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Liposuction Melbourne

Liposuction and Lipofill Surgery at our Melbourne Clinic

Why consider a Liposuction?  |  Liposuction surgery consultation  |  Liposuction surgery  |  Recovery period  |  Book Consultation

NorthEast Plastic Surgery, has changed the layout of the educational information about this
procedure to outline the risk and recovery information at the top of the page in order to be
compliant with the advertising guidelines of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency
(Ahpra).

As we appreciate that this may impact your understanding, the surgeons will answer any related
questions at your consultation.

Possible Complications of Liposuction

While infrequent, all surgeries carry some level of risk. The following risks are common to all operations:

  • Problem scarring
  • Wound complications, breakdown and infection
  • Haematoma formation
  • Seroma formation (tissue fluid collection requiring drainage)
  • Further surgery to address the above complications

Risks specific to liposuction, lipofill and liposculpture include:

  • Contour irregularities
  • Skin excess due to incomplete skin retraction
  • Loss of fat graft
  • Asymmetry, which may require further surgery
  • Damage to internal organs

Only after your consultation process, and once you have had all your questions and concerns addressed by the surgeon, should you give your consent to liposuction, lipofill or liposculpture.

 

Recovery

It is important that access to medical attention is available by telephone once you have been discharged. Issues about which your surgeon needs to be made aware urgently include pain uncontrolled by medication, bleeding to the extent that the dressings soak through with blood, temperatures exceeding 38 degrees Celsius, redness of the skin or swelling or any concerns related to the surgery.

Patients can usually go home on the same day as surgery.

Swelling and bruising increases over the first week, and improves between six to eight weeks, but may take several months for the swelling to subside completely.

It will also take some months for the fat grafted areas to take their desired appearance and for the skin to fully retract. It’s also normal for the overlying skin to feel numb for a few months following the procedure.

Once discharged, you’ll be prescribed with pain medication and antibiotics, which will assist in minimising your discomfort and staving off infection.

You will need to monitor yourself closely for severe discomfort not assisted by pain medication, excessive bleeding that soaks through dressings, redness of the operated area/s, or high temperatures exceeding 38 degrees celcius. If you experience any of these after surgery, it’s important to contact the surgeon straight away.

Your dressings will be changed as appropriate during post-operative consultations and your wounds are likely to heal within a week of surgery.

You should move carefully to allow your wounds to heal and you will be able to commence driving once you’ve stopped taking all pain medication. After six to eight weeks, you may resume strenuous exercise; however, ensure to protect yourself from any trauma, such as knocks or hits, to the site. Many patients find they can return to work a week after surgery.

Your surgeon will provide you with instructions on swelling and scar management strategies, such as compression garments, manual lymphatic massage, taping, silicone gel sheeting and LED therapy to assist you to achieve an optimal outcome. Whilst precautions will be taken to minimise scarring, the degree of scar formation is an individual phenomenon and will vary from patient to patient.

Due to soft tissue swelling, you may not see the full effects of liposuction or lipofill surgery for many months after your surgery.

What does Liposuction and Lipofill Do?

Areas treated by liposuction include the abdomen, hips, flank, outer and inner thighs, ankles and knees. Liposuction can be considered in the treatment for gynecomastia, or male breast enlargement, in addition to facial, neck and chin regions. Liposuction can be considered in the treatment for gynecomastia, or male breast enlargement, in addition to facial, neck and chin fat deposits.

Lipofill – also known as autologous fat transfer– is a technique where fat tissue is removed from one area of the body and transferred to another area as a fat graft to add volume. It is harvested using modified liposuction techniques and once the fat graft has ‘taken’ it functions as a permanent filler.

Consultation at Our Melbourne Clinic

Your initial consultation with a surgeon will take place at either our private consulting suite at St Vincent’s Private Hospital, Kew or our practice in Essendon. At this consultation, your surgeon will determine your expectations and identify potential limitation to achieving the outcome you seek.

Your surgeon will discuss all the potential factors you need to consider before considering liposuction or lipofill, including:

  • Height and weight: Best results are achieved when the main objective is to address discrete fat deposits, as opposed to weight reduction. Your surgeon will discuss with you what effect your height and weight will have on their ability to create your desired results
  • The extent of surgery required: How much surgery you require and the extent of surgery which can safely be performed to produce the desired results will differ from patient to patient. Your surgeon will also discuss with you the merits of each procedure, show you before and after photographs of our patients to assist you in your decision-making process and show you the achievable outcomes for your body type.
  • Skin quality: The quality and quantity of skin of the treatment area/s will have an impact on the results you can expect to achieve. Your surgeon will also examine your skin to determine your potential need for revisional surgery which may be necessary if the skin does not fully retract following the procedure.
  • Scarring: Once Liposuction scars have matured over several months, they have the appearance 3 -4 mm minimal access incisions. The lipofill injections are performed using incisions which are typically less than 2 mm.

 

Your Medical History

At the consultation, your surgeon will also review your medical health, including:

  • previous surgery
  • history of scarring
  • significant medical history
  • tendency for easy bruising
  • tendency for excessive bleeding
  • deep venous clots involving the legs
  • all prescription and non-prescription medication
  • allergies to anaesthetic agents
  • allergies to antibiotics and dressings
  • history of smoking
  • history of psychological issues
  • history of psychiatric issues; and
  • any other relevant information

Full disclosure of this information is very important as it may affect the surgery, anaesthesia, potential complications and recovery.

In the lead up to your surgery, it may be necessary to stop taking certain medications that can cause bleeding during surgery and complicate your recovery process. These include, but are not limited to:

  • Oral Contraceptive Pill
  • Blood thinning agents
  • Aspirin
  • Disprin
  • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, such as Nurofen
  • Herbal medications, including Garlic, Ginseng, Ginko, Arnica, Fish and Krill oil

Smokers will be advised to stop smoking six weeks before and after surgery and to avoid using products containing nicotine in the two weeks before and after surgery.

Your surgeon may also require further diagnostic tests, such as blood tests, to gain a complete picture of your physical health and to assess your suitability for general anaesthetic.

 

How Much Does Liposuction Cost?

In Australia, surgeons are strongly discouraged from advertising set prices for medical procedures (as outlined by the Australian Medical Board guidelines for advertising of regulated health services).

During your consultation with one of our surgeons, you will be provided with a tailored cost of your procedure. You may also call our clinic before your first appointment to discuss approximate out-of-pocket expenses and applicable Medicare rebates. Please contact us on 03 9088 5000 or via our online contact form to find out more.

There is a cost for an initial consultation at our Melbourne clinic, with the potential to receive a portion of this back via Medicare where eligible for rebate, provided you have a referral from your GP.

The Liposuction Procedure

You will be under general anaesthetic administered by a Specialist Anaesthetist in an accredited hospital. For the safety of our patients, NorthEast Plastic Surgery does not use twilight sedation, as it has been associated with adverse clinical outcomes.

Prior to surgery, your surgeon will discuss with you the nature and placement of the scars. However, liposuction is associated with a number of very small, scars. The number of incisions required varies from patient to patient and depends on the size of the area being treated.

The surgeon makes very small access incisions to the area, and then inserts a cannula which uses suction to break up and remove the fat. At NorthEast Plastic Surgery, we use liposuction techniques that include power assistance.

The wounds are closed with external stitches, which you will have removed a week after surgery at a post-operative consultation.

To support the tissues and minimise swelling and bruising, you’ll be given a compression garment which should be worn for several weeks following surgery. Your wounds will be dressed with waterproof dressings to allow for showering.

Second Opinion

Mr Patrick Tansley MD FRCS (Plast) and Dr Sugitha Seneviratne FRACS (Plast) provide second opinion to patients seeking to address problems following plastic surgery performed elsewhere and revisional or corrective surgery. If you would like a second opinion on previously undertaken surgery, book a consultation to discuss this with one or both of our surgeons.

Before & After Photos

As the privacy of our patients is of the utmost importance to us, we do not provide before and after photos on our website. You will be shown a number of before and after images during your private consultation to illustrate the potential outcomes of surgery. These images have been provided by previous patients who have consented to their private use.

contact us

E: melbourne@northeastplasticsurgery.com.au
T: (03) 9088 5000
F (03) 9088 5001
P 0411865055
(paging service for after hours emergencies only)

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Essendon practice
53 Fletcher Street
Essendon
Vic 3040

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St Vincents Private Hospital Consulting Suites
5 Studley Avenue,
Kew
Vic 3101

Onsite parking to the premises

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