Liposuction Procedure

What is Liposuction?

Also known as lipoplasty, liposuction  slims and reshapes specific areas of the body by removing excess fat deposits, improving your body contours and proportion, and ultimately, enhancing your self-image.

Problem areas that can be addressed with liposuction include:

• Thighs
• Hips
• Buttocks
• Abdomen and waist
• Back/flank
• Arms
• Legs/knees
• Face/neck

This procedure is often performed in conjunction with other elective surgerical procedures such as tummy tuck and facelift.

What to Expect During Your Consultation With Dr. Bruce Van Natta

A safe and successful liposuction procedure depends very much on your being completely candid during the consultation. Be sure to address any problems, concerns and questions with Dr. Van Natta. He will ask you a number of questions about your health, desires and lifestyle.

Be Prepared to Discuss:

• Why you want liposuction, your expectations and desired outcome
• Medical conditions, drug allergies and medical treatments
• Use of current medications, vitamins, herbal supplements, alcohol, tobacco and drugs
• Previous surgeries
• Family disease history

Dr. Van Natta May Also:

• Evaluate your general health status and any pre-existing health conditions or risk factors
• Take photographs for your medical record 
• Discuss likely outcomes of liposuction and any risks or potential complications 
• Discuss the use of anesthesia during your liposuction procedure.

Preparing For Liposuction Surgery

Prior to Surgery, You May Be Asked to:

• Get lab testing or a medical evaluation
• Take certain medications or adjust your current medications
• Stop smoking well in advance of surgery
• Avoid taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs and herbal supplements as they can increase bleeding

Special Instructions You Receive Will Cover:

• What to do the day of surgery
• The use of anesthesia during your liposuction 
• Post-operative care and follow-up

Your procedure will be performed at Meridian Plastic Surgery Center, an accredited office-based surgical center, utilizing seasoned, board certified anesthesiologists from St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana.

You’ll Need help

Be sure to arrange for someone to drive you to and from surgery and to stay with you for at least the first night following surgery

What Happens During Liposuction?

Step 1 – Anesthesia

You will have a general anesthetic administered by a board-certified anesthesiologist. The procedure takes anywhere from 1 ½ hours or more, depending on how many areas of the body we are including and your individual situation.

Step 2 – The Incision

Liposuction is performed through small, inconspicuous incisions.

First, sterile liquid solution is infused to reduce bleeding and trauma. Dr. Van Natta routinely uses ultrasound to first break up the fatty tissue. Then a thin hollow tube (cannula) is inserted through the incisions to loosen excess fat using a controlled back and forth motion.

The dislodged fat is then suctioned out of the body using a surgical vacuum or syringe attached to the cannula.

Problem areas that can be addressed with liposuction:

(Illustrations courtesy of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons)

Step 3 – See the Results

Your improved body contour will be apparent when the swelling and fluid retention commonly experienced following liposuction subside.

With continued practices of a healthy diet and a regular fitness routine, the loss of excess fatty tissue should be permanently maintained. However, substantial weight gain can alter your otherwise permanent result.

Important Facts About Liposuction Risks and Complications

The decision to have liposuction is extremely personal. You’ll have to decide if the benefits will achieve your goals and if the risks and potential complications are acceptable to your personal situation.

Dr. Van Natta and/or his staff will explain in detail the risks associated with surgery. You will be asked to sign consent forms to ensure that you fully understand the procedure you will undergo and any risks or potential complications.

Possible Liposuction Risks May Include:

• Uneven contours
• Rippling or loose skin
• Skin or nerve damage
• Irregular pigmentation
• Infection
• Fat clots
• Blood clots
• Excessive fluid loss or fluid accumulation
• Unfavorable scarring
• Thermal burn or heat injury from ultrasound with the ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty technique (extremely rare)
• Anesthesia risks
• Bleeding (hematoma)
• Change in skin sensation
• Skin discoloration or swelling
• Asymmetry
• Pain, which may persist
• Damage to deeper structures such as nerves, blood vessels, muscles, lungs, and abdominal organs
• Poor wound healing
• Persistent swelling in the legs
• Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications (Very rare)
• Possibility of revision surgery

Is Liposuction Right For Me?

If you are bothered by excess fat deposits – located anywhere on your body – that don’t respond to diet or exercise, liposuction may be right for you.

Ideal candidates for liposuction are:

Adults within 30% of their ideal weight and who have firm, elastic skin and good muscle tone
Healthy individuals who do not have a life-threatening illness or medical conditions that can impair healing
Non-smokers
Individuals with a positive outlook and specific goals in mind for body contouring

Be sure to ask questions: It’s very important to ask Dr. Van Natta questions about your liposuction procedure. It’s natural to feel some anxiety, whether it’s excitement for your anticipated new look or a bit of preoperative stress.

Your Recovery

Following Dr. Van Natta’s instructions is key to the success of your surgery. It is important that the surgical incisions are not subjected to excessive force, swelling, abrasion, or motion during the time of healing. Dr. Van Natta will give you specific instructions on how to care for yourself.

Once your procedure is completed, a compression garment or elastic bandages may cover treatment areas. These help to control swelling and compress the skin to your new body contours. Additionally, small temporary drains may be placed in existing incisions beneath the skin to remove any excess blood or fluid.

Specific Instructions May Include:

• How to care for the surgical site(s)
• Medications to apply or take orally to aid healing and reduce the potential for infection
• Specific concerns to look for at the surgical site or in your general health
• When to follow up with Dr. Van Natta.

Secondary procedures may sometimes be recommended to reduce excess skin. Special considerations are needed when large amounts of fat – usually more than 5 liters – are suctioned from the body.

If you experience shortness of breath, chest pains, or unusual heart beats, seek medical attention immediately. Should any of these complications occur, you may require hospitalization and additional treatment.

The practice of medicine and surgery is not an exact science. Although good results are expected, there is no guarantee. In some situations, it may not be possible to achieve optimal results with a single surgical procedure and another surgery may be necessary.

Long-Lasting Results

It may take several months for your swelling to fully dissipate. As it does, your new contours and enhanced self-image should continue to develop. The self-confidence you feel from the results of liposuction should continue as long as you control your weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Remember – a significant weight gain can reverse your surgical results. Following liposuction, you need to be sure you lead a healthy and active lifestyle.

Liposuction Costs

Cost is always a consideration in elective surgery. Prices for liposuction can vary widely. A surgeon’s cost for liposuction may vary based on his or her experience, the type of procedure used, and the number of areas being treated. Remember, cost is not everything. It is extremely important to have a board-certified plastic surgeon perform your procedure. There are an increasing number of non-plastic surgeons offering liposuction, and the outcomes can be absolutely disastrous. 

Typically, health insurance does not cover the cost of liposuction. Our practice offers patient financing plans, so be sure to ask us about this option.

Liposuction costs may include:

• Surgeon’s fee
• Surgical facility costs
• Anesthesia fees
• Prescriptions for medication
• Post-surgery garments
• Medical tests

Your satisfaction involves more than a fee. When choosing a plastic surgeon for liposuction, remember that the surgeon’s experience and your comfort with him or her are just as important as the final cost of the surgery.

Liposuction Glossary

Cannula: A thin, hollow tube used during liposuction to loosen excess fat.
Facelift: A surgical procedure, also known as rhytidectomy, to reduce sagging of the mid-face, jowls and neck.
General anesthesia: Drugs and/or gases used during an operation to relieve pain and alter consciousness.
Hematoma: Blood pooling beneath the skin.
Intravenous sedation: Sedatives administered by injection into a vein to help you relax.
Lipoplasty: Another term for liposuction. Liposuction: Also called lipoplasty or suction lipectomy, this procedure vacuums out fat from beneath the skin’s surface to reduce fullness.
Local anesthesia: A drug injected directly to the site of an incision during an operation to relieve pain.
Suction lipectomy: Another term for liposuction.
Sutures: Stitches used by surgeons to hold skin and tissue together.
Tumescent or super-wet liposuction: Involves an infusion of saline solution with adrenaline and possibly anesthetic prior to removal of excess fat.
Tummy tuck: A surgical procedure, also known as abdominoplasty, to correct the apron of excess skin hanging over your abdomen.
Ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty: Uses ultrasonic energy to liquefy excess fat prior to surgical suctioning.

Questions to Ask Your Plastic Surgeon

• Are you certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery?
• Were you specifically trained in the field of plastic surgery?
• How many years of plastic surgery training have you had?
• Do you have hospital privileges to perform this procedure?
  • If so, at which hospitals?
• Is the office-based surgical facility where you perform surgery accredited by a nationally- or state-recognized accrediting agency, or is it state-licensed or Medicare-certified?
• Am I a good candidate for this procedure?
• What will be expected of me in order to get the best results?
• Where and how will you perform my procedure?
• Is there a specific surgical technique recommended for me?
• How long of a recovery period can I expect, and what kind of help will I need during my recovery?
• What are the risks and complications associated with my procedure?
• How are complications handled?
• What are my options if I am dissatisfied with the cosmetic outcome of my liposuction?
• Do you have before-and-after photos I can look at for this procedure and what results are reasonable for me?

Use This Checklist As a Guide During Your Consultation

Things You Should Know About Dr. Van Natta:

• He is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
• He was trained specifically in the field of plastic surgery and had 5 years of general surgery training as well as 2 ½  years of plastic surgery training.
• He has been in practice more than 20 years.
• His surgical facility, Meridian Plastic Surgery Center, is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency, and it is state-licensed and Medicare-certified.
• He also has hospital privileges to perform this procedure at St. Vincent Hospital.

How are complications handled? If you experience a rare complication requiring reoperation, Dr. Van Natta often won’t charge for his services, but you may well have additional expenses for the operating room as well as anesthesia.

If you are in Indiana, please visit our liposuction in Indianapolis page for more information about the liposuction procedure.