Sometimes no matter how much you exercise or how strict you diet, you are still left with small pockets of fat. These areas of fat may be the last barrier between you and the figure you want. Thanks to liposuction, you can remove this stubborn fat and enjoy a contoured body.

At his San Francisco cosmetic and reconstructive surgery practice, Dr. Kenneth Bermudez offers liposuction options, including state-of-the-art ultrasonic liposuction, to help you and other Bay Area patients eliminate excess fat on virtually any area of the body. Learn how Dr. Bermudez can recontour your body and eliminate stubborn fat deposits with this highly effective cosmetic procedure.

• Are You a Good Liposuction Candidate?
• Problem Areas Liposuction Can Improve
• Review Your Liposuction Options
• Ultrasonic Liposuction (VASER LipoSelection®)
• Traditional Liposuction
• Recovery after Liposuction
• Liposuction Risks
• Liposuction Benefits

You may wonder if liposuction is right for you. Although the best way to know if you are a good candidate for liposuction is to meet with San Jose-area cosmetic surgeon Kenneth Bermudez, M.D. for a consultation, there are some general guidelines to help you determine if this liposuction is a good procedure for you.

You may be an ideal candidate for liposuction is you are:

Relatively physically fit

Less than 25 pounds overweight

Have excess fat in specific body areas.

Liposuction is also very effective when used in combination with abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) and other cosmetic procedures to provide optimal body contouring results.

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, pockets of fat in certain areas of the body won’t disappear, even with steady diet and exercise. Liposuction is a proven, effective method for eliminating these fatty deposits and providing a more contoured look to the body. Liposuction addresses various areas of the body including:

• Legs
• Thighs
• Face
• Chin
• Neck
• Abdomen
• Buttocks
• Flanks (love-handles)
• Back

Your health, comfort, and beauty are main concerns for Dr. Kenneth Bermudez. Relying on his extensive experience and exceptional skills in performing a variety of liposuction techniques, Dr. Bermudez has selected the two safest and most effective liposuction methods for his patients: ultrasonic liposuction and traditional liposuction.

In order to provide you with exceptional results, Dr. Bermudez offers ultrasonic liposuction, or VASER LipoSelection®, at his San Francisco Bay Area practice. Ultrasonic liposuction provides you with the same benefits as traditional liposuction and more. The technique utilizes high-pitched sound waves to liquefy fat before it is removed from the target area, allowing Dr. Bermudez to safely remove larger volumes of fat at one time.

During the VASER LipoSelection® procedure, Dr. Bermudez first injects a tumescent fluid composed of saline, epinephrine, and an anesthetic into the treatment area. This solution helps to prevent fluid loss during removal of the fat, as well as make the fat removal easier to accomplish. Then, Dr. Bermudez uses a special generator to create sound waves, which are transmitted to the thin, vacuum tubes (cannulas) used to remove the fat deposits. The ultrasonic waves break down the fat cells and liquefy them, and they are subsequently vacuumed out.

Incisions for ultrasonic liposuction are typically very small and easily hidden. Your entire procedure should take less than two hours to perform while you are under general or local anesthesia.

In some cases, traditional liposuction may be the better-suited body contouring option for you. Traditional liposuction involves the insertion of cannulas, long metal tubes used to suction out fat cells, into small incisions made in the treatment areas. Dr. Bermudez gently moves the cannulas back and forth under the skin and vacuums out fat deposits, eliminating excess fat and recontouring the area.

Like ultrasonic liposuction, traditional liposuction is also a fairly quick outpatient procedure, typically taking less than two hours to complete, depending on the size of the area being treated. Liposuction may be performed using local anesthesia in many circumstances.

Your recovery from a liposuction treatment can take two to six weeks. This is typically the same amount of time is necessary for the full results of your treatment to become apparent, depending on the size of the treated area.

Although a full recovery may take longer, you should generally be able to return to normal daily routines after about a week. There will be some residual swelling and bruising after the procedure, but this should dissipate as the area continues to heal.

Liposuction, performed in combination with a facelift, breast lift, and other cosmetic procedures can be an ideal way of achieving complete cosmetic rejuvenation.

Contact our San Francisco Bay Area cosmetic surgery office to schedule a consultation with our expert surgeon to learn how he can help you attain your aesthetic goals.

As with any surgical procedure, traditional and ultrasonic liposuction procedures are not without a certain degree of risk. Some of the risks of liposuction include:

• Fluid accumulation
• Fat or blood clots which can migrate to the heart or lungs, leading to death
• Skin injury
• Excessive fluid loss
• Asymmetry (uneven contour or shape)
• Friction burns
• Damage to vital organs
• Infection (possible risk for most surgical procedures)
• Adverse reaction to anesthesia(possible risk for most surgical procedures)

Many of the above liposuction risks are extremely unlikely to occur. Dr. Kenneth Bermudez is highly skilled and trained in performing liposuction, and will take every precaution to ensure your safety. To discuss your concerns with the risks associated with liposuction, schedule a consultation with Dr. Bermudez.

Liposuction has helped millions of patients all over the world eliminate stubborn, excess fat, and it can help you. It has been one of the most popular cosmetic procedures for decades and has a stellar track record as an effective treatment. Benefits of liposuction include:

• Fat removal in virtually any body area
• Improved health
• Minimal scarring, which can be easily hidden
• Ability to wear desired clothing

Ultrasonic liposuction provides added benefits with its ability to eliminate large areas of fat at one time, as well as tighten the skin to create a contoured, fit appearance.

If you are interested in the traditional or ultrasonic liposuction procedures offered at our San Francisco Bay Area cosmetic surgery practice, contact Dr. Kenneth Bermudez today. Our skilled plastic surgeon will be happy to discuss your liposuction goals with you, as well as all aspects of the procedure and what course of action will be best to suit your needs.

At the cosmetic and reconstructive surgery practice of Dr. Kenneth Bermudez, we are proud to provide high-quality liposuction procedures and other body contouring treatments to patients from San Jose, Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, Napa, Fremont, Redwood City, and throughout the Bay Area.