Dr. Bray's Plastic Surgery Blog

More and more people are taking advantage of the benefits that cosmetic procedures such as liposuction procedures can offer. If you are in generally good health, at or near your ideal weight, but are still unsatisfied with your figure, especially those stubborn fat deposits that exercise simply cannot remove, liposuction may be the ideal solution for you.

How the procedure works

Tumescent liposuction is a newer form of liposuction; the technique uses diluted anesthetic and saline solution to fill up the skin’s fat layer before getting rid of regions of excess fat. The area swells, allowing the surgeon a bigger work area. The additional solution also facilitates the removal of fat while the inclusion of a steroid causes the blood vessels to constrict, reducing damage to blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue. This makes recovery from the procedure faster and less uncomfortable. With the use of local anesthesia, general anesthesia is not necessary, so these risks are eliminated.

The combination of all these factors results in a shaping process is more sophisticated and better refined.

Safe and Less Costly

An outpatient surgery, tumescent liposuction is less expensive than procedures requiring hospitalization. And since the patient is conscious, the doctor can ask that his/her position change to gain better access to areas requiring correction.

Tumescent liposuction is very safe, and facilitates deep and surface fat layer removal with minimal discomfort. Also, quick recovery, better results, and less bleeding and bruising are characteristics of tumescent liposuction. Occasionally, minor complications such as skin irregularities, lumps, dimples, looseness of the skin, infections, numbness, and scarring rarely occur and are generally easily repaired.

If you are interested in tumescent liposuction or other liposuction procedures, please schedule a Los Angeles liposuction consultation at the Bray Plastic Surgery Medical Center at 310-534-8300 to learn more about how we may assist you.

The liposuction procedure targets areas of excess fat, removing fat to give the body more healthy, youthful-looking curves. It is best used on those individuals who are successfully following a healthy lifestyle but have fatty areas that are resistant to diet and exercise.

Fat is removed through a slim, pliable metal rod, called a cannula. Depending on the area being targeted the equipment and the procedure can vary, with narrow cannulae used in areas where finer fat deposits are present, and wider cannulae in larger, tougher fat deposits.

Liposuction is can shape and contour the body, creating more attractive proportions by eliminating specific areas of fat that will not respond to healthy lifestyle habits, such as diet and exercise. Locations commonly associated with liposuction include the stomach, hips, thighs, and buttocks. Liposuction can also be the procedure of choice for male breast reduction and facial recontouring, either by itself or as a complement to a facelift or neck lift.

It is important to note that liposuction is no quick route to weight loss. Risks of liposuction increase dramatically with body mass index, so it is recommended that you begin a routine of exercise and switch to a healthy diet before considering liposuction. Also, the results of liposuction depend heavily on skin tone and if your skin is not elastic enough, you may need an abdominoplasty or other body lift instead of liposuction.

If you are interested in exploring the possibilities that liposuction could hold for you, please schedule a Los Angeles liposuction consultation with Bray Plastic Surgery Medical Center the office of Dr. David Bray at 310-534-8300 to learn more about how we may assist you.

The popularity of the abdominoplasty procedure has been on the rise in recent years. However, in order to ensure a good outcome, it is important to determine if you are a good candidate before moving ahead with any procedure. This is the case for most cosmetic procedures.

Good candidates for abdominoplasty surgery (tummy tucks) have the following characteristics:

• Close to their ideal body weight (within 30%) – you many still be a good candidate if you have a lot of fat in an isolated area
• Want to remove loose skin, some fat, and muscle laxity in the abdominal area that is diet- and exercise-resistant
• Weight stable for six months or more
• Good skin tone and elasticity
• Realistic expectations
• Emotionally stable
• Understands the risks of surgery

If you smoke, have quit smoking in the recent past, or are often exposed to second-hand smoke, be aware that smoking decreases the amount of blood that flows to your body's tissues. The result is slower wound healing, skin loss, higher risk of infection, more scarring, and a variety of other possible complications.

If you are planning to lose quite a bit of weight, do so prior to your surgery. If you wish to get pregnant, consider waiting on abdominoplasty surgery since your abdomen will just become stretched with another pregnancy, and a number of women experience additional discomfort during pregnancy following a tummy tuck.

If you are considering a tummy tuck procedure, please contact Bray Plastic Surgery Medical Center at 310-534-8300 to schedule an appointment and learn more about how we may assist you.