Stewart Wang, MD, FACS

In general, it takes 6 to 12 weeks after liposuction to see the final result. Right after liposuction, you see an immediate reduction of fat but you will experience swelling/bruising over the next few days lasting 2 to 3 weeks. You may also experience firmness, nodules, minor contour irregularities over the next several weeks. I usually recommend compression garment for a minimal of 6 weeks, weekly massage therapy to the treated area for up to 3 months. Make sure you follow up with your treating surgeon on a regular basis to monitor your healing process.

The type of anesthesia used in liposuction depends on many factors. First you have physician preference, who may be more comfortable with one type of anesthesia over others. Then you have patient preference. I have seen patients who only wishes for local anesthesia and other patients who demand general anesthesia for the same procedures. Finally, the anticipated amount of fat removal, number of areas treated and patient general health conditions also affect the type of anesthesia choice. The best thing is to find a qualified plastic surgeon who can meet your request. Sincerely, Stewart Wang, MD FACSBoard Certified Plastic SurgeonMedical Director, Wang Plastic Surgery & Med Spa

Smartlipo is laser-assisted lipolysis which can induce modest amount of skin tightening in addition to the fat removal. The amount of skin tightening varies person to person. In general, I see about 15 to 20% improvement with skin tightening. On occasion, I see more skin tightening up to 25 to 30%. It’s best to have a qualified plastic surgeon assess your abdomen to determine the best treatment option. Sincerely, Stewart Wang, MD FACSBoard Certified Plastic SurgeonMedical Director, Wang Plastic Surgery & Med Spa

Liposuction involves removal of fat cells via a cannula and aspiration. It works on a layer that’s superficial to the core muscle. If properly performed it should not cause any damage to the core muscles. You should have no future issue with pregnancy after liposuction. Make sure you choose a board certified plastic surgeon to perform this procedure.Sincerely, Stewart Wang, MD FACSBoard Certified Plastic SurgeonMedical Director, Wang Plastic Surgery & Med Spa

Both Tumescent Liposuction and Smart Lipo (Laser assisted liposuction) can be effective way to contour and shape your body by removing excessive or bulging fat. Typically Smart Lipo is performed under local anesthesia and tend to have less pain, swelling or bruising post procedure. Tumescent Liposuction performed under general anesthesia is a bit faster and allow for greater amount of fat or greater number of areas treated under single session. The result is more dependent on the skill of the surgeon than the particular technique. We typically recommend our patients to undergo tumescent liposuction if they wish to have multiple areas treated all at once. We prefer to use Smart Lipo when there is only one or two areas that need to be treated or the amount of fat is limited. Once again, both techniques are well proven and very effective in the hands of skilled plastic surgeon. The most important thing is to have a detailed discussion with your surgeon and find out what his or her preferred techniques.Stewart Wang, MD FACSBoard Certified Plastic SurgeonMedical Director, Wang Plastic Surgery & Med Spa

You can have miraDry done after your axillary scar has healed. I will usually wait 6 months before doing miraDry to allow your scar to heal completely.Sincerely, Stewart Wang, MD FACSBoard Certified Plastic SurgeonMedical Director, Wang Plastic Surgery & Med Spa

In general, as long as skin is intact and there are no open sore or cuts then it’s safe to proceed with your miraDry procedure. Sincerely, Stewart Wang, MD FACSBoard Certified Plastic SurgeonMedical Director, Wang Plastic Surgery & Med Spa

It’s not a requirement to have 2 sessions of MiraDry. The average improvement after single treatment of miraDry is around 70%. Majority of our patients are satisfied with single session. About 15 to 20% of our patients will elect to have a 2nd session even with significant improvement. We like to use maximal treatment level each time in order to achieve maximal result. The treatment takes about 25 to 30 minutes for each axilla so total treatment time is about one hour for both side. The name of the treatment is not as critical as to the treatment setting and our goal is to achieve significant (50% and higher) improvement after each treatment session. Sincerely, Stewart Wang, MD FACSBoard Certified Plastic SurgeonMedical Director, Wang Plastic Surgery & Med Spa

First, I am assuming that you are cancer free since the surgery and you do not have any arm swelling as a result of removal of lymph nodes. Since your surgery was in 1998, you should be safe to proceed with MiraDry treatment. MiraDry treatment is non-invasive and does not involve taking blood pressure or blood draw. Like most of the patients who had miraDry treatment they typically will experience some degree of swell of the axilla. This is self limiting and usually resolves within one to two weeks.Sincerely, Stewart Wang, MD FACSBoard Certified Plastic SurgeonMedical Director, Wang Plastic Surgery & Med Spa

The sweat glands that were destroyed by miraDry treatment either stay dormant or slowly shrink over time. Even when the treated glands are present, they are not nearly as active as indicated by the iodine-starch test. While the miraDry is highly effective, it’s does not eliminate 100% of the sweat glands. Our most common result is about 70% improvement after single treatment.Sincerely, Stewart Wang, MD FACSBoard Certified Plastic SurgeonMedical Director, Wang Plastic Surgery & Med Spa