by Dr. Osman on February 19, 2012
Pain associated with liposuction is a major concern for some people considering it. That’s understandable, of course. No one wants to be in pain. Fortunately, there is often very little discomfort with modern liposuction techniques.
In discussing pain associated with liposuction, there are two aspects to consider. The first is pain during the procedure, and the second is pain during liposuction recovery.
During liposuction, pain is non-existent with general anesthesia. However, there are many reasons to avoid general anesthesia with safety being the most important. Fortunately, even under local anesthesia, liposuction can be painless.
Under local anesthesia, there is a little discomfort during the earliest phases of numbing when the anesthetic is first introduced, but that is it. Patients tolerate this very well. Certain areas, like the neck and chin, have zero pain. Even larger areas, like the abdomen, can be painless.
After liposuction, recovery is much easier if local anesthesia was used. That’s because the effects of local anesthesia wear off slowly over about 18 hours, so there is good pain control for 1.5 days. Most patients don’t need anything more than Extra Strength Tylenol to manage their pain.
If general anesthesia is used, there may be a more painful recovery requiring prescription pain medications, and there can also be effects from the general anesthesia including nausea and vomiting.
by Dr. Osman on February 11, 2012
Studies show that the ideal waist to hip ratio for a woman is 0.7. That is, the distance around the waist is 70% smaller than the distance around the hips.
Multiple factors determine each person’s waist to hip ratio including the structure of the skeleton, muscle mass, and pockets of fat. Liposuction can be used to sculpt unwanted pockets of fat from both the waist and the hip to bring them to a ratio closer to the ideal of 0.7.
On the waist, fat usually accumulates toward the back, but it can gather on the sides, too. Excess fat in the hips usually collects diffusely over the outer area of the hip.
After
Before
I have found that some women gain fat mostly in their mid-section and don’t get much elsewhere. These women tend to have relatively trim thighs and arms. For this body type, liposuction around the entire waist is particularly helpful.
For most women, however, fat gathers in certain pockets. These are the bra rolls on the back, the hips, the inner and outer thighs, the abdomen, and the upper arms. When one of the these pockets is disproportionate to the others, liposuction can help bring the body back into balance.
Liposuction is not the best choice for sculpting the waist and hips when the abnormal proportions of these areas are not due to unwanted pockets of fat. People who have lost a large amount of weight may have excess skin causing the disproportion. For them, surgery to remove the excess skin may be the only option.
Some people have narrow hips and a wider rib cage causing the less than ideal ratio. There are rumors that the singer, Cher, had her lowest rib removed to make her waist smaller. skin causing the disproportion. For them, surgery to remove the excess skin may be the only option.
However, for many women, liposuction of the waist and hips is a great procedure that helps them achieve an hourglass shape. Like liposuction in other areas, lipo of the waist and hips can be performed under local anesthesia with minimal risk and recovery.
Pain associated with liposuction is a major concern for some people considering it. That’s understandable, of course. No one wants to be in pain. Fortunately, there is often very little discomfort with modern liposuction techniques.
Dr. Lawrence Osman is a board certified dermatologist and liposuction surgeon in Los Angeles specializing in minimally invasive techniques such as liposuction using local anesthesia only.