Q: I had liposuction four weeks ago but don’t see much difference. Will I need to do it again?

A: You have to be patient as there can be a 3 – 6 month improvement of fat shrinkage as more cells die and the body produces more collagen which collapses the “swiss cheese” tunnels that have been created. There also is swelling that will interfere with your visualization of the true improvement for some time.

Q: I want to have liposuction on my abdomen. I’m happy with the rest of me, but after lipo will I put weight on other areas like my thighs?

A: If you’re having liposuction, it should be part of a health maintenance regimen. You can not have it thinking that you can eat anything you want and not have to work out. Liposuction is not a replacement for diet and exercise. If you have a significant amount of fat removed from the abdomen, and then you continue to eat the same calories each day, and burn the same calories then your body is taking in more calories then you need once you’ve lost some fat. If fat is restored, it can be stored to a small extent in the area treated by liposuction but other areas that haven’t had fat cells removed, will be able to store more fat.

Q: I had liposuction three weeks ago on my outer thighs and my calves are swollen. What’s going wrong?

A: As long as there is no pain in the calves, you probably have swelling that by gravity has settled in the lower areas. This is typical for several weeks. However, depending on how your liposuction was done, and if general anesthesia was used, and if you had many hours of surgery and laid around for days after the procedure, and if one leg not both are affected, you should see your surgeon to be sure there is no clot in the leg. This could be serious.

Q: Is laser-assisted liposuction better than liposuction without laser?

A: It is not clear how much additional, if any, skin tightening the laser energy can provide, via heat, at the same time of liposuction. There are questions whether the added energy can increase the risk of uneven contour after liposuction leaving depressions in some areas. There are minimal scientific investigations comparing the two procedures and this remains a controversial topic.