Abdominal Liposuction
 
Many men and woman who have excess fat in their abdominal region undergo abdominal liposuction to remove the flab and help flatten their tummy.  This procedure is also called lipoplasty or suction lipectomy and is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic surgeries in the U.S.  Suction lipectomy frequently performed as part of a Tummy Tuck procedure.

Some people are able to control abdominal fat with diet and exercise, but other people have a genetic predisposition to retain fat in the abdominal area. For some people who have been pregnant or have lost weight, abdominal fat is highly resistant to being shed, even with the proper diet and exercise. For these people, abdominal liposuction can help eliminate their abdominal fat.  

Surgeon Consultation 

If you believe you are a good candidate for tummy tuck liposuction, the first step is to find a board-certified plastic surgeon for a consultation.  The purpose is for you and your doctor to determine if this is right procedure for you and if you are a good candidate for it. 

During your consultation, your surgeon should explain the entire procedure of abdominal liposuction and potential risks that are involved. 

A complete assessment of your physical condition and medical history will be taken by your surgeon.   This includes your fat distribution, weight, muscle tone and skin type. Your diet, amount and type of daily exercise, allergies, medications you are taking will also be reviewed.

At the consultation your surgeon will inform you about various options.  For some people liposuction alone is not sufficient to flatten their tummy, and they may require a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) as well.  This is the time for you to ask questions and educate yourself about what works best for you. Before and after photos are often taken at this time.

After the initial assessment, your doctor will determine if the surgery is right for you.  You may be asked to discontinue certain medications and vitamins + dietary supplements for a few weeks prior to surgery.  

Who Is A Good Candidate?

In general, the ideal candidates for liposuction are men and women who are of relatively normal weight, but have isolated pockets of fat that do not respond to an adequate diet and exercise program. Think love handles or muffin tops.

You should have firm and elastic skin tone and have excessive fatty deposits in certain body areas. Keep in mind that liposuction removes fat, not loose skin.

Procedure - Abdominal Liposuction  

Anesthesia may be local only, some form of sedation or general anesthesia may be administered.  For people that get a local anesthesia, the doctor may also administer a sedative to them. 

The surgeon then marks the area on the patient’s abdomen where the fat will be removed, and then make a small incision along the mark, to insert a metal long thin tube called a cannula under the skin and removes the fat.   The cannula uses the force of suction to dissolve and suction up the fat without harm to the surrounding tissues.

Wetting solutions are liquids that are infused into the area prior to liposuction surgery.  They consist of a saline solution with epinephrine, and a local anesthetic.   The epinephrine acts to constrict the blood vessels and minimize blood loss.  The increase in safety and reduced loss of blood is largely the reason why this new method is now widely used.  There are a few different types of wetting solution techniques used, the primary difference being the amount of fluids used. 

Fat Removal – Suctioning Techniques

There are many different ways to vacuum out the fat during liposuction.

Traditional suction-assisted liposuction. This method is a very basic, mechanical procedure in which the surgeon involves inserts the cannula through a small incision and uses a back and forth motion to break up the fat cells.  At the same time the cells are he/she suctions out the excess fat.

Ultrasound-assisted liposuction – Also called Vaser-assisted liposuction, the surgeon uses high-frequency sound waves emitting from a special cannula to break up the fat cells.  
 
Power-assisted liposuction – In this method a special motorized cannula is used to break up the fat before vacuuming.

Laser-assisted liposuction - Laser-assisted liposuction is similar to Vaser-assisted liposuction, but it used a laser probe to produce a burst of energy that breaks up and liquefies the fat before it is suctioned.  T

Aqua liposuction – a relatively new method  uses jet-pulses of water to loosen the fat from the tissue during the surgery, while simultaneously vacuuming the cells.  This method is sometimes called water-assisted liposuction. It has not been shown or proven that no method is better than another.
 
The Results 

Many people can see results as early as one week after their abdominal liposuction surgery. In some cases, though, it could take up to six months for the final improvements to occur. 

Even though abdominal liposuction is an effective method to shed extra belly fat, proper diet and regular exercise essential to maintain its result. 
 
Los Angeles liposuction services are offered in these major city areas below as well: 
Agoura Hills, Alhambra, Arcadia, Artesia, Avalon, Azusa, Baldwin Park, Bakersfield, Bell Gardens, Bell , Bellflower, Beverly Hills, Bradbury, Burbank, Calabasas, Carson, Cerritos, City of Industry, Claremont, Commerce, Compton, Costa Mesa, Covina, Cudahy, Culver City, Diamond Bar, Downey, Duarte ,El Monte, El Segundo, Fullerton, Gardena, Glendale, Glendora, Hawaiian Gardens, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Hidden Hills, Huntington Beach, Huntington Park, Industry, Inglewood, Irwindale, La Canada Flintridge, La Habra Heights, La Mirada, La Puente, La Verne, Lakewood, Lancaster, Lawndale, Lomita, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Lynwood, Malibu, Manhattan Beach, Maywood, Monrovia, Montebello, Monterey Park, Norwalk, Oakland,  Orange County, Palmdale, Palos Verdes Estates, Paramount, Pasadena, Pico Rivera, Pomona, Rancho Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach, Riverside, Rolling Hills Estates, Rolling Hills, Rosemead, San Bernardino, San Dimas, San Fernando, San Gabriel, San Marino, Santa Barbara, Santa Clarita, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Santa Fe Springs, Santa Monica, Sierra Madre, Signal Hill, Simi Valley, South El Monte, South Gate, South Pasadena, Temple City, Torrance, Van Nuys, Vernon, Walnut, West Covina, West Hollywood, Westlake Village, Whittier
 
Census-designated places in Los Angeles are not always easy to find for a abdominal laser liposuction.

Los Angeles liposuction services are offered in these census-designated area: Acton, Alondra Park, Altadena, Avocado Heights, Charter Oak, Citrus, Del Aire, Desert View Highlands, East Compton, East La Mirada, East Los Angeles, East Pasadena, East San Gabriel, Florence-Graham, Hacienda Heights, La Crescenta-Montrose, Ladera Heights, Los Angeles, Lennox, Littlerock, Marina del Rey, Mayflower Village, North El Monte, Quartz Hill, Rowland Heights, South San Gabriel, South San Jose Hills, South Whittier, Val Verde, Valinda, View Park-Windsor Hills, Vincent, Walnut Park, West Athens, West Carson, West Compton, West Puente Valley, West Whittier-Los Nietos, Westmont, Willowbrook