Who Is an Ideal Candidate for Liposuction?

If you’ve been thinking about turning to liposuction to address unwanted fat pockets on your body, there are a few things you need to know about the procedure first. Most importantly, liposuction is a not a tool for weight loss, but rather a way to provide better contour to the places that diet and exercise can’t fix alone. Secondly, liposuction is not designed for everyone. If you’d like to be considered an ideal candidate for liposuction, there are a few qualifications you must meet first.

Good Physical Health for Liposuction

First and foremost, any plastic surgeon will tell you the importance of maintaining good personal health before, during, and after any elective surgery. These procedures, liposuction included, will require you to be physically fit and healthy in order to heal quickly and properly. Healthy bodies bounce back from surgery better and can also see the best results and biggest changes from their procedures. Being in good overall physical health is a benefit to you, not your surgeon.

So what does it mean to be physically healthy? You should not have any current medical concerns or conditions that could interfere with your healing process. You should be regularly active and eat a healthy, balanced diet each day. To be a liposuction candidate, you should also demonstrate healthy daily habits like not smoking, drinking alcohol to excess, or using recreational drugs. If you have questions about whether you’re a physically fit candidate for liposuction, consult with a plastic surgeon to go over your medical history and perform a physical exam of the prospective treatment areas.

Your Ideal Weight and Liposuction Treatment

Part of being in good physical health includes you being close to your ideal weight, or more specifically, within 30 percent of your ideal weight. Patients within this weight range often respond well to the removal of small pockets of fat cells. No more than 6 to 8 pounds of fat can be removed from the body at one time, which is why liposuction is not considered an effective weight-loss technique. Losing more than this during one procedure can be harmful to the body. If you have several larger areas of fat pockets to address, your surgeon may opt to schedule multiple treatments in order to help you reach your goals.

Most men and women, by now, are familiar with the term “ideal weight” but unclear about what that really means. Basically, ideal weight is a calculation of the weight that is healthiest for you at your age and height. Other factors are often considered when determining ideal weight, such as your muscle to fat ratio, your sex, and even your bone density. Every person has their own, unique ideal weight and should not base their personal expectations on anyone else’s calculation. Your plastic surgeon can help you to determine if your current weight makes you eligible for the liposuction procedure. If you’d rather know ahead of time, there are several ideal weight calculators available to search and use online, which can help you find out where you stand at your present weight.

A Positive Outlook & Reasonable Expectations

Believe it or not, your personal goals and outlook can play a huge role in making you a good, or not-so-good, candidate for the liposuction procedure. Any plastic surgery can deliver drastic changes to the body, sometimes overwhelming patients who are not mentally prepared to handle them. Having a good, clear understanding of why you are seeking liposuction treatments and what results you hope to achieve is the first step toward a healthy mental transition to your new body. A surgeon can help you shape your body, but not your mind. Be prepared to discuss your motivations for surgery, your desired results, and your personal mental health with your plastic surgeon during your consultation. It’s his job to make sure that the liposuction treatment is a safe and healthy option for you, so be open and honest when you answer questions and discuss your personal outlook for the future.

Know for Sure If You’re a Good Candidate

If you think you’re ready to pass the test, then it’s time to find out if you’re a good candidate for the many benefits of liposuction. When you’re ready, keep in mind that Dr. Ronald Lohner is an experienced and board certified plastic surgeon based in Philadelphia who offers liposuction treatments and other body-contouring procedures to his patients. He completed his undergraduate education at Dartmouth College and medical school at UMDNJ-Rutgers.

Currently, Dr. Lohner is Chief of Plastic Surgery at Bryn Mawr Hospital and holds a faculty appointment at the University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine. His peers have selected him as a Philadelphia-area Top Doctor for the last eight years. His office is located at [primary_address] in [primary_city], [primary_statefull], on the Main Line. Please call his office at [primary_phone] to schedule a consultation for your liposuction procedure.