It’s during the middle-aged years that adults grow wiser, having learned from their previous mistakes. The middle-aged years is also a time when adults start seeing the results of their food choices. Stomachs may begin to balloon, thighs widen and hips thicken. However, diet isn’t the only culprit. Stress also plays a role in what an adult’s body looks like after she enters her middle years. Exercise is one option to slim down, getting back to earlier sizes. But, it’s not the only option.
Another option women and men are taking advantage of is liposuction, a form of plastic surgery that has helped adults drop as many as two clothes sizes. As expressed by practitioners like Dr. Karlinsky, plastic surgeon in NYC, liposuction is a surgical procedure that slims down one or more areas of the body. Common areas that women get the procedure performed on include the stomach, buttocks, hips, thighs, arms, ankles and calves.
Instead of getting a liposuction procedure, waiting several months and then getting additional plastic surgery like a facelift, some middle-aged women opt to have all procedures performed at once. Furthermore, liposuction procedures are either laser or ultrasound assisted.
When laser assisted, the plastic surgery relies on technology. Laser beams liquefy fat in the area to be operated on. Then a medical instrument is inserted in the area, so the fat can be sucked out of the body.
Unlike a laser assisted plastic surgery procedure, an ultrasound assisted procedure uses a cannula. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons says, “As the cannula passes through the fat cells, that energy liquefies the fat cells, which are then suctioned out.” Furthermore, “The ultrasound can be administered either above the skin (with a special emitter) or below the surface of the skin (with an ultrasound cannula).”
Although equipment and technology used during a liposuction varies, this fact does not – plastic surgery is not an alternative to eating a healthy diet and getting sufficient amounts of regular exercise. In fact, some middle-aged women and men might be surprised to learn that the average weight a person loses after the procedure doesn’t exceed 10 pounds. Results of the surgery show in inches, meaning people may lose 10 or more inches or one to two dress sizes.
Recovery could take a week or longer. Prior to getting the procedure, women and men who are in their middle years will probably be advised by their plastic surgeons to wear loose fitting clothes. If they don’t wear loose fitting clothes to the clinic or hospital where the liposuction is scheduled to be performed, they should bring an extra pair of loose fitting clothes with them.
Loose fitting clothes prevent fabric from rubbing against stitches a woman or man receives immediately following the surgery. It can also reduce the amount of irritation and redness clients experience post surgery, allowing clients to feel more comfortable. And, of course, staying comfortable, as well as getting adequate rest, are important parts of the total recovery experience.
This was written by Charles Lingal.
Thanks for this informative article. I have always wondered about the difference between liposuction and tummy tuck. I thought both were surgical procedures. Iwas actually planning to have a tummy tuck by Dr.Atul Kesarwani of Cosmedical Rejuvenation Clinic. It is now that I got to know that liposuction is a completely different process. And that liposuction use laser technology to suck out excess fact. So is the recovery period same for liposuction as the other cosmetic procedures? Or is recovery easier?
Madelene – it depends on the type of liposuction you get – newer liposuction technologies combine the use of lasers to break up excess fat, and laser-focused procedures are usually less invasive and involve less downtime than traditional lipo. Typically, though, lipo does involve a couple weeks of recovery. Cosmetic procedures that involve surgery have comparable downtime to one another. The rule is, if they don’t have to cut you, your downtime is decreased considerably. Injectables, for example, involve minimal downtime (1-2 days).