Liposuction, also called lipoplasty, is a plastic surgery procedure which is helpful for removing small pockets of fatty tissue. Often, even if you follow a healthy diet and regular exercise regimen, you may find that your body still has some areas which you are just not able to rid of fat. For these small areas, liposuction can be the perfect answer.

Liposuction can be performed on most any place on the body which contains a stubborn pocket of fatty tissue which you have not been able to get rid of on your own. Generally, it is performed on areas such as the abdomen, calves, ankles, hips, thighs, arms, and under the chin.

The best person to perform lipoplasty on your body is a plastic surgeon who has been certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. While other physicians do liposuction, it is always best to use an experienced plastic surgeon to achieve the best results possible. To find an experienced Board Certified plastic surgeon in your area you can contact your local hospital or the American Board of Plastic Surgery directly and ask for a referral.

Before you schedule your consultation with a plastic surgeon, you should know a bit about the procedure and if it is right for you or not.

The ideal candidate is a man or woman who is of average weight and who simply wants to remove small areas of fat which have not responded to exercise. It is important to know that it is not designed for weight loss and is a procedure reserved for targeted area fat removal only. Additionally, people who are younger, who have more elasticity to their skin, are better candidates than those who are older and lack this elasticity.

Liposuction can be performed in one area or many all in the same day. Sometimes it is also performed in conjunction to other cosmetic surgery procedures such as a tummy tuck or face lift. However, it cannot treat cellulite or be used as a substitute for a good diet and regular exercise.

The procedure is fairly straight forward. Typically, the fat to be removed is first injected with a solution designed to liquefy it for easier removal. Once this is done, then your surgeon will make a small incision in the area and insert a small hallow tube called a cannula. The cannula is moved around in the fat deposit and it is vacuumed out and disposed of.

The recovery time for the procedure is typically only a week or two and after this time you can generally return to most aspects of your normal life, with the exception of rigorous exercise which generally needs a longer period of recovery time to be safe.

Soon after your liposuction has been performed, you will notice a difference in the shape of the area where you had it done. However, it will take a couple of months to see the final end results of the work. This time is needed to allow your body to heal and for fluid and swelling to leave the area.

You will be required to follow-up with your plastic surgeon once or twice in their office in order for them to be able to evaluate your results and healing progress. At this time you can talk to your surgeon about any concerns or questions you might have.