Liposuction and Liposonix^® – Dr. James Boynton Explains the Benefits of Surgical and Non-Surgical Fat Reduction Options for Both Men and Women

This is a really popular time of year for patients that want body contouring and liposuction. The procedure is outpatient and now that the kids are back to school, it gives the parents (mom or dad) a chance to do something for themselves, still in plenty of time to get that figure optimized for the holidays. The procedure is always outpatient and performed with “minimal” puncture incisions that heal without being seen. It works best in healthy patients that are fairly physically fit that have some stubborn areas in the hips (love handles), tummy area, and thighs in particular. Men often are bothered by the chest, tummy, and love handles. Many men feel their chests get a little “breasty” starting in their early 40s. Typically there is a gain in fat to the chest and a loss of muscle. Push-ups and bench-press alone will not fix this!

Liposuction complements a healthy diet and regular exercise regimen and really is the best way to contour areas that won’t improve with just diet and exercise alone. We see this becoming more of an issue as we all get into our 40s. The metabolism slows down and it gets harder and harder to get back to the look we all want. Liposuction can really give patients that relatively “instant” result many patients need in confidence and motivation to push even further forward with their exercise and diet efforts. Many patients simply get “stuck” and get tired of working with the same trainer and not seeing much change. Traditional plastic surgeons from a generation ago would often refuse patients that may have been seeking liposuction or body contouring if their body weight was not “ideal.” I find that even in patients that need to lose weight, giving them something and some sense of progress on the “front end” actually syngerizes their efforts at going forward with diet and exercise. Many of these patients will “build” on the first steps that may be achieved with plastic surgery as they want to not only “maintain” the results achieved in surgery, but “build on them.”

Patients always ask me about “the garments” and how hot they are. I use a special woven garment that is cooler than many and we find patients find it’s comfortable all year round. There is no question that wearing the proper garments and following the aftercare – as far as massaging and foam placement – affects the attainment of the most optimal results.

I am very excited about Liposonix^®. This is a break- through technology in the arena of non-surgical body contouring and has been very exciting for me personally. Liposonix^® utilizes high intensity focused ultrasound to focus energy below the skin to target stubborn areas of fat that can be difficult to deal with. We are finding our average patients are losing 2 inches about the waist by 8-12 weeks after the one-hour procedure.

I personally had the cool sculpt done to my abdomen and found that it hurt quite a bit for two weeks. I found the procedure itself uncomfortable. And after several months, I did not see really any change. As the technology advanced with Liposonix^®, I also had this procedure done on my abdomen. I found it far less painful, very little discomfort. Also it was easy, and no downtime.
I think patients that may not be ready for surgery or even patients that don’t want the downtime are excellent candidates for Liposonix^®. Also, sometimes patients want a little more after surgical liposuction, or if they develop recurrent fullness, this can be a good way to deal with these areas in patients that either don’t want or don’t have time for a “touch up” surgery, which is not uncommon in body contouring.

For more information, or if you would like to schedule a Liposonix^® consultation with our board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. James F. Boynton, please contact us today.