As a double board-certified plastic surgeon, my passion is helping patients become their most confident and beautiful selves. Because every patient has his/her own specific concerns, meeting that goal can take many different forms. As you may have noticed, most of my blogs focus on facelifts (especially my exclusive Band Aid Mini Facelift) and other facial rejuvenation procedures, and I love seeing how much my patients enjoy their results. However, over the past 34 years, I’ve had extensive experience in an array of other surgeries as well, from breast augmentations to liposuction. On top of all these, I frequently provide non-surgical treatments like Botox® and Dysport® injections, laser skin resurfacing, facial filler injections, and non-surgical skin tightening.
For a more thorough description of the treatments and cosmetic surgeries I provide, check out my video below.
For any plastic surgery patient, the first step is figuring out exactly what you want to improve and finding out what your options are. To learn more about whether you might be a candidate for any of the procedures described above, schedule a consultation at my plastic surgery office. For more helpful information about cosmetic surgery as well as health tips for patients, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ as well as YouTube.
If you were to ask around any group of people, chances are that many of them would say they have some extra fat they’d like to get rid of. It seems to be a growing concern, and it’s no surprise considering that you can hardly go an hour without seeing someone slender and gorgeous in an ad, on a billboard, or on a screen. While some people successfully slim down using diet and exercise, other people are actually already at a healthy weight but struggle with an unwanted bulge or two. For this latter group, liposuction (or the specialized, minimally invasive Band Aid Liposuction I developed) may be the solution.
Liposuction and Band Aid Liposuction have provided millions of patients in the United States with the opportunity to feel confident in their body. Still, it’s not for everyone, and it needs to be approached with mindfulness and care. If you believe you may be a good candidate for liposuction, I’m happy to help you find out. Schedule a cosmetic surgery consultation with me, Dr. John L. LeRoy. For more plastic surgery tips and helpful information about the many procedures available, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ as well.
Nearly all of us have at least one area of our body that we want to slim down, so it’s no surprise that fat removal—called liposuction—has long been among the most popular cosmetic surgeries in the country. But it’s also one of the most misunderstood surgeries, too. As a double board-certified plastic surgeon, I strive to educate patients and potential patients about the field of plastic surgery, so to help you know the true facts about liposuction, I’ve compiled answers to some of the most common liposuction myths that might trick you.
Myth #1: By removing excess fat, liposuction is an alternative to losing weight through diet and exercise.
While both weight loss and liposuction have the goal of reducing fat, they’re done in two very different ways and for two very different purposes. For the most part, you have the same number of fat cells throughout your life, and weight gain and weight loss happen when these fat cells either enlarge or shrink. Liposuction, on the other hand, manually removes some of the fat cells in an extremely specific area. The core difference is that weight loss, for people who are overweight, reduces total body fat (including the fat surrounding internal organs, the type that tends to cause health problems) for overall better health and a slimmer appearance throughout the entire body. Liposuction, on the other hand, is designed for people who are already a healthy weight and simply have one or a few specific “problem areas” (like “love handles” or a “double chin”) for which they just need a cosmetic fix. So the bottom line is that if you’re overweight, it’s best to lose weight the old fashioned way and then, if necessary, use liposuction to polish off the cosmetic results after you’ve reached your goal weight.
Myth #2: After liposuction has removed fat cells, the fat is gone for good.
Technically, the excess fat cells liposuction removes won’t grow back. However, your remaining fat cells (both in the treatment area and throughout the rest of your body) are just as capable of enlarging as they were before. Taking in more calories than you’re burning can and will result in weight gain regardless of whether you’ve had liposuction, so the best way to make sure your treatment area stays slender is to keep up with a healthy diet and exercise regimen.
Myth #3: Liposuction is much easier than other plastic surgeries, so it doesn’t need to be performed by a true plastic surgeon.
Liposuction uses very tiny incisions (just a few millimeters long), but that doesn’t actually mean that it’s not a “serious surgery.” Any surgery carries risks, and while the complication rates for liposuction (and other cosmetic surgeries) are low, there’s no need to risk your safety by having it performed by an unqualified provider. Even when it’s performed in a minimally invasive way to treat a particularly small area, like my Band Aid Liposuction, choosing an experienced and knowledgeable surgeon is not something you should take lightly. To find a surgeon with high credentials and experience, look for a board-certified plastic surgeon who has earned and been granted membership into several professional organizations (such as the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) like me.
Myth #4: Any kind of fat can be removed with liposuction.
Liposuction can treat nearly any area of the body, literally from head to toe. But it removes a very specific type of fat called subcutaneous fat—the type of fat that has the most impact on appearance. It cannot remove the type of fat that grows inside the abdomen under the muscle and around the internal organs (called visceral fat, the type that tends to lead to health problems), nor can it reduce the appearance of cellulite (which is caused by a combination of fat within the skin and a few other factors). This is why liposuction is a purely cosmetic procedure, and does not offer the health benefits that weight loss does.
Myth #5: Liposuction is being replaced by non-surgical fat reduction.
It’s exciting to watch medical technology advance, and in the past several years, a number of non-surgical fat reduction devices have hit the market, and they’re seeing great popularity. However, liposuction continues to become more and more frequent, actually showing a 32% increase in the past five years (according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery). So why hasn’t non-surgical fat reduction stolen liposuction’s thunder? First of all, non-invasive treatments don’t offer the same amount of control that liposuction does. Surgical fat removal allows a surgeon to actually sculpt specific contours, while non-surgical therapies simply reduce the overall number of fat cells in a localized area. And second, many patients who choose non-invasive fat reduction are people who either are not candidates for surgery or have chosen not to have surgery, so these new non-surgical treatments simply offer an option for patients who did not have one in the past.
Sculpting your ideal physique is truly a team effort between you and your cosmetic surgeon. Ultimately, the best results come to patients who are committed to staying on top of their health with diet and exercise, and who use plastic surgery for its true purpose: resolving very specific, localized cosmetic bulges of fat. To find out if you’re a candidate for liposuction, schedule a consultation with me, Dr. John L. LeRoy. And, for more helpful plastic surgery information and health tips, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
There’s something so refreshing about the New Year, and resolutions can be the perfect way to motivate yourself to make the most of the next twelve months by setting clear goals. We each have our own strengths and weaknesses, so resolutions aimed at self-improvement can run the gamut from a healthier lifestyle to career advancement to better emotional health. Depending on what you’re hoping to accomplish this year, our plastic surgery office in Atlanta may be able to help.
If you resolved to get into better shape:
Whipping your body into shape is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions around, because nearly all of us have at least one area we’re unhappy with, whether it’s the “love handles,” a “tummy pooch,” or a “double chin.” As a double board-certified plastic surgeon, I recognize the importance of putting your health first, so I always encourage my patients to reach their goal weight through a healthy diet and exercise regimen. But once you’ve reached your goal, procedures like liposuction, a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty), arm lift, breast lift, or male breast reduction can be the perfect way to put the finishing touches on your physique and, if needed, tighten up any excess sagging skin.
If you resolved to recapture your youthful spirit:
It’s easy to let the vibrant energy of youth wane as you get older and as you become busier and busier with all of life’s responsibilities. Fortunately, it’s never too late to get it back, and many of my patients find that if they give their appearance a youthful boost, it’s easier for their emotions to follow. The rejuvenation procedure you choose will depend on your unique anatomy and how aging has affected you. The most common option is my Band Aid Mini Facelift, a minimally invasive surgery I developed and have perfected over the past twenty years, which removes excess skin and repositions the underlying facial muscles to achieve natural-looking results, all in-office with gentle numbing and specialized techniques so that it requires just half the recovery time and half the cost of a traditional face lift. Depending on your needs, you may also be a candidate for a Band Aid Micro Mini Facelift, eyelid surgery, a brow lift, or a more comprehensive face lift.
Making a New Year’s resolution is all about self-reflection and figuring out what you need to do to make the upcoming year better than the one that just passed. Whether or not your goals involve plastic surgery, we wish you all success in your journey to become your most confident and beautiful self. If you would like to find out more about our surgical and non-surgical procedures, schedule a consultation with John L. LeRoy, MD, FACS, PC. Or, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ to keep up with our monthly specials, hear about the latest in plastic surgery, get great health and beauty tips, and more.
Excess fat is a problem that nearly all of us have to some extent. In fact, as of 2014, the CDC reported that more than 70% of US adults were overweight. Even people with a healthy weight are often unhappy with the way their body fat is distributed, appearing as “bulges” in specific areas. That’s why liposuction has long been among the most popular cosmetic surgeries in the country. But is it truly the permanent solution many people think it is? Or will the fat return?
To understand how to get liposuction results that last, you first need to understand how your body’s fat cells work. There are exceptions to every rule, but here’s a generalized explanation: you have a certain number of fat cells distributed throughout your body. When you gain or lose weight, your body stores fat by making these same fat cells larger or smaller—not by changing the number of fat cells. What liposuction does, on the other hand, is actually remove some fat cells from a specific “problem area” in order to modify your body’s contours.
Here’s where the question of “is it permanent?” comes in: the fat cells which were removed with liposuction will not grow back. So liposuction is “permanent” in the sense that these cells are gone. However, you will still have some remaining fat cells in the treatment area as well as throughout the rest of your body, and these cells can just as easily enlarge with weight gain as they did before your surgery. So while your post-liposuction shape is expected to be permanent, gaining weight can diminish your results.
The best way to maintain the best possible results from your liposuction is to keep a healthy diet and exercise routine. You should also keep in mind that liposuction isn’t for everyone. It’s ideal for people who don’t necessarily want to lose weight, but who just have one or a few areas of stubborn fat which haven’t responded to diet and exercise. For some patients with a particularly small area of fat to be removed, my Band Aid Liposuction is a minimally invasive option as well. If you want to lose weight, I would advise you to reach your weight loss goal first and then use liposuction to “fine tune” your new contours. It’s also important to note that liposuction solely focuses on fat removal and does not address lax or sagging skin, so if you want firmer skin along with a reduction in fat, a combination of liposuction and my Band Aid Tummy Tuck, Band Aid Arm Lift, or other skin-firming procedure may be the best way to achieve results you’ll be happy with in the long term.
Plastic surgery is a team effort between me—your board-certified plastic surgeon—and you, the patient. For the safest and most successful results, it’s important that we communicate candidly throughout the process; that I do my part to perform your procedure well; and that you do your part to help your body heal and to keep your results looking their best. If you’re ready to get started, schedule a consultation at my office. Or, for more plastic surgery tips and special offers, follow me, Dr. John L. LeRoy, on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
