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    How many procedures can I have done at once?

    Tag Archives: Liposuction

    This is a very common question that I deal with almost on a daily basis. In general, it is perfectly fine to combine procedures and I do it all of the time. The advantages are one anesthetic, one recovery, and you will save some money. Facial procedures are often combined, like eyelids and facelifts. Breast and body procedures are commonly coupled as well.

    But there are things I consider before I give a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’.

    First is the time it all takes. Most surgeons will agree that about 6 or 7 hours is long enough to have someone asleep for an elective cosmetic procedure. After this time period your risks for post operative complications start to go up. So I will combine procedures if I can do my best work in less than about 6 hours.

    Secondly, I take into consideration the type of procedures being performed. Though the incisions are very small, a large volume liposuction is a bigger shock to your system than combining an eyelid tuck and breast augmentation for instance. So we have to consider what we are planning and what kind of a toll this is going to take on you immediately after surgery and during your recovery.

    Lastly, we have to look at your medical history. A 30 year old woman with no medical problems can safely have more surgery than a 60 year old over weight diabetic patient.  And it’s not even the age that  matters that much. My mother is 80 and other than some aches and pains, she is completely healthy. I could safely operate on her all day long. The bottom line is we need to step back and look at your whole picture before we develop some grand plan that  may be too risky. So more often than not the answer I give is “Sure, that’s fine”. I even recommend it most of the time.

    Lee Corbett, MD

     https://www.corbettcosmeticsurgery.com/

    502-721-0330

    All posts on this blog are authored by Louisville cosmetic plastic surgeon Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including facelifts, browlifts, and blepharoplasy in Louisville, Kentucky. 

    This is a good question that I discuss with prospective cosmetic surgery patients almost daily.

    The answer depends on a few things and is highly dependent on your starting point. Let me explain.

    First, if you are within 5 to 10 pounds of where you would like to ideally be, I think you are fine. There is no reason to delay your procedure. The reason is because when we lose weight we do it from fat stores all over our body. So it’s not as though you are going to lose all 5 pounds from your breasts or tummy or thighs or whatever we are working on. You will lose it from all over and so this amount of weight loss isn’t going to change the shape of one particular area that dramatically.

    Now, if you think that you are going to loose 15 to 20 pounds you should probably wait. It is safe to have surgery at this point but 20 pounds of fat is a LOT of fat. Fat as a tissue is not very dense, so 20 pounds of fat is a lot of bulk. For instance, when I do tummy tucks and take off that hand full of skin and fat  that lives from your belly button down to your pubic area, from hip to hip, that typically weighs 3 to 4 pounds, max! People are shocked to hear that, but it’s true. So, 20 pounds of fat coming off is like 5 of the lower tummy rolls being removed. That’s a lot, so folks in this category are better off dropping the weight. The weight loss probably won’t change the procedure we choose to do, it will change the specifics of what I do and you will look better after at a lower weight.

    If you are 50-100 pounds overweight, we need to talk. Significant weight loss in this category is not common so you need to be honest with yourself as to whether you are really going to loose this weight or not. Weight loss of this magnatude requires a total change in how you eat, what you eat, and a regimented exercise routine. If that’s not realistic, we can proceed with surgery, if it is we need to wait.

    If you are 100 pounds over weight Cosmetic Surgery is usually not an option. At this point, your risks for anesthetic and surgical complications start to really increase. In general, I think it is safer to delay until you are able to lower your body weight in order to maximize your safety and results.

    Lee Corbett, MD

    www. CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

    502.721.0330

    All posts on this blog are authored by Louisville, Kentucky body contouring surgeon Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including facelifts, browlifts, blepharoplasy, Botox, Juvederm, Restylane, breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast reductions, body lifts, liposuction,  and tummy tucks.

    Unfortunately, no.

    I see several new patients a year who are 50, 75 even 100 pounds over weight and were told Liposuction is their answer. This is just not true.

    Don’t think of Liposuction as a way to loose weight. Liposuction is a sculpting tool. It is intended for those who are at or very close to their ideal body weight. The analogy I make when I meet with new patients is to compare Liposuction with a nail file. We use it much the same way you would use the file in that we are smoothing “rough” edges to give the area a better shape and to make the problem area blend better with the areas around it.

    Let me give you more of an explanation though. A large volume liposuction would be the removal of 7 to 10 liters of fat. By the way, if you had this volume removed your surgeon would likley keep you over night in a hospital and monitor your fluid status. Now, understand that when we do liposuction, the first step in the process is to pump a saline/lidocaine/epinephrine solution into the area. Then we suction out a combination of fat and the solution. So if we take out 10 liters, a lot of this volume is the water we just put in. 10 liters weighs 20 pounds but remember that a lot of this weight is the water. So, you might actually lose say 7 0r 8 pounds of fat, max. Basically, we just can’t safely remove huge volumes of fat because of safety issues.

    Another issue is skin laxity. If you are carrying an extra 50 pounds your skin has stretched to accomodate the weight. Liposuction results in some skin retraction, but it cannot tighten loose hanging skin. This problem has to be treated with direct excision, usually in the form of  a tummy tuck or body lift.

    So, while a Liposuction cannula is a great tool to help shape and smooth your curves, it is not a magic wand we can use to shrink you.

    Lee Corbett, MD

    www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

    502.721.0330

    All posts on this blog are authored by Louisville liposuction surgeon Dr. Lee Corbett.

    There are two parts to this answer when it comes to Louisville, Kentucky liposuction.

    First is comfort. From my experience, most patients wait at least a week or more before they start exercising again. I recommend starting with a light version of your typical routine. Guage how you feel, and then ease back into things as your comfort allows.

    Second, is swelling. When we do surgery on you, what happens is that the blood vessels in that area get leaky. The purpose is for the cells that heal us need to be able to leak out of the blood steam and get in there to do their thing. So, in effect, think of the blood vessels as leaky piping, much like a soaker hose. Well, if you exercise you increase your blood pressure and pulse rate. So, you are driving the blood through a leaky system faster and with more pressure. The end result is the watery part of the blood leaks into the tissues and you swell. From this point of view, I typically recommend waiting 2 weeks before doing cardio. At that point, you can get going again and see how you do. If you swell up like the Michelin Man we need to hold off a little longer. But it’s important to understand that the swelling wont hurt you, it just temporarily affects your weight and appearance.

    In the end, there are no hard and fast rules. You have to stick your toe in and see how you do!

    Lee Corbett, MD
    http://www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com
    502.721.0330

    All posts on this blog are authored by Breast Augmetnation plastic surgeon Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including liposuction  and tummy tucks.

    Got man boobs? Search has information about your condition, what it is and what you can do about it.

    What it is. Of course, there’s a technical name for it: gynecomastia.
    What does it looks? Search here.

    Not surprisingly, real gynecomastia (see more on pseudo gynecomastia below) is often caused by an imbalance between the hormones testosterone and estrogen, both of which are naturally occurring in men.

    You knew about testosterone, but yes, guys need estrogen, too.

    There are other causes as well, including the use of some recreational drugs. 

    At least one hair-loss drug may also cause it. Can’t a guy get a break?

    What to do. As many as half of all adolescent boys show signs of gynecomastia during puberty. It makes gym class tough, but it also usually disappears in a couple of years.

    It’s a different story for adult men, for whom breast reduction surgery is a common form of treatment. Some dietary supplements purport to treat the condition. You’ll have to judge those for yourself.

    When it’s not gynecomastia. Some man boobs, maybe even most, aren’t caused by hormone imbalances at all. This would, of course, be pseudo gynecomastia.

    For those cases, the problem is being overweight, and all the usual solutions apply. Chief among them: Put the cookie jar back on the shelf, get off the couch, and get some exercise.

    ****I copied this from MSN. Couldn’t say it any better myself.****

    Lee Corbett, MD
    https://www.corbettcosmeticsurgery.com/

    All posts on this blog,except this one, are authored by Louisville cosmetic plastic surgeon Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including facelifts, browlifts, blepharoplasy, Botox, Juvederm, Restylane, breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast reductions, body lifts, liposuction,  and tummy tucks.

    The reason is because exercise only affects your muscles, it doesn’t do anything for loose skin or more importantly your fascia. I know, you have no idea what fascia is. So, I’m gonna tell ya. Every muscle in the human body is enveloped in fascia. Fascia is a whitish colored tissue that has the consistency of one of the white legal envelopes you can never tear open. It is a tough, sinewy tissue. In the picture, the fascia is the white stuff surrounding the 6 pack muscles.  So, when you get pregnant, that fascia gets stretched out making your abdominal wall lax. Along your midline, the fascia from the right and left 6-pack muscles fuses in a line called the linea alba. Before kids, the linea alba is about 4 or 5 mm wide. But after, that line is stretched and thinned and can be a inch or two wide, so you get a midline bulge that looks like Alien is trying to escape! Here’s the bad news…fascia doesn’t respond to exercise and neither does skin. So all the situps in the world will tone the muscles but it can’t do a thing for the other two. But, there is still hope in the form of a Tummy Tuck or Abdominoplasty. A tummy tuck allows for fascial tightening thus muscle tightening, fat removal, and loose skin removal. In fact, it is part of a “Mommy Makeover”. It is usually coupled with Liposuction and is the procedure of choice for maximal abdominal wall rejuvenation.

    Dr. Lee Corbett

    http://www.CorbettCosmeticSurgery.com

    502.721.0330

    All posts on this blog are authored by Louisville liposuction surgeon Dr. Lee Corbett. Dr. Corbett specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery including facelifts, browlifts, blepharoplasy, Botox, Juvederm, Restylane, breast augmentation, breast lifts, breast reductions, body lifts, liposuction,  and tummy tucks.

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    Louisville
    13125 Eastpoint Park Blvd
    Suite 102
    Louisville, KY 40223

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    502.721.0330

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