Liposuction on an Already Thin Patient.. Just a Little Amount of Fat Around Abdomen? (photo)

                 About 30% of my patients are thin.  As a bodybuilder, I know how to get results on patients with less bodyfat.  I think that a liposuction result always comes down to the surgeon.   Find a plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds of liposuction procedures each year.  Then look at the plastic surgeon's website before and after photo galleries to get a sense of who can deliver the results.

Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

As a thin patient with a modest amount of fat in one area covered by healthy skin you are the ideal candidate for liposuction.

Liposuction is a procedure for reducing fullness due to fat in specific areas of the body. It is excellent for patients who are at or near their ideal body weight as it is more of a sculpting tool and not a form of weight loss. Liposuction removes the fat cells from areas which do not get better with weight loss or exercise.  Be sure to visit a board certified surgeon who will advise you of your surgical options.

Thanks for an excellent question.  I see many patients like you who have small pockets of fat and maybe some loose skin in a few trouble spots despite diet and excercise.  These pockets can be part of your genetic build or occur after children.  The most important part of couseling someone like you is setting reasonable expectations.  Because you basically have great shape and a small problem, your after procedure result may not seem that dramatic and thus it is harder to see "value" for the money spent compared to a patient that has a more prounced fat pocket that is treated and thus easier to see the change.   In fact, afterwards you may even feel worse for several months from swelling and the avoidance of strenous excercise which often follows surgery for a few weeks.  I use the SMARTlipo Triplex technology for patients like you with good results because it tightens the skin some as well.  

Yes you are an excellent candidate for liposuction but be sure to get it done under local tumescent with the small micro canulas for the best results.  Your doc can stand you up and fine tune the areas to look great. It is very easy to undergo and you are back to work in 2 days and back to the gym in 1 week for roughly $5000 on special. Sincerely, David Hansen,MD

Thank you for your pictures.  Despite being thin, it appears that you have some fat of your abdomen.  An exam is critical for final determination of your candidacy for liposuction but your pictures suggest you may benefit from selected liposuction.

Dr. ES

Thank you for posting your photos. Being thin does not necessarily preclude someone from having liposuction.  In fact, we prefer that patients be at (or as close as possible to) their ideal weight.  In fact, the purpose of liposuction is contouring rather than weight loss.  Given the fact that you take care of yourself and are otherwise in good shape but have some "problem" areas that cannot be addressed by diet and exercise, my opinion is that you would be a likely candidate for this procedure.  Best of luck to you.

Liposcution is best on patients that have isolated areas of concern.  You look like a good candidate for your hip/flank region.  I would have to assess you in person to be sure of the other area and to evaluate your flanks.  Good luck.

Your options are aggressive weight loss via diet and exercise or non invasive "cool sculpt" therapy ( only unto 20% reduction of this fat in those areas and at least 3 to 4 sessions at $600/session=$2,400) or invasive Laser Liposuction i.e. SmartLipo/SlimLipo (one operation at $4,000 range). Seek a PS that can offer "ALL" these options. 

I have many thin patients from the gym, who are in very good shape, but have fat deposits, called lipodystrophy, that are diet and exercise-resistant.  Minimal liposuction is the best treatment for this.  Hope this helps.