Liposuction: Info, Prices, Photos, Reviews, Q&A

Choosing a plastic surgeon is a very important step, one in which your result and perhaps your safety will depend upon.

We always suggest a surgeon board certified in plastic surgery, with experience and a reputation for quality in your community.

Membership in the American Society of Plastic Surgeons will also signal a commitment to high ethical standards.

Finally, office accreditation is a must to ensure your health and safety.

You should question why any surgeon would not hold himself up to regular site review, and the highest safety standards for his patients and practice. (Peter E. Johnson, MD, Chicago Plastic Surgeon)

First of all, be sure you are going to real Board Certified Plasic Surgeons as many non-plastic surgeons do liposuction (ie “cosmetic surgeons”).

Then decide on the quality of their results and from seeing photos of patients like you. Make sure they are telling you honestly how good a candidate you are for liposuction because so many who want it aren’t going to have the best skin shrinkage regardless of technique.

Finally, make sure their facility is accredited for optimal safety and lastly compare price. You only want to do this once so go to the best. (Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)

The most important factors should not be the cost and the year they went into practice because age does not necessarily mean judgment and skill.

The weeding criteria SHOULD be :

– active certification by THE AMERICAN BOARD OF PLASTIC SURGERY (or better yet active membership in THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLASTIC SURGEONS – all of whose members ARE certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery AND are committed to a Code of Ethics that few are societies have taken.

(Having a valid medical license is really a very low threshold as there are thousands of licensed physicians in your state. It says nothing about their expertise and ethics). To learn everything you need to know about Board Certification and what separates a REAL Plastic Surgeon from others, check out the LINK below.

– Having PLASTIC SURGERY PRIVILEGES in at least one local hospital. If a local hospital would not allow this doctor to perform Plastic Surgery within its walls, WHY should you?

– Medicare or AAAASF certification of the facility. Unless you are a homicide bomber I seriously doubt you would knowingly fly on “Trusty Bubba’s Airways”. Why then would you think that having an invasive procedure in an uncertified facility is any safer? Surely, if a doctor subjects his patients to such risks, what does it imply about his ethics?

– the method of anesthesia should depend on a combination of factors including safety, patient comfort, quick recovery and the ability of the surgeon to deliver a certain result without a sudden patient movement which could be disastrous.

All these factors must be considered and the patient needs to be educated what may be the best and second best alternative. Your safety is surely worth more consideration. (Peter A. Aldea, MD, Memphis Plastic Surgeon)

First, are the surgeons board certified by “the American Board of Plastic Surgery”? Second, It is state law any operating office suite needs accreditation by one of 4 agencies – quad A, triple A, JACO, or by the Florida Board of Medicine Office Surgery Accreditation.

In my personal office operating room I have the Florida Board of Medicine approval. You need to find out. As for which type of anesthesia. ALL lipos use injected local tumescent anesthesia, than either “twilight” or a light general gas anesthesia is used in addition. (Darryl J. Blinski, MD, Miami Plastic Surgeon)

Accreditation

At a minimum you should have your surgery in an accredited office. This designation exists for a reason. I would also be sure that physicians are true plastic surgeons. This is not the area to look for savings.

I tell my patients, “it may techinically be legal to have surgery in an office, but that doesn’t mean it is the safest.”

In the unlikely event things go wrong, where do you want to be? How many people we be in the office who are trained to help? Does the cheaper facility to their own sedation? Or do they use a nurse anesthetist. (David A. Lickstein, MD, Palm Beach Gardens Plastic Surgeon)

You should always have any major procedure performed in an accredited facility by a board certified plastic surgeon. Once you have established this, then you should go with who you feel the most comfortable. (David Shafer, MD, FACS, New York Plastic Surgeon)

Accreditation is Expensive and Time Consuming, But in Your Best Interest

There is very likely a reason for the difference in price: accreditation is expensive and time consuming. Anybody operating in a non-accredited office these days is not following the standard of care. Why Accreditation? Because it is the right thing to do for the patient. (Stephen Prendiville, MD, Fort Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction best done in an accredited facility

You should have your surgery done in an accredited office. Most surgeons don’t feel that the type of liposuction is as important as the surgeon who is doing the liposuction. (Ronald Shelton, MD, Manhattan Dermatologic Surgeon)

Making decisions about cosmetic surgeons

Which surgeon do you feel most comfortable caring for you, listening to your desires for cosmetic outcome, and dealing with potential complications.

Which surgeon do you LIKE the best? Now look at that surgeon’s results- go through his/her website before and after photos, look at the photo books in the office… are the surgical results really good? (Scott C. Sattler, MD, FACS, Seattle Plastic Surgeon)

First make very certain that you are comparing apples to apples. Many types of Dr’s will call themselves plastic surgeons. Make sure you have a plastic surgeon certified by the american board of plastic surgery.

The certification of the facility means that the surgeon has gone above and beyond and is being monitored by an ourtside agency. That does not mean that the other facility is not adequate but at least you have an independent group checking.

The technique used does not matter as much as what the surgeon is most comfortable with. The tumescent technique simply means the type of anesthesia that is used and both will use a similar technique if they are doing this with you awake.

Finally general anesthesia will often allow the surgeon to get a better result because there is no limiting local anesthetic and the patient will not feel anything. (John P. Stratis, MD, Harrisburg Plastic Surgeon)

In the State of Florida, office based surgery that is performed under general anesthesia is considered level III, twilight procedures are considered level II surgery. In order to be compliant with Florida law, the surgeon’s operating room must be appropriately accredited for performing level II or III procedures.

This means inspection by the Florida Department of Health, or AAAASF, AAAHC, or JCAHO accreditation and compliance with state standards for office based surgery. This ensures safer quality assurance procedures and peer review of the surgical process which enhances your safety.

Offering liposuction under general anesthesia in the State of Florida without this accreditation is illegal. Anyone who would violate the law like this should not be trusted with your life .

Note that your surgeon could perform less than a 4000 cc liposuction without this inspection or accreditation in Florida if only local anesthesia is used but that is not what you described: twilight surgery is general anesthesia without a tube.

A certain percentage of individuals who receive so-called twilight anesthesia will need assistance with breathing if only briefly during their procedure. Accredited facilities have procedures in place that make it much more likely that this assistance will be available for you should you need it. Use the surgeon who follows the rules. Pay more money. Remember this is your personal safety we are talking about. Consider reporting the doctor who is performing liposuction in his unaccredited office to the Florida Medical Board-you may be saving someone’s life. (Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD, Beverly Hills Oculoplastic Surgeon)