subject: How Do I Know If I'm A Good Candidate For Liposuction? [print this page] So, you've seen the ads, and you're interested. This liposuction thing sounds pretty good. You have a little bit of weight you'd like to lose, and you think that getting it removed surgically sounds great. The only question is, are you a good candidate for the surgery?
You certainly aren't alone in being interested in liposuction (which is also referred to as lipoplasty and suction lipectomy). Hundreds of thousands of Americans from Beverly Hills to New York undergo the surgery every year.
A number of things help to determine whether or not someone is a good candidate for lipoplasty. The first is general health. The best patients are in relatively good health. They are free from conditions or habits that would interfere with their healing. Some examples of conditions that can interfere with a person's ability to undergo the surgery include diabetes, heart and lung conditions, and serious chronic diseases. Habits that increase lipoplasty risks include smoking.
Second, the ideal patient is fairly close to their target weight. A lipoplasty is not well-suited to removing large volumes of fat. The best patients are within 25 or 30 pounds of their ideal weight, and they are looking for small, localized fixes rather than total body weight loss. People who are seriously overweight or who struggle with obesity would do well to try to lose some weight before they consider undergoing a lipectomy. Then, once they've lost some weight, they can use the surgery to help target any remaining problem spots.
The ideal lipectomy patient similarly has an understanding of the procedure and realistic goals concerning the outcomes. Although the surgery can often provide significant improvement in a person's appearance, it can very rarely offer perfection, and people who expect to come off of the table with a flawless appearance will generally be disappointed.
The ideal patient is emotionally stable and isn't getting the surgery because he or she is hoping to fix their self-image. Inner peace typically comes from mental shifts, not from surgical changes to external appearance.
The ideal patient also has the fiscal resources necessary to undergo the surgery. You can't really get a lipoplasty without money.
Finally, the ideal patient needs to be willing to follow all of the doctor's orders. If a patient is willing to be entirely honest and forthcoming with his surgeon and is willing to follow the surgeon's health suggestions, he or she is much more likely to have a successful and safe surgery.
