Information about Dr. Su

Dr. Su has brought together the latest and most advanced technologies and equipment to provide his patients with the best liposculpture results possible. You can be sure that there is no safer, gentler, faster healing, or smoother results possible using other techniques. At Artistic Liposculpting Center, they use the "Tumescent technique" local anesthesia, VASER, and SMART LIPO in combination. Their patients typically can drive to our office and back home by themselves, on the same day. Patients are numbed only in the area to be liposuctioned, therefore they are wide awake and need no general anesthesia.

With the use of VASER to gently melt the fat prior to suctioning, there is very little injury to nerves or blood vessels, which is why our "downtime" is 1 day compared to the traditional 1-2 weeks. The typical patient is back to sedentary work by the next day.

The cosmetic results that are possible with the Artistic Liposculpting technique are superior to traditional liposuction due to the melting of the fat (rather than shearing). Since patients are awake, they can stand to evaluate themselves during the surgery, in order to visualize the smallest areas of unevenness (something that can't be done during general anesthesia).

Finally, the revolutionary SMART LIPO laser adds a whole new dimension to liposuction by giving Dr. Su the ability to tighten skin that otherwise would remain loose. This is vitally important for many female patients with abdominal stretch marks and looseness following pregnancy. This tightening effect is also very beneficial in areas of loose skin on the neck, and arms. Of course, the most important factor determining good results is the ability of the surgeon performing the surgery. Dr. Su's ability in sculpting the body is superior due to his artistic eyes and hands, and his uncompromising level of perfection.

 Who is eligible for liposuction?

Most people who are in a state of good health are reasonable candidates for liposuction. People who are stable in their weight and have not been able to remove unwanted areas of fat despite diet and exercise. In fact, many normal weight people have pockets of fat that never seem to go away including "love handles", outer thighs, male chests, and chin areas. These individuals may be the ideal candidates.

Other people who are moderately overweight may have larger localized areas around their midsection or thighs that may benefit significantly aesthetically by removal of those areas. Unfortunately, very overweight individuals are not usually good candidates. Liposuction should not be considered a substitute or a method to achieve overall weight loss.

Skin tone is also a factor in determining a good candidate. Removing smaller pockets of fat usually will not affect skin tone. However, when removing thicker pockets of fat or when starting off with loose skin to begin with, there can be some loose skin afterwards.

The Smart Lipo laser assists in skin tightening, but does not have the ability to overcome skin laxity in all cases. Dr. Su will give his best estimate of what to expect during a complimentary consultation. As with all cosmetic surgery, a patient's expectations and the results delivered have to match for a patient to be satisfied. That is why it is necessary for a one on one consult with Dr. Su to address your specific needs.

What areas of the body can liposuction be performed on?

Virtually all areas of superficial fat on the body can be liposuctioned. Areas that Dr. Su has performed include (from head to toe):

Cheek / Jowls

Back (lower)

Thighs (inner)

Neck (front)

Chest (sides)

Thighs (anterior)

Neck (posterior hump)

Chest (male, frontal)

Thighs (outer)

Arms (upper)

Chest (female frontal)

Buttocks

Arms (lower)

Abdomen (upper)

Knees

Back (upper)

Abdomen (lower)

Calves

Back (mid)

Pelvis

Ankles / Feet

Potential patients will have a complimentary consultation to determine areas to be treated, and given an estimate as to what results can be expected, including skin quality. Medical history will be reviewed and the candidate may be asked to have some preoperative tests. Any blood thinning drugs or vitamins will need to be stopped (including - aspirin, ibuprofen, plavix, coumadin, vitamin E). Smoking and excess alcohol should be avoided. Prescription can be prescribed to alleviate anxiety or pain on the day of your procedure. Preoperative medications including antibiotic and optional mild sedatives are prescribed.

What procedure are involved with liposuction?

Tiny incisions (1/4 inches/4mm in size) will be made through which the instruments will have access to the fat.  Generally these are placed in unnoticeable sites. For example, to do the entire abdomen requires two incisions at or below the bikini line. After that there are 4 basic steps patients will experience in each area to be liposuctioned.

1. Through the incision sites, infusion of local anesthetic (tumescent) solution is performed using a long thin cannula.

2. VASER ultrasonic melting is performed.

3. Suctioning out of the melted fat is done using a smooth edged cannula.

4. SmartLipo lasering of predetermined areas is performed for skin areas that may have laxity.

After Your Procedure:

The incision sites allow drainage of remaining tumescent solution that will gradually come out over the following 3-7 days. The sites will close on their own without sutures or steristrips. Some of the remaining fluid in the tissues is absorbed by the body's normal processes over the next week.

A compression/support garment is worn over the areas treated in order to facilitate fluid drainage as well as hold the healing tissues together. The garment is worn for 2-5 weeks depending on the situation. It is advisable to have someone stay with you for the first 24 hours. Patients may drive home as long as they have not taken sedatives during the procedure. They may return to light work the following day and to more physical activities as tolerated (usually within a week).  Most patients require only Tylenol for discomfort following their procedure. Typically 3-4 postoperative follow-ups are schedule after the procedure.

The history of Liposuction

Liposuction was developed in the 1970's and was performed initially with patients under general anesthesia using large bore suction instruments (cannulas). This required that a patient be in a hospital or larger outpatient surgical center under the supervision of a surgeon as well as anesthesiologist. The cannulas used with this method have rough or sharp edges since the suction action alone would not be sufficient to pull fat out. These cannulas in effect suck in and shear fat off in small bits and inevitably shear blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue as well. This method which is still commonly used by plastic surgeons today typically results in downtime from work of 1-2 weeks and significant soreness and bruising. Sometimes overnight hospitalization is required. Fortunately, a significant advance has been made known as "Tumescent Technique".

In 1987 a US dermatologic surgeon developed a technique known as "tumescent technique" using local anesthetic mixed with saline that is infused into the areas to be treated while a patient is awake. This resulted in patients avoiding the need for general anesthesia which has been the most common factor implicated in major cosmetic surgery complications. Patients have thus been able to drive to and from their surgery the same day of the procedure with minimal or no sedatives. The bleeding and bruising have also been significantly reduced due to this technique. One of the main benefits of tumescent technique liposuction is that it can be performed in a small office surgical suite due to the absence of general anesthesia and the complicated monitoring that goes with it.

Not all tumescent liposuction techniques are the same. The cosmetic results, as well as the injury to tissues other than fat, are still dependent on the cannulas used to remove the fat. Many physicians doing tumescent technique liposuction still rely on suctioning with sharp edged cannulas which leads to more soreness and bruising. The development of VASER and SMART LIPO being used with the tumescent technique has brought on a much more advanced level of liposuctioning.

Vaser

 VASER by Sound Surgical Technologies is a system used to melt fat tissue prior to suctioning it from the body. The VASER instrument consists of an ultrasonic hand piece-wand which is used internally to melt fat once the area is locally anesthetized. The wand visually resembles a traditional suction cannula, but does no suctioning and has no sharp edges. With 10-20 minutes of vasering, the fat is sufficiently melted to gently remove it with a smooth edged suction cannula.

The VASER device selectively melts the fat cells easily while doing very little damage to blood vessels, nerves, or connective tissue. This VASER selectivity combined with use of a smooth edged cannula allows the fat to be removed almost completely and efficiently with minimal injury to connective tissues, blood vessels and nerves that we desire to preserve. Patients that have liposuction with the VASER system, typically have very little bleeding or bruising and are back to work the next day. Some temporary nerve injury does occur, but is also minimal when compared with traditional techniques of liposuction.

Smart Lipo

Smart Lipo by Cynosure is a laser used to assist in liposculpture or perform small areas of liposculpture independently. This laser device using a fiber optic cable housed in an extremely thin cannula effectively melts fat and has a diameter similar to a strand of angel hair pasta.

The Smart Lipo laser can be used in a fashion similar to the VASER system to melt fat prior to suctioning it out. It also preserves the wanted tissues (blood vessels, nerves, connective tissue) very well. Due to the slower nature of the melting with this laser, it is not well suited to doing liposuction independently on large areas of fat.

The major benefits of the Smart Lipo laser are that it provides the ability to tighten and firm skin which has not been available to traditional techniques or to VASER. The tightening effect on skin is a result of collagen contracture and more importantly to new collagen formation (neocollagenesis) which is a response of the skin to the heating from the laser. The tightening effect is a gradual process over the next of 3-6 months.

Other benefits that can be quite significant are improvements in cellulite and stretch marks, which typically are unresponsive to most treatments. In most cases Dr. Su uses the Smart Lipo laser as a final step for tightening only in select areas that require skin tightening.