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PHONE: (828) 526-3783 TOLL-FREE: (877) 526-3784
209 Hospital Dr #202
Highlands, NC 28741
Whether man or woman, you can have undesirable fat in areas all over your body, including your abdomen, waist, hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, ankles, cheeks, neck and/or upper arms. No matter how much you diet and exercise, these areas do not seem to go away. Would you like to sculpt these areas to reduce them and/or make them smooth or to make them match the surrounding area? Then you should consider Liposuction.
These stubborn areas are actually very common. Frequently, there is nothing you can do to change them outside of cosmetic procedures. Liposuction, one of the most popular cosmetic surgical procedures, allows you to do this with minimal risks or downtime and almost no scars.
Dr. Buchanan was among the first group of American surgeons trained to perform Liposuction in this country by the European developers of the technique. He studied it extensively to determine its efficacy and safety while on the faculty of the University of Oklahoma and has been perfecting the technique ever since.
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The most popular areas for Liposuction are:
Liposuction is also an excellent adjunct to other procedures like a tummy tuck, breast reduction, arm lift and any procedure where blending the procedure into the surrounding area is desirable.
A good candidate is someone who is not overweight but has localized fat that, when removed. will improve the contour of its area.
To perform Liposuction, we make tiny incisions in as inconspicuous places as possible, inject liquid to help break up the fat, reduce bruising and reduce postoperative discomfort, and then use a cannula (small tube) to break up the fat layer and suction it out. You should be able to return to most normal activities within several days.
Local anesthesia or general anesthesia may be used, and the procedure can last anywhere from less than one hour to several hours depending on the amount of fat being removed and the number of areas treated. We generally recommend staying overnight in the hospital when we remove larger amounts of fat. Although we occasionally remove a significant amount of fat, the procedure is not a substitute for weight loss. We can also help you with lifestyle modification to get you where Liposuction would be indicated to correct any areas not reduced adequately by weight loss.
Recovery is variable depending on the amount of fat removed. Suction of the neck, a very common procedure, is probably the least involved. Suction of multiple areas like the abdomen and flanks is more involved. After any liposuction, most people are back to normal activities within 1-3 days. Most have minimal discomfort. There is generally moderate swelling, most of which resolves relatively quickly. The rest takes up to a month. In order to speed resolution of the swelling, use of an elastic band or garment is encouraged.
There are scars, but they are all quite small, less than 1/2 inch, and usually disappear in several months.
When done by an expert, risks are minimal. These include lack of total improvement and irregularity. In expert hands, the possible risks are the previous ones plus skin loss, infection, heart irregularity, hypertension and even death, the last 3 mainly from overuse of the anesthetic.
The cost varies depending on the areas done. An area is, however, bilateral. We invite you to contact our office today where we can provide a customized quote of how much you can expect to pay.
RealSelf Q&A with Robert T. Buchanan, MD
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons provides more general information or 3-D Animation.
To schedule a consultation or to learn more about our Liposuction procedure, visit our blog or contact us today at (828) 526-3783. Our practice serves Highlands, NC, and the surrounding areas.