Body Contouring

It is common for most of us to look in the mirror and see at least one or two areas of the body we wish have less fat. Oftentimes, that fat can linger despite dieting and exercising can linger despite dieting and exercise. Getting rid of this fat permanently can be achieved with liposuction. This is part of the reason liposuction is one of the most common surgical procedures in the country.

Typically, the ideal candidate is one who has already lost a significant amount of weight and struggles with loose skin and/or stretched abdominal walls post-pregnancy.

People who are considering liposuction should be close to their ideal weight. Liposuction is not meant to be used as a tool for losing large amounts of weight, but rather as a tool for effective body contouring and touching up small areas of the body.

An ideal candidate for liposuction is one who is committed to a healthy lifestyle, doesn’t smoke and has no underlying health concerns that may make the procedure risky.

If there is a large amount of excess skin or skin elasticity is limited, it can be difficult to achieve a good result. This is because poor skin elasticity does not retract as well as skin that has not been excessively stretched or overly thinned. A combination of liposuction with other treatments might be the answer here. Dr. Rad will take his time with each patient during your consultation to determine if you are a good candidate for liposuction.

Areas that liposuction is most effective are: Love handles, Abdomen, Thighs, Neck, Arms

Patients who are good candidates for a tummy tuck should be somewhat near their ideal weight. It’s important to stress the fact that even though a tummy tuck can remove stubborn fat around the midsection, it is not designed to be a weight-loss procedure.

Typically, the ideal candidate is one who has already lost a significant amount of weight and struggles with loose skin and/or stretched abdominal walls post-pregnancy.

It’s also recommended that anyone who plans on becoming pregnant again in the future hold off on a tummy tuck procedure until afterwards.

Pregnancy after a tummy tuck can undo much of the body contouring results provided by the procedure.

Patients who are interested in a tummy tuck should also be fully informed on what to expect in terms of results. It’s important to understand what the procedure can and can’t accomplish.

As with any surgical procedure, candidates for a tummy tuck must be in good physical health. It is highly recommended that those interested in a tummy tuck do not smoke or have any chronic conditions that are not well managed or under control.

If you only have minor loose skin and excess fat and don’t require as much surgical intervention, you may want to consider a mini tummy tuck, which is a less-invasive version of a full tummy tuck. Mini-abdominoplasty refers to lower abdominal contouring of the abdomen with a shorter scar, and no scar around the belly button.

A woman who is an excellent candidate is in good overall health, has excess abdominal skin, stretched and separated abdominal muscles, excess fatty deposits in the flanks or thighs, has deflated, asymmetric and/or droopy breasts and nipples, and desires restoration of her breasts and body to beautiful proportions while accepting the presence of scars to do so. Patients should not have severe connective tissue disorders (Ehlers Danlos, Cutis laxa, etc.), should have normal blood counts (we check CBC and blood chemistry as part of our work-up), and those who smoke or take nicotine products should be free of nicotine exposure for 4 weeks before and after surgery (nicotine impairs wound healing).

Absolutely – child care is an essential activity and part of what we term “activities of daily living”. If you live with a partner or spouse, you’ll benefit from extra help with lifting your children since lifting restrictions apply during the first few days to a week (less than ~20 lb). However, since you’ll be up and about immediately after surgery, you’ll be able to do the basic child care activities right away.

Absolutely – our patients benefit from expert private duty nurses who have decades of experience. If you live alone or need extra help for self-care, childcare or pet care, then we can help arrange this. Please ask us!

Risk depends on many factors and are divided into 3 categories: surgery risk, anesthesia risk, and long term risks. Surgery risks relate to complications related to surgery such as tissue injury, nerve injury, seroma (fluid build up), hematoma (bleeding problem), infection, asymmetry, scar thickening or contraction issue. Suffice to say (in this short paragraph) that risks are very low in the right surgeon’s hands and in the safest environment. Dr. Rad prides himself for successful surgery greater than 99.2% and, for those patients in the < 1% group, concerns such as scar or asymmetries can easily be addressed. This is why Dr. Rad enjoys such a wide reputation as one of Washington DC’s top plastic surgeons.

With regard to anesthesia, many patients are concerned to be “put under” or have “general anesthesia,” and much clarification is needed. “General” anesthesia refers to placing patients in a sleep state that is safe enough for the surgeon to perform the work. It’s a very general term that can be very different, depending on the surgery: it includes “twilight,” a form of very light general anesthesia, all the way to very deep anesthesia as for heart surgery. If you think of an ocean that is 1 mile deep, anesthesia for open heart surgery is at the bottom of the ocean – this is where it can be risky – whereas “twilight” or light general is just under the surface of the water from which you emerge and recover quickly. This “just under the surface” is what your anesthesia would be like for elective surgery. Keep in mind that the quality and precision of anesthesia is just as important as performing safe surgery. Dr. Rad has found that working with board certified anesthesiologists is unparalleled in terms of safety which is why patients need not fear the process of “going under.”