How should I prepare for a lipoplasty consultation?
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Before you have a lipoplasty, more popularly known as liposuction, procedure, you must be sure that you understand it, its risk of complications, and the recovery period afterward. Be prepared for your initial doctor consultation: know what you want and know your medical history so that your doctor will best know how to treat you. An informed patient is an empowered one, so ask your questions and get them answered. Along with a physical exam to discuss the body part or parts where you want lipoplasty, some doctors may wish to perform a psychological evaluation and may require a second consultation so that your doctor can be sure that you are informed and committed, which will also give you more time to discern whether or not you wish to undergo lipoplasty. Above all, keep in mind that this is your body under discussion and that the goal of your consultation is to express your wishes and to ask your doctor questions.
Before you have a lipoplasty, more popularly known as liposuction, procedure, you must be sure that you understand it, its risk of complications, and the recovery period afterward. Be prepared for your initial doctor consultation: know what you want... More -
Dr. Stuart Linder answered:In general, during the liposuction consultation, the patient should be prepared to understand the risks and benefits of the procedure, as well as to have the surgeon go over all risks and benefits of the procedure. During the initial consultation, a full history and physical should be obtained from the board-certified plastic surgeon. The examination should include a specific evaluation of the areas that the patient wants to have suctioned. Localized deep fat deposit areas do well, aka, hips, flanks, abdomen, thighs. The skin tonicity or skin laxity should also be evaluated by the plastic surgeon to determine whether liposuctioning may increase skin laxity. Finally, the patient should have realistic expectations as to what fat can be removed and what cannot. For example, on the abdominal area, some patients have increased intraperitoneal fat; this, of course, cannot be suctioned. As well as in the lateral thigh area, specifically the patient may have significant thickness to the muscle which, again, cannot be affected by liposuction technique.
In general, during the liposuction consultation, the patient should be prepared to understand the risks and benefits of the procedure, as well as to have the surgeon go over all risks and benefits of the procedure. During the initial... More
