Liposuction

Why Choose Innovations Medical for Your Liposuction?

Not all liposuctions are created equal. At Innovations Medical, we use advanced technologies that allow us to remove more fat with minimal invasion. This results in a more comfortable experience for you as a patient: Less swelling, less bruising, and shorter recovery time.

Innovations Medical and Dr. Bill Johnson have a long list of firsts in the area of Liposuction. These include among others:

The first SmartLipo in North Texas and the second in all of Texas
The first SmartLipo MPX or 30-watt laser in Texas
The first Vibro Lipo (also called “Tickle Lipo” and Air-Sculpt) in the UNITED STATES
The first to use Vibro Lipo for fat transfer procedures like BBL
The first to combine SmartLipo and Vibro Lipo for smooth, area liposuction and reduced loose skin

In fact, all of our procedures are so unintrusive, that they are performed right in the doctor’s office, while the patient is awake. We only apply mild sedation for local anesthesia to maximize your comfort.

How Does Liposuction Work?

Liposuction is a medical procedure for removing fat. Human beings’ fat tissue is solid but fairly soft. It is composed of large cells containing stored fat held together by a “spider web” type network of a protein called collagen.

The doctor performing liposuction uses a cannula (a narrow tube with a blunt tip) attached to a suction or vacuum, as a vacuum cleaner. This allows the doctor to:

Use the cannula and vacuum to remove fat from thousands of “holes” made in the fat by the cannula. Think of it as making Swiss cheese out of the fat.
Leave the collagen “spider web” mostly intact to hold the remaining fat and overlying skin in place.
Permanently remove the fat and the fat cells from the body.
Use further tools like SmartLipo (click here for more about SmartLipo) to tighten the skin
Reduce the size of the fat and make it smaller, thinner, and “sexier”. This occurs as the holes in the fat collapse.

Liposuction can be done on almost any area of the body where there is fat. There are many different tools and types of procedures used to produce beautiful results with liposuction.

Liposuction Procedure

Liposuction is typically performed in one of two ways; Tumescent (local) anesthesia alongside mild sedation or general anesthesia with tumescent (local) anesthesia added once the patient is asleep.

Tumescent anesthesia along with mild sedation

Liposuction done solely under tumescent anesthesia is often referred to as tumescent liposuction. This and other procedures can be grouped together as Drive-Thru Cosmetic Surgery. Tumescent liposuction offers several advantages:

Tumescent liposuction is safer than techniques that require general anesthesia.
Tumescent liposuction results are similar to or better than general anesthesia techniques.
Tumescent liposuction allows the patient to return home the day of the procedure.
Tumescent liposuction lowers the cost of liposuction procedures by allowing them to be done in the doctor’s office. There is no additional charge for a surgicenter, hospital, or anesthesiologist.

Tumescent liposuction gets its name from how the anesthesia is achieved. A special fluid is pumped into the surgical area until the area becomes firm or swollen. The Latin word tumescence means “swollen” and gives the procedure its name.

General anesthesia with tumescent anesthesia added once the patient is asleep

General anesthesia requires the procedure to be done at a hospital or surgical center, where an anesthesiologist will be present. Having a hospital and anesthesiologist can significantly increase the cost of the procedure for the same results. General anesthesia does allow the patient to be asleep for the entire procedure. Tumescent (local) anesthesia fluid is added in almost every case of general anesthesia because of the safety and recovery benefits of tumescent fluid.

Safety and recovery benefits of tumescent fluid

Tumescent fluid contains saline (water with the same amount of salt as our bodies), lidocaine, sodium bicarbonate, and epinephrine (Adrenaline). This combination provides excellent numbing so that liposuction and other procedures can be performed safely and comfortably. Among the added benefits of tumescent fluid are

Decreases swelling after liposuction procedures.
Decreases bleeding and bruising after liposuction procedures. Epinephrine constricts blood vessels leading to decreased bleeding and bruising.
Decreases the risk of infection after liposuction procedures. Lidocaine inhibits the growth of bacteria.
Provides extra fluids to the patient reducing the dizziness and dehydration sometimes associated with liposuction.

Almost all liposuction cases today add tumescent anesthesia to the treatment area because of the increased safety.

Types of Liposuction

There are a large number of liposuction procedures available, but not all are used commonly. The most common forms of liposuction are:

Suction Assisted Liposuction (SAL): A simple cannula attached to suction. The physician supplies all of the power to remove the fat. This is commonly used in small areas like the neck or ankles.
Power-Assisted Liposuction (PAL): Uses a mechanical device to move the cannula and help the physician remove fat. The power is usually provided by electricity or compressed air. Physicians using these devices are usually able to remove more fat and do more “sculpting” or shaping of the area. However, care must be taken to avoid grooves or rippling.
Laser-Assisted Liposuction (LAL): This adds a laser to the cannula. The lasers destroy fat cells and when used correctly can tighten the skin. SmartLipo was the first laser liposuction device available in the United States and remains the best researched and widest used. LAL should ALWAYS be combined with suction to achieve the desired results. Take care that your laser liposuction provider is adding suction to their laser.
Ultrasound-Assisted Liposuction (USAL): Uses ultrasound energy to heat and disrupt the fat. Vaser® is the most common USAL device in the United States. Vaser® has become known for Hi-Def Liposuction, but the actual high definition is actually done with the suction device, typically a PAL device.
Vibration Assisted Liposuction (VAL): A special form of PAL that uses compressed air to move the cannula in multiple directions. This makes VAL the most efficient liposuction device for removing fat. The vibration helps avoid grooving and rippling common with PAL devices. VAL is the most popular form of liposuction in Europe and several studies have shown it gives some of the best results.
Radiofrequency Assisted Liposuction (RFAL): Uses radiofrequency energy to help the liposuction. Like USAL and LAL, RFAL must be added to suction (usually Power-Assisted Liposuction devices) to achieve good results. RF is a good choice for skin tightening.

Vibro Lipo

Vibro Lipo (also called “Tickle Lipo” and “Air Sculpt”) allows us to suction fat faster and smoother than previous technologies. In fact, our very own Dr. Johnson was the first physician in the United States to offer this type of liposuction, making him a true leader and expert on the procedure. He has performed over 5,000 cases using Vibro Lipo.

Smart Lipo

In addition, we offer laser-based liposuction using SmartLipo. Something to note, our very own Dr. Johnson was the first physician in North Texas and the second in Texas to use SmartLipo. SmartLipo provides twice the benefit: melts away the fat as well as tightening the skin, allowing you to obtain that perfect figure you’ve always wanted. Dr. Johnson has performed over 6,000 SmartLipo cases. We have continually updated our SmartLipo devices to keep up with advances in laser liposuction.

Liposuction Before and After Photos

Liposuction Cost

Simply stated, liposuction under tumescent anesthesia typically costs $2,000-4,000 per body area. Using general anesthesia traditionally adds another $2,500-6,000 for the facility and anesthesiology. At Innovations Medical, we price our body areas as pairs – both arms, inner thighs, love handles, etc. The stomach is divided into upper and lower stomach or abdomen. When you compare pricing, be sure you are comparing “apples to apples”. Some centers may not suction an area after using the laser, leaving most of the fat. Some may price just one arm or love handles and some centers mark small areas. Since this involves your body and is a major financial investment, we recommend in-person consultation for individualized planning and pricing whenever possible.

No matter your age or gender, we’ll make sure to find a solution and provide you with the best version of yourself possible. No matter the procedure you choose, you’ll leave our Dallas or Fort Worth facilities with a shapelier body and tighter skin. This includes your stomach, love handles or flanks, inner and outer thighs, upper back, bra area of the back, upper arms, neck and jowls, buttocks, knees, and male breast reduction. We now also offer laser-assisted female breast reduction see our page: Smart Breast Reduction and Lift Using SmartLipo

Read our pages about liposuction:

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