Body Procedures:
Liposuction
Liposuction is now the most popular cosmetic surgical procedure in America. This should come as no surprise given the growing disillusionment with the "fad" diets that are presently available. If you are like most patients, you have tried one or ten of these "fad" diets with very little success. In addition, you have exercised to the limits of what your children and or schedule will allow.
What most people don't realize, is that there are certain privileged areas of fat that are generally the first to develop and the last to go with diet and exercise alone. The most common areas include the lower belly (the pooch), the waist (love handles), and the hips (saddle-bags). Other areas include the chin and neck, the knees, and the inner thighs.
Recent advances in liposuction have led us to routinely perform what is referred to as the "Tumescent" technique often combined with the Ultrasound Assisted Liposuction Technique. The Ultrasonic Liposuction technique is a state of the art technique which uses ultrasonic energy to "melt" and liquefy the fat prior to its removal. The technique allows a more controlled removal of fat from affected areas. It is also thought to provide a more effective tightening of the overlying skin.
The Tumescent Technique refers to the delivery of highly dilute anesthetic and epinephrine-containing solutions into the treated areas before the liposuction begins. The technique allows the procedure to be performed with dramatically lower blood loss (therefore safer); and because the solution contains an anesthetic, discomfort after surgery is significantly reduced.
Recovery
Most patients are back to work in 7 to 10 days. Bruising and swelling take 4 to 8 weeks to improve. An abdominal binder is required for 6 weeks. The first postoperative visit is a day after your procedure. Pain is moderate to severe in the first 2 to 3 days. Pain medications and antibiotics are prescribed. Exercise except for walking is discouraged for 6 weeks. Incisions are generally closed with absorbable sutures under the skin... there are no sutures to be removed. Contour irregularities should are the norm and should be expected. Numbness can last up to a year. The scars normally take about a year to mature.
Body Procedures:
Tummy Tuck
A flat firm abdomen... everyone wants one, but few women over 30 actually have one. Blame it on aging, on pregnancies, and on chocolate cake. As we age, the body preferentially stores fat in the lower abdomen and hips; and with pregnancy the abdominal wall and the abdominal skin stretches to a point where it can't shrink back as tight as it was before pregnancy; in addition, the changes of pregnancy often include the development of unsightly stretch marks or an unsightly C-Section scar. Diet and exercise will have NO effect on any of these changes.
The tummy tuck procedure is one of the most satisfying procedures in all of plastic surgery because it has the ability to treat all of these undesirable changes. It will remove the lower abdominal fat (pooch), remove all of the lower abdominal stretch marks, tighten the stretched out abdominal wall, and revise the C-Section scar if present. The scar can usually be hidden in the underwear or bikini line.
The best results are often seen when the tummy tuck procedure is combined with either a breast enhancement procedure or liposuction of the hips and thighs..
Recovery
Most patients are back to work in 10-14 days. Bruising and swelling take 2-4 weeks to improve. Drains which are placed at the time of surgery to prevent fluid collections are removed in 7-14 days. An abdominal binder is required for 6 weeks. The first postoperative visit is a day after your procedure. Pain is moderate to severe in the first 2 to 3 days. Pain medications and antibiotics are prescribed. Exercise except for walking is discouraged for 6 weeks. Incisions are generally closed with absorbable sutures under the skin... there are no sutures to be removed. The scars normally take about a year to mature.
Body Procedures:
Mommy Makeover
A “Mommy Makeover” means different things to different people; but for most of my patients who have experienced the joy of having children, at least in Fairfax or Loudoun, there is a unifying theme which is best summed up by a letter I once received from one of my patients:
“I am a 36 year old mother of 2 beautiful children. They are the light of my life, but they have changed forever what I used to consider a beautiful face and body. My husband reassures me that I am still beautiful, but I know he has to see that my face is more haggard, my breasts are not as full and sag just a little. And I know he has to see the stretch marks and modest pooch I have in my lower belly.”
This is an excerpt from a letter I received from one of my out-of-state patients. Although she had to travel to see me, her feelings about her family and herself describe the vast majority of my patients and friends who live in Northern Virginia. The bottom line is that women sacrifice many things for their families; not the least the appearance of their bodies.
Because of E.C. and the hundreds of other patients I have who walk in her shoes, I have developed a comprehensive concept for “Mommy-Makeover” procedures in my patients in Fairfax and Loudoun, Virginia I like to call the “Mommy-Makeover” to restore many of the more youthful properties they had before they became mothers. Some of these women can be seen in the before and after pages. Imagine the possibilities.
- Breast Augmentation and or lift to restore natural fullness
- Tummy Tuck to restore a flat abdomen and get rid of stretch marks
- Liposuction to get rid of back bat and saddlebags
- Photofacials and Profractional Laser procedures to reduce sundamage and fine lines
- BOTOX® Cosmetic to reduce facial wrinkles
- JUVÉDERM® Injectable Gel, Sculptra, or Radiesse to reduce fine lines or restore facial volume
Body Procedures:
Pro-Lipo Laser Liposuction
Dr. Phillip Chang is one of the first plastic surgeons in Virginia to offer Pro-Lipo Laser Liposuction to his patients in Loudoun and Fairfax Virginia. Laser Liposuction is often one component of his remarkable Mommy Makeover procedure which may include a breast augmentation or tummy tuck procedure. Or Laser Liposuction can be performed by itself to remove unwanted fat in small areas like the chin or neck, the arms, or the saddle-bag fat.
Laser Liposuction using the Sciton Laser Platform is the most advanced and smart liposuction technique for the reduction fat by liposuction. Liposuction continues to be the most commonly performed cosmetic surgery procedure in the United States. Traditional tumescent liposuction is used to remove unwanted fat from specific areas of bulging fat such as the neck, saddle bags, and the belly. Pro-Lipo combines the benefits of traditional liposuction with the most advanced lasers available to create superior results with the potential for tighter skin, less bruising and discomfort, and less down-time. The procedure is generally performed in the office without the need- and without the risks of general anesthesia.
The best candidates for Pro-Lipo Laser Liposuction are those people who are close to normal weight. Because liposuction is not a weight reduction tool, it’s best for those who have isolated pockets of fat that do not respond well to diet or exercise. The amount of fat removed in a procedure is limited to a maximum of approximately 10 pounds.
Benefits of Pro-Lipo Laser Liposuction
- Less Traumatic
- Tightens Skin
- Requires Smaller Incisions
- Less Swelling
- Less Bruising
- Does not require anesthesia
- Treat neck arms