Facial Liposuction
Liposuction is one of the top procedures performed in the US. This is the removal of fat cells in areas that have an excess build up of fatty tissue through a series of small incisions using a cannula or straw-like device to suction the fat from the body to give you that perfect body contour that you’ve always dreamed of. This can be used to treat areas of excess fat around the chin and neck to help give a slimmer, sculpted jaw line.
Types of Facial Liposuction
While new technologies are constantly being developed and utilized by plastic surgeons around the world, we have focused and refined our liposuction techniques using the following mechanisms:
Suction assisted: traditional liposuction using a cannula hooked up to a collection system to mechanically remove the fat from the body
VASER (Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Resonance): uses ultrasonic technology to disrupt the bonds between the fat cells which can then be removed from the body
Laser-assisted liposuction (SMART lipo): a laser heated probe in used to liquify the fat before removed from the body with traditional liposuction
Anyone who has excess adiposity or fat underneath the chin and in the neck area that they would like to improve the contour of, however there cannot be a significant laxity or looseness of the skin or extra, hanging skin in the areas to be contoured. Patients also should not be on a blood thinner and their weight should be relatively stable.
Additional Information
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The incisions to access the neck and chin areas are strategically placed underneath the chin and behind the ears in the hair line as needed. These are small (about the diameter of a ballpoint pen) and heal extremely well with nearly no visible scar.
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This is a very common question that gets asked because there is a lot of misinformation on the internet. Once the fat cells are removed from your body they are gone forever however, not all the fat cells from that area are removed. So should you gain weight in the future, these remaining fat cell will get larger but you’ll never have the same degree of adiposity in the treated area again. In untreated areas, you can see fat cell enlargement if you continue to gain weight as your body attempts to store those excess calories somewhere but only happens when your weight is increasing.
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The short answer is no! This can be done with you awake under local anesthetic called tumescence. However, some people feel anxious with procedures happening around their face or with the pressure felt from the liposuction cannulas moving around so we recommend general anesthesia if you fit in this category for your comfort.
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There is always swelling, soreness and bruising in the treated areas but the degree of each varies from patient to patient. Many people require minimal pain medications and can return to work the next day. You’ll be asked to wear a compression garment in over the treated areas to help with swelling and to also encourage the skin to contract to improve the overall contour.
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Generally, the bruising lasts 1-2 weeks with the swelling remaining 6-8 weeks but this varies greatly on the areas treated and volume of fat removed.
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Patients should expect to begin seeing results as early as the 2 week mark but usually notice a marked difference in the 6-8 week timeframe once a majority of the swelling begins to resolve.
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The cost of facial liposuction ranges from $3000 - $4000, not including OR, add ons (i.e. SMART lipo) or anesthesia fees.
Interested? Find out what’s next!
If you are interested in having facial liposuction and you reside in or near Washington, DC, or you are planning to visit this area, call Dr. Maiorino's office to schedule an initial consultation, or CLICK HERE to schedule now!
