Each year, thousands of men and women have liposuction in New York City to achieve a slim, contour and shape their body. The procedure removes unwanted fat that is resistant to diet and exercise. According the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), liposuction ranked second among the five top procedures in 2017, a 5% increase from 2016.
Today, advanced technologies such as Smartlipo Triplex have made liposuction a minimally invasive treatment, avoiding the side effects and downtime associated with traditional liposuction surgery. However, while getting liposuction can be exciting, having any type of surgery is a serious decision which can be intimidating for many people.
Regardless of the complexity of your procedure, you need to prepare your body and mind for liposuction. Keeping the following considerations in mind can help prevent pre-surgery jitters:
- Do detailed research about the procedure: Every candidate should mentally prepare for liposuction by doing some proper research. If you are considering the procedure, it’s very important that you consult a skilled and well-trained liposuction surgeon. A reliable surgeon can provide you with a clear idea if what the procedure involves. Other ways to gather information about liposuction is by reviewing helpful patient education articles. If you know someone who has had liposuction, ask them for advice and tips that might be useful to you. People with first-hand experience can give you tips on how to mentally prepare for liposuction
- Understand the benefits and limitations of the procedure: It’s important for you to know what liposuction in NYC can do for you and to have a clear understanding of the potential risks of the treatment. Not all people are good candidates for the procedure. Apart from being healthy and being close to their ideal body weight, candidates should be psychologically sound and have realistic expectations, a positive outlook, and specific body contouring goals. The procedure can provide optimal results for the ideal candidate and restore their self-confidence.
- Lose weight if you need to: Liposuction in NYC provides the best results for the best candidates who are in their ideal BMI and physically healthy, so a good candidate for procedure is one who maintains a stable body weight. Smartlipo cannot get rid of excess weight and is not a substitute for weight loss programs. In fact, you need to be close to your ideal weight and not obese if your procedure is to be successful. Liposuction is a body contouring technique and there is a limit to the amount of fat that can be removed at a time. There are certain guidelines that suggest safe fat removal limits based on the patient’s weight. An experienced plastic surgeon will be able to answer your questions on how much fat can be safely removed and what you’ll look like after the procedure. So if you are not at your ideal weight, you may need to shed some pounds to be a better candidate for liposuction.
- Get a physical exam: In order to determine your candidature for the procedure, your surgeon will recommend you get a complete a physical exam. You also need to inform your surgeon about your complete health history. So complete all the mandatory pre-operative mandated tests and physical exam as this is important for your protection as well as your peace of mind.
- Discuss your medications with your surgeon: Before you undergo liposuction, make sure that you tell your surgeon about all your current medications and any natural health products you take. This is important because certain medications may
- Inhibit blood clotting
- Cause too much blood clotting
- Interfere with anesthesia
Don’t stop taking your prescription medications unless you are advised to do so by your surgeon.
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle: It’s also important to keep maintain a healthy diet and drink plenty of water in the weeks before your surgery. This will ensure that your body has the nutrients it needs to support speedy recovery and longer lasting outcomes. It is necessary to stop smoking for at least for few weeks before and after surgery. Smoking can change the way an anesthetic drug works during surgery. Nicotine also causes the blood vessels to constrict and reduces blood supply to the organs and tissues, which can stop wounds from healing post-surgery.
- Take adequate time off work: Depending on your job needs, you’ll need to take leave from work based on your surgeon advice. Even if you feel like you are fit and able to go to work, your body will need rest; don’t over stress yourself during recovery.
- Stock up and create a care kit: Even if you are having minimally-invasive liposuction, stock up on items you would need during recovery. You might be instructed to purchase items such as gauze, cold packs, thermometer, topical antibiotic ointment, pain medications, laxatives (to counteract the constipating effect of painkillers), moisturizer or scar reduction cream for incision sites and compression garments. Having a care kit is important as Smartlipo is an outpatient procedure and recovery would be mostly in your home. So before you go into surgery, make sure you have an entire recovery kit at home with everything you might need or want, including prescriptions, healthy snacks, pillows and blankets, etc.
- Prepare for recovery: Any kind of surgery comes with risks and the body requires time to recover. There is a specific recovery time for most cosmetic procedures, but it may vary for each individual. So it’s important to know about the downtime that would be involved and make your plans accordingly. If you had liposuction surgery, proper after-care is important. You need to follow your surgeon’s instructions to enjoy smooth recovery after liposuction.
Being physically and mentally fit for liposuction can help you achieve the look you want safely and efficiently. If you are considering liposuction in New York City, choose am AAAASF accredited plastic surgery facility with plastic surgeons who are trained and experienced in body contouring.
