Am I a good candidate for Smart Lipo?

Question

I am 20 years old. 5”1 and 195 pounds. I am extremely over weight. I have worked out and did every kind of diet I could find. A few pounds would come off but it would still be up and down. Since a child I have been so self conscious about the way I look that I hid away from the world. I carry so much weight in my stomach, chin, and neck. What would be the best thing for me to do? Lipo? Surgical weight loss?

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

you will need liposuction + skin removal and internal heating, hormonal optimization will also help (see link). smart lipo is outdated and wont help you enough.
You need a formal evaluation by an expert in body shaping and contouring to determine what is best.  Traditional liposuction awake and smart liposuction are old methods and do very poorly for tightening skin or significant skin tightening or contouring.  Small problem areas can be improved slightly by these methods.  The best in body contouring not only removes fat with energy devices like VASER ultrasound but also internally heat the skin with radio-frequency devices such as J PLASMA/RENUVION, InMode BodyTite, ThermiRF to heat the under surface of the skin and tighten it at the same time as fat removal. These combinations are called 4D HIDEF VASER contouring and can only be done by a well . trained body contouring specialist. At the same time fat should be harvested, PRP and stem cells added and injected into muscles or indentations/cellulite to get body shaping and contouring.  This is known as a Brazilian butt lift when you inject the fat to the buttock for contouring and lifting, but fat can also be used in areas such as the chest/breast, arms/shoulders, calves and face.  Cellulite should also be treated with cellfina, sculptra, subcision and/or fillers such as bellafill, renuva synthetic fat, or sculptra.  If skin is very loose before surgery then it will need to be removed such as lower abdominal skin (tummy tuck/abdominoplasty), breast skin (breast lift), arm skin (brachioplasty).  Overall you need a full assessment, but simple liposuction alone will not tighten skin and needs a combination of various methods -- fat removal, skin tightening, defining, fat grafting, skin removal -- to get the best in body contouring and body sculpting.  Dr. Emer.

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear Jazzy.20,
based on your photos, you look like a good candidate for a TT. Full tummy tuck should tighten your abdominal muscles and remove the excess skin. I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon because only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD

Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Marco A. Pelosi III, MD, FACOG, FACS · Answer

See a nutritionist. Quick diets aren't a long term weight loss solution for anyone and working out will never be enough unless you are a professional athlete in the gym all day long. You need a structured long term eating plan for the rest of your life. When you have your weight under control, only then would it be a good idea to reduce your trouble spots that remain. If you fail with a nutritionist, you should consider weight loss surgery aka bariatric surgery (gastric sleeve, etc). Lipo is not a weight loss procedure.

Leonard Grossman, MD · Answer

In your case liposuction is probably not a good option because it will change the way your body operates and you will have more problems. The first and foremost, you need to change your dietary habits. Whomever it is you live with, the whole household has to change what they're eating in order to be able to help each other. Get yourself a nutritionist if you need help. Good luck from New York City plastic surgery

Am I a good candidate for Smart Lipo?

Answers (4)