If you’ve tried eating healthily and exercising in the quest for body beautiful but aren’t seeing the results you crave, liposuction is a great way to target stubborn areas of your body that just aren’t responding to your regime.
But before you go under the knife, it’s important to understand what you’re signing up to and be prepared with the right questions to ask your surgeon…
How long can you afford to be down?
Depending on the type of liposuction you’re getting done and the area of your body you’re targeting, the recovery time can vary. Some people only need two or three days while others can need weeks of recovery time until they feel able to get on with their lives. Your doctor will be able to give you an estimate of what downtime to expect, but everyone’s different.
Make sure you’re able to take the necessary time off work, especially if your job involves lifting or strenuous physical activity. If you can’t afford a lot of downtime, pick a minimally invasive procedure like vaser liposuction available from The Sloane Clinic, which achieves fast results using ultrasound technology to break down fat cells without weeks of swelling. It’s also less likely to cause bruising and bleeding than other forms or surgical liposuction, which makes it far less disruptive to your normal life.
What side effects can you expect?
While vaser liposuction has very minimal after-effects, some procedures can leave you with some soreness, swelling, bleeding and pain. Make sure you know what’s normal and what’s not so if you are experiencing a compilations, you’ll know to call your doctor as soon as possible.
Are your expectations realistic?
Do you want a subtle sculpting and toning effect, or are you looking to dramatically reduce the fat in a certain problem area? Liposuction shouldn’t be seen as an alternative to eating well and excising, and is often best suited to people of an average weight.
Speak to your doctor about what you want to achieve, and they’ll be able to suggest the right treatment, tell you when you should be able to notice a difference, and what impact the procedure will have.
If you’re removing a lot of fat, you could be left with sagging skin after certain types of liposuction procedures. You may need a separate session to tackle the problem of excess skin or several courses to see a noticeable result. And many people have liposuction expecting it to cure them of problems like cellulite, only to be disappointed afterwards.
What are their credentials?
It’s so important to be selective when picking a clinic and a surgeon. To make sure you’re in safe hands, look at online reviews of the clinic online and if possible. And nothing beats the reliability of a personal recommendation from a friend.
Once you’re in the clinic, ask to speak to the surgeon who will be operating on you and grill them about how many times they’ve performed the procedure and what their outcomes have been. Make sure they’re fully qualified, look into what professional bodies they’re accredited with and whether they specialise in the particular surgery you’re having done. You can even ask to see before and after photos to gauge what kind of results to expect (although every patient is different).
All qualified, professional surgeons will be more than happy to answer your questions candidly. If they seem reluctant or get agitated, don’t feel obliged to take things any further.
Health tourism
Surgeons in Singapore are strictly regulated by the Ministry of Health to protect patients. While some people are tempted to travel abroad to get the procedure done more cheaply, it’s important to check the regulatory framework of the country you’re heading too. Standards could be sloppier and you could be putting yourself at risk.
To be on the safe side, check that the centre you’re looking at is listed on the Ministry of Health’s online directory of clinics in Singapore.
Do you have a contingency plan?
Even if you consider all of the above and do all your homework, there are certain risks involved with the more invasive liposuction procedures. Make sure your surgeon is qualified and experienced enough to deal with complications and that your medical insurance is up to date, should the worst happen.
Penny blogs about beauty and health tips from around the world. You can connect with her on Google+.
