Liposuction

Liposuction is a popular cosmetic surgical procedure designed to help reduce stubborn fat deposits in various body areas. This procedure is a body-contouring treatment that can be performed to help patients achieve a more slender, defined silhouette, eliminating targeted fat that is difficult to diminish with dieting or exercise.

Dr. Oren Paul Mushin is a board-certified plastic surgeon at the Memorial Center for Cosmetic Surgery. With years of experience and a meticulous eye for detail, Dr. Mushin has helped thousands of patients achieve natural, stunning results. A distinguished contributor in his field, he has received numerous awards and coauthored more than 50 abstracts and publications across plastic and burn surgery. His work has been showcased at both national and international conferences.

To schedule your personal consultation with Dr. Mushin at our Houston office, please contact us online. To speak to a member of our team or schedule a consultation over the phone, please call (713) 722-7400, and someone will be with you shortly.

About Liposuction

Liposuction uses a cannula to suction out unwanted fat to sculpt a more flattering figure. This procedure can be performed on various parts of the body, including but not limited to the arms, abdomen, thighs, flanks, buttocks, and breasts, permanently removing the targeted fat cells from the body. Liposuction is one of the most widely performed cosmetic procedures worldwide ⁽¹⁾ and has been the most performed cosmetic surgical procedure in the country for the past three years, with over 347,000 procedures performed in 2023 alone. ⁽²⁾

Benefits

With liposuction, patients can enjoy benefits such as:

Candidates

Suitable candidates for liposuction include either men or women with stubborn, exercise-resistant deposits of fat. Each patient should be at or near a maintainable and stable weight. ⁽¹⁾ All candidates interested in liposuction should be in good overall health and free from any underlying medical conditions that may impair healing. Candidates should also be nonsmokers or willing to quit smoking at least four weeks in advance, continuing to abstain until they have fully recovered. Dr. Mushin will determine each patient’s eligibility for liposuction during their consultation.

Personal Consultation

Patients who are interested in liposuction or any of our other body contouring procedures will need to attend a personal consultation with Dr. Mushin to establish their personalized treatment plan. During this consultation, he will ask each patient a series of questions to learn more about their medical history, medications, concerns, and desired results, before evaluating each patient’s anatomy and physique. By assessing each patient’s fat distribution and skin quality, Dr. Mushin can recommend the best liposuction techniques to help each patient achieve their goals.

To schedule a personal consultation at our Houston office, please contact us online. To speak to a member of our team or schedule a personal consultation over the phone, please call (713) 722-7400.

Preparation

During each patient’s consultation, Dr. Mushin will provide personalized preoperative instructions to help them prepare. This ensures that each patient understands how to best prepare their body for their treatment.

Patients will need to discontinue using medications and herbal supplements that have blood-thinning properties. Any prescribed medications should be picked up in advance, and time away from work should be taken to focus on healing. Patients will need to arrange for transportation home from their procedure. Many patients also find it helpful to arrange for assistance during their initial healing phase. If applicable, smoking and other nicotine use should be fully stopped several weeks in advance.

Procedure

When each patient arrives for their procedure, their skin will be cleansed and sanitized before anesthesia is administered to ensure a comfortable experience. Dr. Mushin will inject a tumescent solution composed of saline, epinephrine, and a local anesthetic (typically lidocaine). The epinephrine helps minimize bleeding, the local anesthetic helps numb the treatment area, and the saline helps swell the fat cells, making them easier to remove. ^{(1, 3)}

Dr. Mushin will then make a small incision near the treatment area and insert a thin tube called a cannula. Using the cannula, he will break up the fat before it is gently suctioned out of the body.

Recovery

Liposuction is typically performed on an outpatient basis, allowing patients to return home the same day to rest and recover in comfort. It is common for patients to experience bruising or tenderness near the treated areas, but these effects are temporary and often subside on their own. Dr. Mushin asks patients to return to the office the next day to have their dressings changed. As patients recover, they will need to wear a compression garment provided by Dr. Mushin. This garment is designed to help minimize any swelling as well as support the newly sculpted areas. Most patients can return to their daily routines within one to two weeks, but physical activities or high-intensity exercise should be avoided for several additional weeks, or until approved by Dr. Mushin. Dr. Mushin will provide more detailed postoperative instructions during the personal consultation.

Results

Immediately after their procedure, some patients will be able to notice a significant difference in their figure, however, the full results of liposuction will become more apparent as any residual swelling diminishes. Depending on the treated areas, patients will be able to enjoy smoother and more sculpted contours. When paired with a healthy and active lifestyle, the results of liposuction are essentially permanent, as once the fat cells are removed, those same cells cannot grow back. However, fluctuations in weight can impact the appearance of final results.

Corresponding Procedures

Fat Grafting

Fat-grafting is a procedure that uses liposuction techniques to remove fat from donor areas before it is purified and reinjected into the body to enhance contours and restore volume. Dr. Mushin can perform fat-grafting as either a standalone treatment or as part of a more comprehensive treatment plan.

Tummy Tuck

A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is a cosmetic surgical procedure that helps tighten the abdominal muscles and eliminate excess tissue and skin from one’s midsection. It is a body-contouring procedure performed to create a smoother, flatter torso and is often performed in conjunction with liposuction procedures. Dr. Mushin can perform multiple variations of the tummy tuck to help address each patient’s concern and help them achieve a stunning figure.

Cost of Liposuction in Houston

The full cost of each liposuction treatment can vary, as each aspect of the procedure is tailored to address each patient’s needs and anatomy. Dr. Mushin will discuss the full pricing of each procedure during each patient’s personal consultation, once a procedure plan has been discussed and agreed upon. Additionally, the Memorial Center for Cosmetic Surgery offers various financing options and payment plans to help each patient achieve their goals without the financial burden. Our patient coordinators will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about our available options.

To unlock the cost of your liposuction procedure or speak to a member of our team about financing, please contact us online or call (713) 722-7400.

FAQ

References

1. Bartow MJ, Raggio BS. Liposuction. PubMed. Published 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK563135/
2. ASPS. American Society of Plastic Surgeons ® Endorsed Partner.; 2023. https://www.plasticsurgery.org/documents/news/statistics/2023/plastic-surgery-statistics-report-2023.pdf
3. Wu S, Coombs DM, Gurunian R. Liposuction: Concepts, safety, and techniques in body-contouring surgery. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. 2020;87(6):367-375. doi:https://doi.org/10.3949/ccjm.87a.19097