If you have been trying to get in shape but do not yet have the body contours you were hoping to achieve, then you may be considering liposuction. Dr. Lloyd Landsman, a board-certified plastic surgeon on Long Island, performs liposculpture (a variation on liposuction) to attain the most precise results on behalf of his patients. In this blog, he explains the optimal time for patients to seek this surgery.
When You Are Close to Your Target Weight
Liposuction is often mistaken for a weight-loss surgery, when in fact it works best at removing the last pockets of fat from the body. If you wish to shed a significant amount of weight, Dr. Landsman encourages you to commit to a diet and exercise routine (or perhaps try bariatric surgery) to lose most of the pounds. You may find toward the end of your weight-loss journey that you have stubborn deposits of fat that stand in the way of achieving your ideal figure, at which point liposculpture can help finish the job.
It also makes sense to wait until you have been at a steady weight for at least a few months. This allows you to know your weight-loss efforts have plateaued and shows that you can maintain this current weight. Since putting on weight in the future can ruin the contours achieved with liposculpture, it is smartest to choose a weight you have proven to yourself that you can realistically maintain.
When Your Skin Is Still Elastic
Skin has no trouble expanding to fit the new size of your body when you put on weight. In your younger years, if you take that weight off, your skin should retract to fit snugly around your new contours. However, with age, you may discover that stretched skin remains loose rather than shrinking to meet your new frame. This happens because the body gradually reduces its production of collagen and elastin, two proteins that help to keep skin taut.
Patients who have liposuction but no longer have elastic-like skin may notice that sagging skin detracts from the appealing contours they were hoping to achieve with the surgery. To account for skin laxity, patients may want or need to combine liposuction with a lifting procedure that removes excess skin. During a consultation with patients, Dr. Landsman can assess the tightness of your skin and provide his professional opinion as to whether a lift may be necessary to complete the toned physique you seek.
Whenever You Want Liposuction
At the end of the day, your own happiness is the most important factor when it comes to cosmetic surgery like liposuction. If you feel that liposuction will help you to feel more content and confident in your own body — and you have realistic expectations about what liposuction can achieve — then schedule an appointment with Dr. Landsman to determine if the time is right for you. To reach his office in Smithtown, NY, please call (631) 864-4111.
