For those considering or planning for a liposuction procedure here in the DC area, timing is everything. Choosing the right time to move forward with liposuction can make all the difference in terms of the success and efficiency of your recovery and your satisfaction with your results over the long term.
How can you tell if you’re physically and emotionally ready for liposuction? This blog post will discuss a few signs that now may be the right time for your transformation.
You’re near your ideal weight, and you want contour improvements, not weight loss.
Liposuction is not a weight-loss procedure. In fact, ideal liposuction candidates are at or very near their desired weight and want to refine their silhouettes with strategic fat reduction.
Rather than removing significant volumes of body fat, liposuction improves body contours by slimming targeted areas to sculpt a trimmer, more streamlined figure.
You want to treat defined “trouble areas.”
Liposuction doesn’t reduce fat all over the body; instead, it spot-treats stubborn pockets that resist diet and exercise efforts. Common treatment areas include the:
- Abdomen
- Hips
- Thighs
- Upper arms
- Double chin and neck
Though it does target localized deposits, liposuction can create dramatic overall results when performed on several of these areas at the same time.
You have realistic expectations.
Having a healthy outlook about your results is essential to your satisfaction with your surgical experience. It’s important for you to understand the level of correction you can expect as well as the recovery time you should anticipate afterward.
Getting into a positive, grounded headspace before your procedure is one of the most important steps you can take. Read tips for emotionally preparing for plastic surgery in our previous blog post.
You have good skin elasticity.
Liposuction does not correct loose, stretched, or lax skin, nor does it tighten skin to accommodate for the fat volume removed. Suitable candidates have elastic skin that can contract easily once the fat is removed.
If lax skin is a concern for you, you may benefit from an additional skin tightening procedure such as a tummy tuck to complement your results.
You’re ready for the recovery.
Recovery times vary, but you should be prepared to take 5 to 7 days away from work and 3 weeks away from strenuous exercise. If this does not seem realistic for you, you may be a better candidate for a nonsurgical body contouring procedure such as CoolSculpting®.
To see examples of the liposuction results you can expect from Center for Plastic Surgery, please visit our before-and-after photo gallery.
If you would like to learn more about whether you are a candidate for liposuction in the DC area, please contact us online or call (703) 560-2850 (Annandale, VA) or (301) 652-7700 (Chevy Chase, MD).