How Much Does Conventional Liposuction Cost?

What Is Conventional Liposuction?

What is liposuction? You probably know it’s a popular way of removing excess fat. However, do you know enough about it to make an informed decision?

Doctors classify it as a surgical procedure using suction to remove fat from various areas of your body, including your chin, stomach, thighs, hips, buttocks, neck, and arms. Healthcare professionals don’t consider it a weight loss solution but rather a body contouring method to help remove fat from specific areas and even treat certain conditions.

Its most common application is removing fat from areas of the body that don’t respond well to diet and exercise. 

How Does Conventional Liposuction Work?

Liposuction works by inserting a small tube called a cannula under your skin in the location where you need the fat removed. The doctor then applies suction to remove the fat. Doctors can use this cosmetic procedure to treat several medical conditions, including the following:

• Lipomas: Lipomas are the medical term for benign fatty tumors. In some cases, doctors may opt to remove them using liposuction rather than traditional surgical methods.
• Gynecomastia: Doctors can use liposuction to reduce unusually large male breasts by removing the fat from around the areola or under the armpit.
• Lipodystrophy: Characterized as the abnormal distribution of fat throughout the body, lipodystrophy is often hereditary or acquired after certain illnesses. Liposuction provides a short-term solution for this condition.
• Axillary hyperhidrosis: Also known as excessive sweating, this condition can improve after liposuction when the procedure removes extra sweat glands. 

Liposuction cannot remove stretch marks or dimples from cellulose.

Weighing the Benefits

How much does liposuction cost? Before worrying about the price, consider the benefits you’re investing in.

Targeted Treatment

You and your doctor can customize your liposuction based on your needs to remove fat from nearly anywhere in the body. Because it uses a small cannula, liposuction allows you to target small areas such as your chin and face but can also remove fat from larger regions of your body like the waist, buttocks, and thighs.

Minimal Scarring

Liposuction remains one of the least invasive cosmetic procedures as it only requires small incisions. The doctor can hide those incisions by making them in places most people don’t see, such as under your armpits.

Efficient Removal

Unlike most surgical procedures that put a strain on your body, you can target multiple areas in a single session. This makes liposuction an extremely effective method to remove a large amount of fat at once rather than spreading your treatments over several months.

Improves Exercise Results

If you have an established exercise routine, liposuction can help improve the results by contouring the areas that don’t respond to exercise. By targeting these, you can focus on optimizing your routine and concentrate on those areas that do respond to the exercise. You’re a good candidate for liposuction if you already follow an exercise routine because it helps prevent the fat from forming again in the treated area.

Increased Self Esteem

If you find it difficult to have confidence because of how your body looks, you’re not alone. Liposuction can improve your confidence, help your clothes fit better, and motivate you to stay healthy. Thus, it can significantly benefit many areas of your life beyond appearance.

Long-Term Results

While permanent results are possible with liposuction, the fat could return if you neglect to take care of yourself following the procedure. Healthy habits like regular exercise and a low-fat diet are crucial for keeping the weight off.

Improved Overall Health

With reduced fat and motivation to exercise and eat well, liposuction can have amazing effects on your overall well-being. From renewed energy to a longer life expectancy, don’t underestimate the power of liposuction to set your life on the fast track to health.

Is Conventional Liposuction Safe?

Before considering, “How much will liposuction cost?” you should ask, “Is liposuction safe?” In the vast majority of cases, especially when administered by a qualified and experienced professional, liposuction has only minor risks, which are as follows:

• Irregularities: If the doctor leaves some fat behind, or you have poor skin elasticity, the area may look bumpy, withered, or wavy. In some cases, these changes don’t disappear.
• Fluid buildup: Occasionally, pockets of fluid, called seromas, may form under the skin. A doctor can drain these with a needle.
• Numbness: If the procedure damages or irritates the nerves, you could experience numbness or discomfort in the area. The sensation usually resolves but may be permanent in some cases.
• Infection: In rare circumstances, you may develop a skin infection from the procedure. A severe infection could threaten your life, so seek treatment immediately if you think you have one.
• Injury: If the doctor punctures your tissue too deeply, it could rupture an organ, requiring emergency surgery. 
• Fat embolism: If a piece of fat breaks away, it could enter your bloodstream and cause an embolism (a blockage in the artery).
• Kidney and heart problems: While you can target multiple areas for liposuction in the same surgery, too much liposuction could shift the fluid in your body and put pressure on the heart and lungs.
• Lidocaine reaction: Doctors add lidocaine to the solution they use during liposuction to help manage the pain. In rare cases, it can lead to toxicity or an allergic reaction.

To avoid complications, always ensure you receive the treatment from a board-certified plastic surgeon. Complications from a qualified doctor remain extremely rare.

Factors Affecting the Price of Conventional Liposuction

How much are liposuction treatments? That depends on several factors, but according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, it has an average cost of around $5,000 for the surgeon’s fee. Other elements can increase or decrease the cost.

Does Insurance Cover Conventional Liposuction?

In most cases, insurance doesn’t cover cosmetic procedures, which is the category liposuction usually falls under. However, when doctors deem liposuction medically necessary, your insurance may cover it. Such situations may include:

• Removing lipomas
• Breast reduction surgery that reduces chronic pain or musculoskeletal issues
• As part of reconstructive surgeries

Type of Conventional Liposuction

The cost of liposuction partially depends on the type you receive. You’ll have the following choices:

• Suction-assisted liposuction (SAL): The most traditional type of liposuction, SAL uses cannulas to remove fat from the body.
• Tumescent liposuction: A slightly more advanced procedure, the tumescent approach injects a solution into the site that reduces pain and blood loss. The patient remains awake under localized anesthesia and usually has a faster recovery time than with the SAL technique.
• VASERlipo® ultrasound-assisted liposuction: This technique uses the same procedure as tumescent liposuction but adds a step via ultrasound. The ultrasound can liquify the fat cells, offering a less invasive approach, but it often doesn’t remove as much fat as other types of liposuction.
• Laser liposuction: Also known as laser lipolysis, this technique employs a laser to liquefy the fat cells. It carries the fewest risks of complication, results in less loose skin, and offers a faster recovery time than every other type of liposuction.

Anesthesia

While all liposuction requires anesthesia, you’ll pay more for certain forms. Topical anesthesia, like that used for the tumescent approach, costs less than general anesthesia. However, most doctors prefer the latter as it mitigates the risk of patient anxiety. 

Talk with your doctor to determine what level of anesthesia you’ll need for your procedure.

Imaging Tests

How much you’ll pay for liposuction partially depends on whether you need imaging tests as part of the procedure or preparation. For instance, you may require an ultrasound before the treatment (or during it if you’re using VASERlipo®). Imaging tests will add to the total cost of your operation.

Post-Procedure Medication

Though you’re undergoing minimally invasive surgery, you’ll still have some pain and discomfort. Most people only require over-the-counter pain meds, but some may require a more powerful prescription. No matter what you need, factor the additional cost of medication into the overall cost of your procedure.

Treatment Location

If you’re wondering, “How much is liposuction of the stomach and love handles?” or “How much does chin liposuction cost?” you already have an innate understanding that the cost of the procedure depends on the area you’re removing fat from. The increase in cost mostly derives from the complexity of reaching the area for treatment. Receiving liposuction on your neck or armpit requires more finesse and attention to detail than liposuction on your abdomen.

What Happens During the Conventional Liposuction Procedure?

Now that you know the answer to “How much does liposuction cost?” you can focus on preparing for the procedure.

Preparing for Liposuction

During your initial consultation, your doctor will discuss your medical history, ask about your goals for the procedure, and confirm you’re a good candidate for the operation. The following may disqualify you from the surgery:

• You have a BMI over 30.
• The procedure won’t remove the amount of fat you want.
• You’re in overall poor health or smoke.
• You have cellulite in the desired area, poor skin elasticity, or a history of scarring.
• You have a severe illness, such as cancer, that could impede healing.
• You’re pregnant or plan on getting pregnant soon.

Before the procedure, you should stop taking blood thinners or NSAIDs for pain. The doctor may order lab or imaging tests. They’ll ask you to arrange for someone to drive you home and stay with you the first night after the procedure.

During the Procedure

The procedure may occur at a clinic or a hospital if you require a larger amount of fat removal. Either way, the process involves the following three steps:

1. Anesthesia: First, the doctor will apply the anesthetic using either a localized injection or an IV or gas that lets you sleep. You’ll feel the effects almost immediately.
2. Incision: The doctor will make a small incision in the area where they’ll be removing the fat. At this point, you won’t feel any pain, and the doctor will try to keep the incision as minimal as possible and hide it in a little-seen area.
3. Removal: The doctor will then place the cannula in the incision and suck out the fat. Before this step, they may use sound waves or a laser to liquefy the fat, depending on the type of procedure.

The entire surgery usually doesn’t take longer than three hours.

Recovering From Surgery

It can take up to six weeks for you to fully recover from the operation, fully eliminating the bruising and swelling that result from the operation. Most people return to work and their normal daily life after about two weeks.

Immediately after the operation, you’ll feel groggy from the anesthesia, so have someone drive you home and monitor you for the night in the rare event you develop complications.

To speed your recovery and reduce the chances of complications, keep the following suggestions in mind:

• Wear compression garments to help reduce swelling.
• Avoid exercise and heavy lifting.
• Manage your pain with prescribed medication, ice, and heat.
• Stay hydrated and eat foods that can aid your recovery, like salmon, dark chocolate, green tea, and broccoli.
• If you have children, arrange for help caring for them over the next two weeks.

Laser Liposuction (Smart Lipo): A More Affordable Option

How much does Conventionalliposuction cost? The price tag may feel overwhelming, but you have a more affordable option at Connecticut Pain Solutions. Laser liposuction decreases your recovery time and risks of complications while providing a more cost-effective solution.

Our qualified and experienced doctors can help you sculpt and fine-tune your body with laser liposuction. Book a consultation by contacting us today. Our team will answer any questions you might have, walk you through the options, and guide you to the best procedure for your lifestyle and health goals.