fat can then be suctioned out.

  When the necessary amount of fat cells has been removed, Dr. Polynice will carefully close the incision, repeating these steps — incision, insertion, loosening, suction, and closure — on other areas if required.

  Some patients who want to slim down multiple areas choose to have all work done at once instead of having several surgeries with multiple recoveries. This option can be discussed during the consultation.

• What is Liposuction Recovery Like?

  Dr. Polynice performs liposuction as an outpatient procedure at the New England Laser and Cosmetic Surgery Center, which means patients can go home after surgery the same day. Dr. Polynice does require that a competent adult spend the first day with patients after the liposuction procedure.

  In the days following a liposuction procedure, patients should expect pain, swelling, and bruising in the areas that were treated. Pain medications are typical for a few days, and then most patients rapidly become more comfortable, though every patient’s healing schedule is unique.

  Dr. Polynice recommends that his patients wear a support garment for six to eight weeks after the procedure. Once the swelling has resolved, the effects of the surgery will be easier to see.

  Liposuction complications are rare. There will be bruising and swelling in the treated areas in the first few days, but this is to be expected.

  The fat removed by liposuction cannot come back unless patients gain weight again, in which case the weight gain will likely be distributed across body areas*.

  However, after liposuction, the treated areas have been shown to have a decreased capacity for additional fat, because many of the fat cells have been removed.

  Remember that there will still be fat cells present, so some increase in a treated area is to be expected with weight gain.

  For that reason, someone who gains weight after liposuction is more likely to notice the increased fat being deposited in areas that did not receive liposuction.

  Some people incorrectly believe that after liposuction, “other areas will get fat”. That only happens if patients gain weight, which leads to an increase.

• What Areas Can Be Reduced With Weekend Liposuction?

  Because Weekend Liposuction is intended for precision contouring, it used on specific areas of the body and face, not general regions of the body. This allows patients to customize their ideal procedure to achieve their desired results.

  For the body, areas that can be targeted by weekend liposuction include the lower abdomen and inner thighs. Dr. Polynice can target saddlebags that start on the hips, and love handles on the flanks, amongst other areas.

  For facial weekend liposuction, Dr. Edwin Williams focuses on the neck. For some patients, he pairs neck liposuction with implants for chin augmentation, which provides more overall definition for the lower third of the face.

• What Other Weekend Procedures, Besides Liposuction, are Available?

  Dr. Edwin Williams offers a Weekend Neck/Facelift, which addresses signs of aging on the lower third of the face, fixing a turkey neck, double chin, marionette lines, and more. Liposuction can be part of this procedure to remove unwanted fat cells below the chin. It can also involve muscle tightening and the excision of sagging skin.

• Is There a Nonsurgical Alternative to Liposuction?

  For patients not yet ready for surgery, The Rejuva Center at Williams offers Kybella®, an injectable that disrupts the fat cells that make up a double chin. No incisions are required for this treatment limited to the submental area.

  The Rejuva Center does not use LipoDissolve®, which works on a similar premise but is not proven to be safe and efficient.

  CoolSculpting® lowers the temperature of fat cells until they are damaged, leading to their natural removal from the body. Results from this treatment are gradual but require no incisions or sutures.

• What is liposuction?

  Liposuction, also referred to as body contouring, is a surgical procedure to remove fat from specific problem areas using small tubes or cannulas connected to a vacuum aspiration device.

  Commonly treated areas include areas of the face like the chin, neck, jowls and cheeks, as well as areas of the body like the abdomen, hips, thighs, buttocks, arms, knees and calves.

  There are a variety of different techniques that may be used for liposuction, including ultrasound-assisted liposuction (UAL) and the tumescent technique.

• Who is the best candidate for liposuction?

  Candidates for liposuction should be physically healthy and realistic in their expectations. Because liposuction is not intended for the purposes of weight loss, the best candidates are patients who, though of normal body weight, are bothered by troublesome areas that do not respond to diet and exercise.

• What is tumescent liposuction?

  Tumescent liposuction is a modern liposuction technique in which the treated areas are first injected with large volumes of a fluid solution containing lidocaine which causes the fatty tissues to become swollen and firm, or ‘tumesced’.

  Traditional liposuction techniques are then used to suction out the fat. Tumescent liposuction can take as long as four to five hours to complete and is often performed with just local anesthesia.

• Where is liposuction performed?

  Liposuction is typically performed as an outpatient procedure in either a surgeon’s office-based facility or an outpatient surgical center. Some cases may be performed in a hospital.

• What type of anesthesia is used during liposuction?

  Liposuction may be performed with a variety of anesthesia types, including local anesthesia, general anesthesia, or an epidural.

• Where are the incisions made for liposuction?

  The location of the incisions will depend on the area being treated, though they are small incisions that are placed carefully so that the resulting scars are imperceptible.

• Does liposuction result in scars?

  The incisions made for liposuction will result in scars though they tend to be small and strategically placed. Liposuction of the lower abdomen might involve an incision in the belly button, while liposuction of the calves might involve an incision behind the knee.

• How much pain is there with liposuction?

  Patients can expect to experience some pain or discomfort after liposuction, though this can be controlled with prescription pain medication.

• Will I be able to drive myself home after my liposuction procedure?

  Patients should arrange to have someone drive them home after the procedure.

• How Much Time off Work Do I Need to Take After Liposuction?

  Patients are usually able to return to work within one to two weeks.

• How soon after liposuction can I exercise?

  Exercise and other strenuous activities should be postponed for two to four weeks after the liposuction procedure.

• Are there any risks associated with liposuction?

  As with all types of surgery there are potential risks associated with liposuction. These may include the following: adverse anesthesia reactions, asymmetry, bagginess or rippling of the skin, fluid retention or fluid loss, infection, pigmentation changes, and skin injury.

• Is liposuction ever covered by insurance?

  Liposuction is typically not covered by insurance as it is considered a cosmetic procedure, though some degree of coverage may be available when used for breast reduction.

• Are the results of liposuction permanent?

  The results of liposuction can be long lasting or permanent with sensible diet and exercise. Patients who gain a significant amount of weight after liposuction will accumulate fat.

• Is it possible to get financing for a cosmetic procedure?

  Financing is available for many plastic surgery procedures. For more information about this, please contact us.