Liposuction in Fort Lauderdale, FL

As we age, fat becomes increasingly harder to lose. Diet and exercise are often the top methods of choice when losing weight, but these solutions do little against certain areas of subcutaneous fat: the fat that lingers even after you’ve improved your diet and lifestyle. Many of our clients come to us after a successful weight loss journey. They say they’re happy with their new and improved physique. However, they also still have hard-to-lose fat in areas that often include their love handles, abdomen, thighs, breast, arms, and buttocks. In these areas of the human body, subcutaneous fat acts as a buffer between the skin and muscles. Other types of fat, like visceral fat, exist deeper in the body, centered around organs. When diet and activity levels are improved, the body readily burns visceral fat to provide the muscles with energy.^[1] However, subcutaneous fat is quite the opposite. At its more superficial placement on the body, subcutaneous fat serves as a barrier to regulate heat loss, prevent the spread of outside infections, and protect vital organs from external forces.^[2] Because this fat is important to the body, the brain is reluctant to let it go so easily. Even after maintaining a perfect diet and exercise regimen, patients don’t see this layer of fat shrink even after dipping to a less than healthy body fat percentage. 

So, with DIY methods like diet and exercise proving to give patients underwhelming results, we need a more reliable, effective solution to treat subcutaneous fat. That’s where liposuction comes into focus. Since its modern inception back in 1975, liposuction has given millions of patients worldwide their desired physical results. In 2020, even amidst a global pandemic, over 200,000 Americans underwent a liposuction procedure, making it the fourth most popular cosmetic surgery in the country.^[3] With the new advancements in liposculpture techniques and technologies, trained and certified plastic surgeons can extract more fat cells during a liposuction procedure, giving their patients enhanced results. 

Fat cells are organized in collections of lobules, which combine to make the lumps of fatty tissue in our trouble spots. A liposuction procedure begins with a small incision only a few millimeters wide. Then, Dr. Frederick injects the area with tumescent fluid. In the past, traditional liposuction (also referred to as “dry” liposuction) would only yield minimal fat retrieval at the risk of dangerous blood loss.^[4] To solve these problems, surgeons began introducing tumescent fluid into their surgeries. Tumescent fluid uses a low concentration of lidocaine and epinephrine in a saline solution to constrict blood vessels and swell fat lobules. This solution minimizes blood loss and maximizes the amount of fat extracted during a procedure. Once Dr. Frederick has saturated the fatty tissue with tumescent fluid, he takes an aspirating thin tube called a cannula and runs it through the fat under the skin. Now that the lobules are swollen from the fluid, they are more accessible, more easily dislodged, and simpler to extract. The cannula acts as a gentle vacuum to pry the fat cells from their connective tissue while keeping the neighboring tissue largely unharmed. After evenly running the cannula through the subcutaneous layer of fat and aspirating most of the fat lobules, Dr. Frederick will ensure the area is uniformly contoured and defined. Finally, he will close the minor incision and wrap the area in a compression garment to promote proper healing.

For those interested in learning more about how liposuction can help you lose that stubborn fat, schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Frederick. He will determine if you are eligible and the best approach to achieve your aesthetic goals. For liposuction patients, we have a set criterion when consulting with patients.

• Be at a healthy, stable weight before your procedure. Liposuction is not a weight loss surgery but rather a body contouring procedure. We will only approve patients who fall in a healthy BMI range.
• Be able to take time off from physical activities. For those with labor-intensive jobs, we recommend waiting until you’re fully healed to resume strenuous activities.
• Be a non-smoker or willing to stop a few weeks before your procedure and for the entire duration of your recovery. Nicotine constricts blood vessels and hampers the body’s inflammatory response to heal the treated areas. Also, smokers are more at risk of adverse effects under anesthesia.

As one of the most accomplished and sought-after plastic surgeons in South Florida, Dr. Frederick has successfully built Le Spa into a premier destination for aesthetic surgeries. Throughout his training, Dr. Frederick’s lauded academic performance at prestigious institutions set the high standards that govern his practice today. In the past two years, Fort Lauderdale Illustrated and Palm Beach Illustrated have donned him “Top Doctor” awards, and he has published numerous articles in medical journals to teach other surgeons his advanced ideas and approaches. To put it lightly: Dr. Frederick has the skills, knowledge, and expertise necessary to achieve your desired appearance. 

If this will be your first time with us, we will perform a brief physical examination and a new patient intake interview. These steps will help us where you are in your fitness journey and where you hope to be. Next, Dr. Frederick will examine your hard-to-lose fat and note the overlying skin elasticity. The state of your skin’s elasticity will determine if a skin tightening procedure is needed to better define your liposuction results. Then, Dr. Frederick will recommend a comprehensive approach to your cosmetic concerns and design a personalized treatment plan. If you and Dr. Frederick decide liposuction is the optimal route, we will schedule a time and date for your procedure. We will give you a list of preparatory steps to follow before your procedure. 

Since this procedure is considered a general surgical procedure, it’s best to follow these basic steps.

• Avoid smoking a few weeks beforehand.
• Discontinue blood-thinning medications and supplements as directed.
• Designate a caregiver to drive you home after your procedure. We will administer anesthesia, so you will not be fit to drive yourself home.
• Pre-fill all necessary medications. After your surgery, you will want to spend your time at home focused on recovery, not waiting in line at the pharmacy.

Le Spa uses an advanced, effective liposuction technology called SafeLipo. SafeLipo is unique from other types of liposuction technologies because it goes through three stages in one simple procedure.

SEPARATION STAGE

The first stage in SafeLipo is the injection of tumescent fluid in the treatment area. As the fat lobules swell and the blood vessels contract, Dr. Frederick runs a vibrating cannula through the subcutaneous tissue to separate the fat from its connective tissue, making it easier to extract the fat cells.

ASPIRATION STAGE

After the cannula vibrates and displaces targeted fat cells, it aspirates them from the body. Dr. Frederick runs the cannula evenly through the fat cells to promote a well-contoured and defined appearance.

FAT EQUALIZATION

Once Dr. Frederick removes the fat cells, he returns the cannula to the target areas and uses it to break up any lingering areas of fat or scar tissue to minimize the chance of creating a suction divot or other contour irregularities. The SafeLipo technique equalizes the remaining fat to ensure the treated areas are the same thickness and appear even.

After your liposuction procedure, you will need to focus on rest and recovery for the next couple of days. You will leave our care with a compression garment wrapped around your treated areas. Please keep this on for the next couple of days to promote optimal healing. You will need to wear this for at least a week after your procedure but will be able to take it off to shower. If you are experiencing pain or discomfort, be sure to continue taking the prescribed pain medications for the next few days. After a liposuction procedure, the healing process takes several months. At your follow-up appointment, we will determine where you are in the healing process and what next steps, if any, are necessary.

Please continue to wear your compression garment or binder when undertaking any physical activity for the next month. While wearing, you will need to adjust it as necessary to ensure that it remains smoothly in place. This is crucial for controlling the swelling, and the more diligently you wear it, the faster you’ll be able to see your results!  Over the course of this month, approximately 70% of the swelling will have resolved, and any lingering discomfort will resolve. The remaining swelling, called induration, is slightly firm compared to normal tissue and will take 3-6 months to dissipate. How quickly your body heals from liposuction will be dependent on your age, whether you smoke, and your general health.

The cost of your liposuction will depend on the number of areas treated and the surgical requirements for your procedure. We will determine the exact cost of your surgery during your consultation. Please check out our financing page if you would like to learn about financing your treatment. For those with any questions about this or any of our other services, feel free to give us a call at (754) 277-4120.

1. Mittal B. (2019). Subcutaneous adipose tissue & visceral adipose tissue. The Indian journal of medical research, 149(5), 571–573. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_1910_18
2. Kwok, K., Lam, K. & Xu, A. Heterogeneity of white adipose tissue: molecular basis and clinical implications. Exp Mol Med 48, e215 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/emm.2016.5
3. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. (2020). American Society of Plastic Surgeons. https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/plastic-surgery-statistics
4. Venkataram J. (2008). Tumescent liposuction: a review. Journal of cutaneous and aesthetic surgery, 1(2), 49–57. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-2077.44159