LIPOSUCTION

So you have a stubborn area of fat and are considering liposuction?   here's an example of what can be achieved with a liposuction procedure. 

 

click here to go to lipo photo gallery

click here for laser liposuction offer

click here for information on laser lipo recovery

 

Laser Liposuction:   Dr. Khalifeh now performs the majority of his cases using Awake Laser Liposuction Technique. He does offer traditional liposuction and Power assisted liposuction (micro-aire) under general anesthesia for high volume cases and for combination makeover cases where liposuction is combined with other procedures.  Ultimately, because he is board certified in plastic surgery, he is able to discuss all techniques with the patient and help the patient choose the best technique to achieve her or his desired results.

Laser Liposuction:  No substitute for adquate training

Technology is good.  It helps us achieve better results. However, technology is no substitute for finding the experienced and trained plastic surgeon to perform your surgery.  Patients are getting confused about liposuction surgery due to the proliferation of advertising by companies and untrained doctors  that  are not adequately trained to perform liposuction.  Believe it or not, the state and federal government do not prevent untrained doctors from trying to perform the procedure.  Hospitals DO check on the adequacy of doctor's training to perform a procedure, therefore making sure that a doctor has hospital privileges to perform a procedure is good, and you can go to your favorite hospital's website and use their doctor finder feature to find a doctor they certifity as a plastic surgeon.  MANY DOCTORS ADVERTISING LASER LIPOSUCTION IN MARYLAND, VIRGINIA, AND DC ARE NOT ALLOWED BY HOSPTIALS TO PERFROM THE PROCEDURE.  They get around this loophole because laser liposuction can be perfromed in an office setting, and therefore there is no one to check on the doctor's training.  Remember, it is up to each patient to adequately research their doctor's training and certification.  Fortunately, finding a trained and board certified plastic surgeon is easy using the ASPS doctor finder below or your local hospital website.  Click here to go the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and check on your provider to make sure they are listed.  If the person about to perform surgery on you is not listed by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, then you should be asking yourself if you have found the right provider.

Why is going to a board certified plastic surgeon is paramount?  Consider this patient, who went to a person calling themselves a "cosmetic surgeon" and got these results (click here to go to page).  Even though the "latest" technology machine was used, what the patient should have been told that she needed a tummy tuck procedure, not liposuction.  There is a limit to how much skin will tighten after the procedure, but if your surgeon is not board certified in plastic surgery, he may not be well trained in the intricacies of cosmetic surgery, even if he or she calls themselves a cosmetic surgeon.  Fortunately, the patient had corrective surgery with Dr. Khalifeh and did well, but she could have avoided the cost and risk of the first surgery had she checked on her "surgeon"'s background

Understanding the Difference between different techniques

There are may different techniques and technologies available, and one must differentiate between Technique used, Technology Used, and Anesthesia used. 

Technique:  All liposuction procedures start with the infusion of Tumescent Fluid.  Tumescent fluid is composed of lactated ringers, lidocaine for pain control, epinephrine for bleeding control, and bicarbonate to make the infusion less painful.  The exact dosages used depend on the area being treated.  sometimes you may see some one refer to the wet technique, or superwet technique.  This means they are infusing more or less tumescent than the fat being removed.  There are reasons to do so, but ultimately beyond knowing that ALL TECHNIQUES (laser, smartlipo,  vaser, traditional, tumescent...) will start with this fluid solution being infiltrated in the area to be treated. 

Technology:  After the infusion of the solution above, the surgeon may decide to use a fat breaking and/or skin tightening technology.  The skin tightening and fat breaking technologies fall into Lasers (smartlipo, coollipo, slimlipo, lypotherme...) or ultrasound (vaser, mentor).  There is also a powerassisted liposuction called microaire, and there is a water jet assisted machine, and those machines help break up the fat.  In the right hands, Dr. Khalifeh does not believe that one machine is clearly superior to the other, although he prefers to use the latest laser technology in his office.  An experienced surgeon can achieve excellent results using any of these technologies. 

Anesthesia:  the basic decision here is awake or asleep.  Many of my patients want to stay awake during the procedure to avoid general anesthesia.   During awake procedures, the patient is kept comfortable by the numbing medication.   Often, Dr. Khalifeh will also prescribe some pills to diminish anxiety and discomfort.   click here for more information on anesthesia/discomfort during laser liposuction 

Request a  consult with Dr. Khalifeh by clicking on the contact form

What is the recovery like:  click here for info on laser lipo recovery

 Can I still gain weight even after liposuction? click here for answer

For patients:

Dowload Preoperative Instructions for AWAKE LASER LIPO