Dr. Ric Izquierdo member for 1 year 14 weeks Send a message

Fat. There comes a point in time when some areas of the body don’t respond as they used to after exercise. It affects men and women differently and at different times of our lives.  Men get the beer belly and love handles, mostly from lack of exercise, and it can start as a young adult. Women get the lower belly pooch extending sometimes to the upper butt/flank area, saddlebags, and inner thigh roundness. It can occur with fluctuations in weight, pregnancy, or genes.  Women usually have a harder time getting rid of these areas than men because some of these areas have a different layer of fat. A layer I call “hibernation fat”. It breaks down slower than regular fat after exercise, and the estrogen/progesterone hormones may also affect the difficulty in changing them.

When these areas get larger, they affect the fitting of slacks, dresses and blouses that can produce a size 4 on top and size 8 on the bottom. Presently, there are many fat reducing procedures available such as (plain ol’) liposuction, ultrasonic liposuction, vaser liposelection, laser liposuction, lipodissolve,…….etc., etc. The first two on this list have a long track record of data and reproducible results. They are still the gold standard by which any new techniques are compared.  The others on the list and any ‘’new” technique on the evening news have yet to be tested thoroughly for long-term results. There are some long-term FDA studies presently with some of these methods, but the jury is still out.

If you’re interested in decreasing the fullness in “difficult” areas, make consultations with several board certified plastic surgeons. Ask them what’s their best case scenario and worst case scenario, and where you may fit. Anesthesia options include local, IV sedation, or general anesthesia. Depending on the area(s) and amount of fat to remove, one type of anesthesia may be preferable to others.  Be wary of promises for that perfect body and listen to what they say about the options and techniques. As always, you should feel that all your questions have been fully answered. For base line information go to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery http://www.surgery.org/

Ricardo Izquierdo, M.D., FACS
Board Certified Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon
ric.izquierdo@faceandbodychicago.com
http://www.FaceAndBodyChicago.com