These are excellent issues to bring up- I'll address them individually below, but my overall recommendation is to find a plastic surgeon with proper training and certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery with whom you are completely comfortable- neither of these physicians may be right for you... more
How do I choose between different smartlipo techniques?
I am interested in getting SmartLipo on my stomach mainly and potentially my hips and very small banana rolls.
I am not overweight for my height or size (I'm right at average), but I have always had some problem areas that exercise will not remove. Recently I visited the only 2 doctors in Charlotte who perform SmartLipo and interviewed them based on the recommended questions on this website. However, in doing so I found two EXTREMELY different approaches to the procedure (let's say one seemed more aggressive and the other more conservative). I would really like some of the other professionals who perform SmartLipo to give their feedback so I can make the best decision on which doctor is the best to use. Both doctors prices were about the same. My biggest fear is to have the procedure and end up looking worse than I do now. I want to know if any of these are warning signs to stay away from since both are so different. So here are the differences I'd like feedback on from the professionals:
1. The conservative doctor uses tumescent (local to the area treated) anesthesia; and the more aggressive uses twilight (like they do when you have your wisdom teeth removed)
2. The conservative doctor actually recommended trying to do extra lunges and squats to remove the small banana rolls, which he felt really weren't banana rolls; while the aggressive doctor was quick to say he definitely wanted to do it and never warned against not doing any areas
3. The aggressive doctor would do all three areas at once (just indicating that as long as they didn't go over 1 gallon of fat removed, which was the legal limit he could do multiple); while the conservative doctor was only willing to do one area per treatment (with one month waiting period or more at minimum between treatments)
4. The aggressive doctor recommended walking a mile day of treatment and for two weeks after treatment walking 4 miles each day with no weights; the conservative doctor recommended not exercising cardio for a week after the procedure with no weights or sit ups until 30 days afterwards
5. The aggressive doctor uses 1 stitch for the entrance areas (with 2-3 entrance areas for abdominals); the conservative doctor uses none (with 4-6 entrance areas for abdominals)
6. The aggressive doctor said no swimming for a month after the procedure; the conservative doctor said as soon as the entrance areas scab over and start to heal it was fine to go swimming
7. The aggressive doctor has been doing this since 2006 and does about 55 procedures a month; the conservative doctor has been doing it for 1 year and does about 12 a month
8. The conservative doctor recommends wearing the compression garment for the stomach for 30 days; while the aggressive doctor recommends for only 2 weeks
Note: I haven't heard back from the referral patients from the more aggressive doctor yet but when I spoke to the referrals from the more conservative doctor one of the patients had a very bad experience from the aggressive doctor and went to the conservative doctor for the areas to be fixed. Another referral from the conservative doctor had known second hand people who had bad results/experiences with the aggressive doctor. I have not heard anything bad about the conservative doctor. Also, the more aggressive doctor was not willing to make sure you are satisfied with your results (as per our conversation he would consult if he felt necessary with his colleagues to see their opinion before considering to fix any areas) while the more conservative said that he would go back in, no problem, if not satisfied. Also, any follow up questions I should be asking either doctor? Any ways to check for complaints or lawsuits?
3 answers to “How do I choose between different...”
A: You might be making this decision harder than it needs...
You might be making this decision harder than it needs to be. Remember that aesthetic surgery is an art form and no 2 doctors have the same talent level. True talent cannot be taught either. If you carefully inspect many photographs from each doctor you should probably see some differences in... more
A: Choosing a SmartLipo Doc
You asked a very good question. It can be extremely difficult to distinguish between two doctors doing the same procedure, particularly when they are telling you to do different things! But I think I can help you... The best results in liposuction are done by the best surgeon. Period. Whether... more
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98 posts
28 May 2008
It is very important that you have faith in your provider and trust what he is going to do with you. It doesn't matter which technique he uses as long as the end results are consistently excellent! One provider may have more skin tightening depending on which model laser they have and how many Joules they use. You may want to ask each of them how many Joules they typically use in each area. You should also see what type of suctioning they use following the laser. I have found the best results with smaller cannulas (3mm) even though it takes a little longer to complete the procedure. I also like using power-assisted liposuction to make this process gentler. I do know who you are talking about and can tell you that both of them use tumescent fluid but one uses more than the other. It is fine to treat the banana roll area with SmartLipo once the physician is experienced. I certainly would not want someone who isn't comfortable treating the area give it a shot. The laser usually takes care of the problem without much suction at all. Multiple areas can be treated at once. My limiting factor is usually based on the lidocaine dose in the tumescent fluid. We are also limited to the removal of 4 liters of fat in a single session in North Carolina. I have found that my patients recover much quicker if they are active following SmartLipo. I encourage my patients to walk two miles on the day of surgery and up to four miles daily for the next two weeks. I do not mind if they return to very light weights (muscular endurance) following surgery. However, I have them hold off on more aggressive workouts for at least two weeks. The stitch is used when a linear incision is made as entrance sites. If a small punch biopsy is used, no stitch is needed. The number of holes depends on how easy it is to reach all of the treatment areas from multiple directions. Both will need to be able to drain fluid. Being allowed to drain reduces the risk of infection and allows much of the tumescent fluid to drain. I don't like patients to swim for a month if they can help it. It is easy for the wounds to remain open if they are constantly submerged early in the healing process. This is an easy way for an infection to get started. One must definitely wait until the wounds are completely healed (I'd say a minimum of two weeks). I discourage hot tub or jacuzzi use for at least six weeks. Experience is important but so are great results. You need to look for both. I would continue to ask around until you completely secure in your decision. You only want to do this once! Maybe you should also look outside of your immediate area. Sometimes it's better to be on the safe side. One can always go back and touch up an area that was undertreated. It's much harder to fix if too much is taken away from aggressive suctioning. I am sure that if you explained this to either doctor, they would understand. The North Carolina Medical Board website usually has public information. However, I don't know if they have anything about pending lawsuits. You may want to try to contact the local Cynosure rep to see what he has to say. I know that he knows everyone and should be able to head you in the right direction. Good luck!