During this appointment or series of appointments, the plastic surgeon should take a thorough medical history, which includes a list of the medications you are taking, your weight, whether your weight has significantly fluctuated and whether you plan to lose weight before the liposuction. He or she will also talk with you about your expectations to make sure they are realistic.

In general, the ideal candidates for liposuction are men and women who are of relatively normal weight, but have isolated pockets of fat that do not respond to an adequate diet and exercise program. Think love handles or muffin tops.

You should have firm and elastic skin tone and have excessive fatty deposits in certain body areas. Keep in mind that liposuction removes fat, not loose skin.

Age is not a deciding factor, but many older patients have less elastic skin, so they may not get optimal results.

For more details, please read the related article, “Are You a Good Candidate for Liposuction?”

Preparing for Liposuction

Your surgeon will give you a list of instructions on what to do and what not to do in the days before you undergo liposuction. This may include guidelines on eating and drinking. He or she will also discuss the importance of quitting smoking at least 30 days before liposuction. Smoking greatly increases the risks of any surgery, and liposuction is no exception.

Certain medications, such as aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, may promote bleeding and should be discontinued before surgery. Your surgeon will advise you on which medications you should stop taking before liposuction. Never stop taking prescribed medications without first talking with your surgeon and with the doctor who prescribed them.

Even though almost everyone can have liposuction, the best candidates for this body contouring procedure are individuals who are normal or slightly over weight, with firm, elastic skin, have pockets of excess fat in areas of their body, psychologically stable, physically healthy, and people with realistic expectations.

Although age is not a large determining factor for whether you should have liposuction or not, someone who’s skin is not very elastic may have the same problems as someone with tight skin.

Liposuction is an excellent option if you have excess fat protruding from any area of your body. Dr. Rai’s goal when performing liposuction procedures is to “create a smooth, even, proportionate distribution of the fat that is left behind, so that treated areas are in balance with adjacent untreated areas.”

The reason liposuction is such an appealing cosmetic procedure to so many people is because it is minimally invasive, it has proven results, and there is a fast recovery time. Also, it can be used on many different areas of the body so that you can get the results that you want. Dr. Rai will perform your liposuction procedure with your needs and goals in mind, not what is most convenient or easy.

In women, the most common procedures are the removal of excess fat from under the chin, arms, outer thighs, waist, hips, and stomach. Men, on the other hand, tend to have liposuction performed to reduce excess fat in their “love handles,” around the waist, enlarged male breasts, and under the chin.

Dr. Rai performs three types of liposuction at the Cosmetic Surgical Center in Dallas, Texas. Throughout his 20 years of medical experience, Dr. Rai has performed over 10,000 cosmetic surgeries. Many of those surgeries have been liposuction procedures such as:

· Traditional Liposuction

· Ultrasonic Liposuction (Ultrasound Assisted Liposuction or UAL)

· Tumescent Liposuction

Liposuction is the number one cosmetic surgery procedure in the United States, and is also Dr. Rai’s most popular procedure among his patients.