Through liposuction, Westlake Village and Long Beach patients can get a more evenly contoured, attractive body. Dr. Mary Powers offers the procedure to remove stubborn pockets of fat and to achieve a more toned and smooth appearance.
In liposuction, Dr. Powers removes fat deposits and reshapes targeted areas of the body, including the face, neck, abdomen, arms, and legs. The procedure only requires a small incision, which is typically obscured in a skin fold. Dr. Powers uses a thin tube (cannula) to suction out fat from the body. While surgeons can use various technologies, Dr. Powers prefers power-assisted liposuction devices, which reduces the amount of manual movement, but is assisted by a rotating cannula which is motor powered.
Liposuction can be a good approach for people with average weight and healthy elastic skin to eliminate pockets of fat. It is meant for sculpting specific areas of the body and is not a method for significant weight loss. However, the fat that Dr. Powers suctions out is permanently removed, and any future weight gain will be distributed more proportionally.
What to Expect
There are typically no upper age restrictions on who can have liposuction. The determining factor is usually the state of the person’s skin and their medical readiness for surgery. Those under 40 years old tend to have the best results because they have more elastic skin.
After your initial consultation with Dr. Powers, you will schedule your procedure. Dr. Powers performs liposuction on an outpatient basis in a certified surgical center near Westlake Village or Long Beach. Surgery typically takes between one half-hour and several hours depending on the extent of the procedure. She will advise patients whether they require general anesthesia or local anesthetic with sedation.
Following surgery, you will wear an elasticized garment around the site of your surgery. The garment compresses the site to reduce swelling, limit discoloration, and speed healing. Please review other potential complications and risks.
About Recovery
After your surgery, you will likely have some discomfort and moderate pain. Dr. Powers can help you manage this with pain medication. The extent and duration of these symptoms depends on your general tolerance and your procedure. However, you can expect swelling and bruising to improve within a couple of weeks.
It will take time before you are able to see the complete change your procedure has caused because of the elastic garment you will be wearing and the swelling in the area. If patients have excess or inelastic skin, Dr. Powers may recommend follow-up procedures to revise their appearance, such as abdominoplasty.
Dr. Powers typically advises Westlake Village and Long Beach patients that they can:
- Go back to work 3-5 days after the operation if they work in an office or after two weeks if their job is more physically rigorous.
- Return to normal activities within two weeks.
- Exercise within four weeks.
- Remove the elastic garment within 4 weeks, though many patients wear support garments for 3-4 months.
Post-operative visits with Dr. Powers will help keep you on track. She may prescribe anti-inflammatories to address persistent swelling and irregularities, which can occur for several months following your procedure. Scars from your procedure should become soft, pale and flat after 6-12 months. If you or a genetically related relative have a tendency to keloid formation, please inform Dr. Powers before surgery.
Contact Dr. Mary Powers if you are ready for change. Begin the path to a slimmer abdomen, hips, arms, legs, or face by calling our offices in Long Beach 562-427-8866 or in Westlake Village at 805-379-3104.
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