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

Liposuction be performed by any licensed physician. However, not all licensed physicians are qualified to perform liposuction.

Just being “board certified” does not grant one qualified to perform liposuction. Recently, a patient ask me if her Gynecologist can perform liposuction?

In answering the question, I asked her if she would let a plastic surgeon deliver her baby? Liposuction is a surgical procedure that requires training and techinical expetise.

It should be performed by a surgeon with surgical residency training in liposuction. Plastic Surgeons are especially trained in the art and scinece of liposuction.

A weekend course cannot replace years of formal surgical training.

The best way to choose a Liposuction surgeon, is to choose a Plastic Surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Remember, board certified cosmetic surgeon is not the same as board certifed plastic surgeon. (Stanley Okoro, MD, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)

It is easy to be fooled into thinking any doctor can do your liposuction, and the situation is worse now that there are people stating they are “board certified” when they are not. I have seen advertisements by gynecologists, family practicioners, radiologists, dermatologists, and other non-qualified surgeons offering low prices, no anesthesia, and “the latest technology”.

This takes unfair advantage of patients who do not know any better. I have colleagues in these fields who think “How hard could it be?” and begin doing it without understanding the skill and technique it takes to do these procedures well, how to avoid complications, and how to recognize and treat any complications if they do occur.

There are very real risks associated with liposuction, such as perforating internal organs (such as intestines or lungs), nerve damage, blood clots, permanent visible irregularities, and others including even death. I strongly encourage you to only seek out liposuction with a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon.

Please note that this *ONLY* includes certification by the “American Board of Plastic Surgery”. (Other “boards” by the name of American Board of Cosmetic Surgery or American Board of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery are NOT boards recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties).

Do your research and be safe. You will be happy you did. (Anita Patel, MD, FACS, Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon)

Experienced plastic surgeons can perform great liposuction

An experienced facial plastic surgeon or general plastic surgeon can perform liposuction for you. The choice depends upon the area that you want to be treated (face vs. body) and the frequency with which your surgeon treats this area.

Ask your potential plastic surgeon about their level of experience with liposuction of the body area of interest. (Stephen Weber, MD, FACS, Denver Facial Plastic Surgeon)

Qualified surgeons for liposuction

The best way to choose a surgeon to perform liposuction is to find one who is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and has been trained in the procedure.

Plastic surgeons are usually some of the most qualified, beware non surgical “specialists”. (Olivia Hutchinson, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)

Who do you want to do YOUR liposuction?

By law any physician can perform medical treatments in their office and state licensing agencies have almost no control over what the physician does. There are many physicians today that are discovering cosmetic medicine to be very appealing because of decreasing insurance payments.

Therefore there are a lot of non-plastic surgeons performing cosmetic procedures. They are all going to list a bunch of credentials that sound good, but unless they have been certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons their credential for cosmetic procedures is NOT recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties.

The short answer is: Who do you want to do YOUR liposuction? The person that went to a 2-5 day training course or the person that spent years in surgical training? I know who I want to do mine. (Richard H. Fryer, MD, Salt Lake City Plastic Surgeon)

Who should do lipo?

Everyone and their brother is doing liposuction. People who never have had a day of surgical training in their lives are taking a weekend course and using low prices, sleek marketing ads, and fancy offices to lure patients.

I am particularly dismayed by the “no anesthesia! no downtime! no bruising!” claims.

1. Find someone who COULD do a tummy tuck if you need one. I have seen people with horrible liposuction results because they needed a tummy tuck. Dermatologists, Internal medicine docs, family practice docs can’t do tummy tucks. They won’t recommend a surgery if you need it because they can’t do it.
2. Find out what they are board certified IN. “Board certified” doctor does not tell you what they did their residency training in. They will be board certified “plastic surgery” “dermatology” “internal medicine” etc.
3. Liposuction can be dangerous. Fluid measurements, anesthesia (and yes, this includes those who claim they just use local anesthesia and you don’t go to sleep- many of them give you IV sedation and you are asleep without control of your airway, which is much more dangerous than a controlled general anesthetic), and the worst- perforation of a major organ when your cannula tip is in a place it shouldn’t be. We hear of cases of bowel, lung, and liver injuries. These are serious.
4. Look for a fully accredited OR. Quad A certified.
5. I feel an anesthesiologist should be present.
6. Don’t spot treat.

I do a lot of secondary cases – Revisions of people who had prior liposuction and are unhappy. The two biggest reasons are

1. not enough fat removed/uneven
2. funny body shape from addressing one area, but neglecting others, so the body makes a funny shape when you have weight changes. (Lauren Greenberg, MD, Palo Alto Plastic Surgeon)

How to Choose a Liposuction Surgeon

What many people don’t know is that anyone who is an MD (even a gynecologist) can perform liposuction after just a short training course. This is why it is so important to do your research when looking for a surgeon to perform your liposuction surgery.

To achieve good results you need to find someone who is experienced and trained in that particular procedure, which really goes for any type of procedure – cosmetic or not. A good place to start is plasticsurgery.org.

Here you can find surgeons who are board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery – the only board that is recognized my the American Medical Association.

Once you find a doctor who has undergone extensive training is cosmetic plastic surgery procedures, then check his/her experience in the procedure you are seeking, in this case liposuction.

Also ask about his staff – Is the anesthesiologist board certified? Are the other medical staff members trained and experienced in plastic surgery procedures? Ask to see before and after pictures too. This will help you see the doctor’s abilities and help you visualize your results.

I would recommend seeing multiple doctors before making your decision. (Tarick K. Smiley, MD, Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon)

Only see a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

Technically, any M. D. physician can (under state licensing laws) perform anything they want in their office, but the better question is would you want to have just anyone doing surgery on you, especially when anyone other than a plastic surgeon has not had the extensive surgical training to handle not only the procedure but any complication that could arise.

I could deliver a baby (by law) as I did many years ago in medical school, but I obviously don’t or would not do that because I am not an OB GYN and that is not the best thing for that patient.

A plastic surgeon is going to be able to give you the SAFEST and best possible result. Do not underestimate the importance of patient safety. To use one final analogy to airplane pilots, the issue is getting you home safely, even if turbulence is encountered, a well trained pilot knows how to handle the issues that come up and get you home safely.

These other docs (OB GYNs, family docs, etc.) that learned liposuction in a weekend course as a way to supplement their incomes may be able to do a decent job, but if things go wrong or complications arise, I would not want to be in their hands from a safety standpoint. (James F. Boynton, MD, FACS, Houston Plastic Surgeon)

Doctor qualified to perform liposuction

LIPOSUCTION is a major surgical procedure, which requires infusion of large volume of fluids and liposuction of fat and fluid. Therefore, the person performing liposuction should be familiar with trauma and fluid resuscitation.

Therefore, only a surgeon trained in cosmetic surgery with background in trauma and resuscitation should do liposuction. They should have hospital privillages to perform surgery. (Samir Shureih, MD, Baltimore Plastic Surgeon)

Plastic surgeon vs cosmetic surgeon to do liposuction

Your surgeon should be Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the only Board approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties. This matters because the training has to meet stringent criteria all throughout the residency program, and after you finish you have to pass TWO sets of exams (oral and written).

Finally, to keep your Board Certification you have to fulfill continuing education requirements and ethical guidelines. Board Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery. Accept no substitutes. (Ricardo L. Rodriguez, MD, Baltimore Plastic Surgeon)