Also Serving Patients in Beachwood
Do you follow a healthy diet and fitness routine but still see stubborn pockets of fat that seemingly do not respond to your weight loss efforts? If so, you may be an ideal candidate for liposuction. Liposuction removes unwanted body fat to create slimmer and better sculpted body contours. Board-certified plastic surgeons Drs. Mark A. Foglietti and Alanna Foglietti Fostyk have performed hundreds of liposuction procedures, using advanced techniques and artistry to consistently deliver noticeable yet natural-looking results.
What Does Liposuction Accomplish?
Liposuction can be used to remove pockets of fat on various body areas, including the abdomen, hips, thighs, waist, back, buttocks, chest, knees, face and neck. Not to be confused with bariatric (weight loss) surgery, liposuction is ideal for individuals who are near or at their ideal weight but struggle with “trouble” areas or spots. In addition, liposuction does not significantly tighten skin or reduce cellulite. If, in addition to fat, you struggle with loose skin, Drs. Foglietti and Foglietti Fostyk may recommend combining liposuction with a lift procedure, such as tummy tuck, or as part of a comprehensive cosmetic treatment like mommy makeover. During your initial consultation, your surgeon will discuss your cosmetic options and design a treatment plan that suits your goals.
Areas Treatable with Liposuction
Our doctors can use liposuction to treat most areas that accumulate unwanted fat. Popular areas that our patients request include:
- Stomach
- Hips
- Thighs
- Flanks
- Buttocks
- Back
- Chin
- Behind the knees
- Ankles
- Calves
- Chest
Preparing for Liposuction
Liposuction works best on patients who are within 10 pounds of their goal weight. If you would like to improve your body contours, start with diet and exercise. After your results plateau for a few months, if you still have stubborn deposits of fat, then you may be a good candidate for liposuction to trim down the lingering problem areas.
Ahead of liposuction, Drs. Foglietti and Fostyk meet with each patient to learn his or her goals and confirm candidacy for the surgery. The surgeons also set reasonable expectations about what liposuction can accomplish. They may discuss combining liposuction with a skin-lifting procedure (tummy tuck, arm lift, thigh lift, etc.), since stretched, loose skin may negate the positive body contouring effects you seek from liposuction.
Liposuction Procedure Details
Liposuction is an outpatient procedure performed with anesthesia for full patient comfort. There are many techniques for liposuction. Drs. Foglietti and Foglietti Fostyk have found great success with tumescent liposuction, a fat removal technique with a proven safety record and success rate. During tumescent liposuction, a special fluid is injected into the treatment area to make it easier to remove more fat during the procedure and decrease the incidence of bruising. Next, a series of small incisions are made to access the fat. A narrow tube (known as a cannula) is used to suction the fat cells from the body. Drs. Foglietti and Foglietti Fostyk are meticulous in their approach, being careful to not over-correct or under-correct the treatment areas. Once the surgeons have achieved the desired results, they will suture the incisions. The treatment area will be dressed with bandages and a compression garment to support the healing tissues.
Liposuction Recovery
The initial recovery period allows the patient to return to work in 48 hours and resume exercise in two weeks, depending on the extent of surgery and personal healing progress. Immediately after surgery, the treatment area(s) will be swollen, bruised and sore. These side effects are temporary and gradually subside after the one- or two-week mark.
Once you are fully healed, you will notice that the treatment area(s) is slimmer and flatter. With good lifestyle habits (e.g., eating healthily and exercising regularly), the effects of liposuction can be permanent.
Cost of Liposuction
The price of liposuction depends on the size of the area being treated, as well as the number of areas being treated. Drs. Foglietti and Fostyk will provide a comprehensive quote after devising a treatment plan during a consultation that corresponds with your personal aesthetic goals. Our rates are competitive and fair.
Because liposuction is an elective procedure, it is not covered by most health insurance plans. However, financing options are available to those patients who would like to make payments toward the total cost of their liposuction.
Schedule a Consultation
Drs. Foglietti and Fostyk are Ohio’s best, most respected plastic surgeons in Ohio. Patients in the Cleveland area who have grown frustrated with stubborn pockets of fat that cannot be dieted away should contact Foglietti Fostyk Plastic Surgery to discuss liposuction in depth with an expert surgeon. Our Beachwood, OH office can be reached at (216) 292-6800.
Liposuction FAQs
Is liposuction right for me?
Liposuction is an effective way to remove pockets of fat that persist even after diet and exercise have led to weight loss. It is a method of restoring a more attractive shape to your body profile. The best candidates are healthy, have elastic skin and are not significantly overweight. The vitality of the skin is a factor in patient satisfaction with liposuction results; the firmer the skin, the more apt it is to smoothly cover the newly thinned areas of your body. In the hands of the experienced Cleveland-area plastic surgeons of Foglietti Fostyk Plastic Surgery, you can reclaim a natural, fit and graceful body shape – and the confidence that comes with it.
Is liposuction a good way to lose weight?
Liposuction is not meant to treat obesity and should not be considered a way to reach your goal weight. If weight loss is your objective, diet and exercise are much more effective strategies.
Liposuction is, however, an effective answer to the common saddle bag, muffin top, spare tire or love handle — localized volumes of fat that fail to shrink, no matter how far your weight falls. Liposuction is surgery, but also artistry that can reveal the graceful shape within. As Michelangelo famously noted, every piece of marble “has a statue inside it, and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.
What types of fat can liposuction effectively target?
Patients commonly seek reductions in the stomach, thighs, hips, butt, arms, back or neck. Men may also use liposuction as one method for treating gynecomastia. The skilled Cleveland-area plastic surgeons of Foglietti Fostyk Plastic Surgery may advise an alternate technique catered to the patient’s specific needs when seen in consultation.
Does liposuction treat cellulite or stretch marks?
Liposuction is not designed to enhance the appearance of the skin. Sagging skin can become more pronounced after a liposuction procedure, as it lacks the elasticity to shrink to fit the new body shape. Although firm skin may look slightly smoother after a liposuction treatment, stretch marks and cellulite are unlikely to improve significantly.
What should I expect during the procedure?
The experienced plastic surgeons of Foglietti Fostyk Plastic Surgery are skilled at performing liposuction as an outpatient procedure. Using a safe, effective procedure called tumescent liposuction, your doctor will start by injecting a fluid into the target area to help loosen pockets of fat. Next, your doctor will insert a small tube through the miniature incisions so that he or she can suction up unwanted fat cells. The artistry of the surgeon is critical. Your doctor will remove fat with precision and aesthetic balance, being carefully not to over-correct.
Depending on the number of areas involved, your doctor may use general anesthesia, intravenous “twilight” sedation or local anesthesia. Time required for the surgery ranges from one to four hours. After removing the fat deposits, the incisions are sutured so that healing may progress. Because of swelling, it may take weeks or months before you can admire your new body profile in the mirror. Like any masterpiece, the splendor of your final result will reveal itself slowly.
How soon can I enjoy my liposuction results?
Depending on how many fat cells are removed, you may notice a slimmer physique immediately following your surgery. For many patients, however, swelling can be substantial, so you may need to wait until that subsides to fully appreciate your new contours. This process can take two to six months, depending on your rate of healing.
What is tumescent liposuction?
Tumescent liposuction is a safe, effective surgical variation of liposuction during which a surgeon injects a fluid into the target area that aids in loosening pockets of fat. The surgeon then makes small incisions, inserts a thin, hollow tube and suctions out fat cells, as with traditional liposuction.
Does fat eventually return?
Assuming you have adjusted the habits that led to weight gain in the first place, you do not have to worry about the treated pockets of fat returning. Fat cells removed with liposuction cannot return. However, the remaining fat cells in your body are still susceptible to weight gain, so if you start consuming more calories, you can expect to see fat accumulate. Keeping a steady weight is the best way to maintain the contours achieved with liposuction.
How do I know I will have loose skin after liposuction?
Loose skin is a possibility, but not a certainty. Theoretically, your skin should retract to fit your body’s new contours after fat cells are removed. This is most likely to occur in younger, supple skin. Older skin that has lost its elasticity may have difficulty retracting after stretching out, leaving drooping skin that detracts from your new contours. Drs. Foglietti and Fostyk can discuss other surgical procedures (like abdominoplasty) that may complement liposuction to help you get the body you desire. They can perform a lifting procedure at the same time they perform liposuction, or at a future time if the skin fails to adequately retract.
Is there a less-invasive option for targeting fat pockets?
There are several highly effective non-surgical alternatives that use state-of-the-art technologies such as lasers and radiofrequency (RF) energy to disrupt fat cells and trigger the production of your body’s restorative proteins: collagen and elastin. However, liposuction gets rid of the fat cells and can be done, usually, in one procedure. These other noninvasive procedures often require multiple treatments and are not as effective as liposuction itself.
Transform your body and self-confidence with liposuction and the expert plastic surgeons at Foglietti Fostyk Plastic Surgery. To schedule a personal consultation, please contact our Cleveland office today.
