Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)
The Society represents the interests of Fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons who have specialised in plastic and reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery, and publishes guidelines for standards of practice and research in the area. It does not itself organise training, which is the responsibility of the RACS. (02) 9437 9200

Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS)
The RACS is responsible for the only general surgery training recognised by the Australian Medical Council. In some states, only Fellows of the RACS (FRACS) are entitled to call themselves surgeons. Plastic surgeons are surgeons who have done the full RACS training and then specialised in plastic, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery - a minimum 8 year course. Most plastic surgeons are members of the ASPS (see below) although if they are not, it does not affect their qualifications. Other FRACS may have specialised in ear, nose and throat, ophthalmology or other specific areas which may qualify them to perform particular cosmetic surgery procedures. Your GP may well advise you that you should not undergo invasive surgery except with a Fellow of RACS. (03) 9249 1200

Here are some “red flags” that might go up when you’re talking with a surgeon. Pay attention to any of these, and consider seriously looking elsewhere if you notice any of them:

• Is this liposuction surgeon impatient with your questions? Do you get a feeling of being rushed into making a decision about your surgery with insufficient information at hand?
• Is there anything about the surgeon’s environment that does not appear perfectly clean, even sterile?
• Does this surgeon appear eager to perform several major surgeries as a single operation? This might seem to be a good choice, so as to save on the costs of anesthesia and facility fees. However, safety must always be the primary concern of the liposuction surgeon, and indeed, of any medical professional. Both you, as the patient, and the surgical staff will be under severe stress during the procedure. Make sure this surgeon seems concerned about achieving the results you want in the safest possible of conditions.
• Before your surgery, you will be required to sign a consent form stating that you have been made aware of, and fully understand, the risks, benefits, and possible alternatives to the procedure of choice, and have given your permission for it to be performed. Is this liposuction surgeon willing to give enough time to ensuring that you do completely understand what is going to happen?

In the end, only you can decide whether your individual needs will be adequately addressed by this liposuction surgeon, and whether this person is the one you trust with the outcome of your surgery and the results you are hoping for from liposuction.

A neck that is extremely fatty can make the face above it appear formless and without character; in such a case, neck liposuction may make a significant difference to the entire appearance. This particular problem can be corrected quite easily by inserting very tiny tubes, or cannulae, into the fat and gently vacuuming it out with a vacuum machine whose hose attaches to the cannula. This is done under local anesthetic, and leaves virtually no scarring, as the tiny incisions for the cannulae close up by themselves after a few days of light drainage. Small absorbent pads are placed to deal with this draining; they are held in place by a light elastic compression garment that is worn for the first 18 to 36 hours after neck liposuction.

In the early days of this procedure, surgeons believed that a compression garment was necessary for up to six weeks. However, such prolonged compression provides no demonstrable benefits over shorter usage.

If you think that your general facial appearance is marred by a fatty neck, or by fat deposits below the chin, talk to a good plastic surgeon about your options. Neck liposuction may be the most appropriate choice for you. Remember that it can be quite inexpensive, has few or no risks, and can be done on an outpatient basis.

How much pain are you going to be experiencing?
With liposuction procedures, you may experience minor discomfort that can be alleviated with an over the counter pain reliever. Other procedures will require a prescription medication or devices such as a “pain pump” to keep pain to a minimum.

When can you resume normal activities?
Normal activities are any steps taken during the course of a normal day…excluding exercise. Some procedures may restrict lifting of any sort or contact with the area. Bed rest can also be required for a certain period of time.

When can you go back to work?
Naturally this is going to depend on the type of cosmetic surgery your have. The doctor should be able to give you an exact idea when you can resume work.

How long until you can begin exercise again?
Usually, liposuction patients need to refrain from exercise for around 2 weeks, but your doctor will give you specific information on this.

How long will it take before you can notice the full results?
A large number of the procedures will result in bruising and swelling. Some procedures require some time to elapse before the body settles into its new shape. Your doctor will be able to tell you how long you nee to wait before you see the “new you”.

Will your cosmetic procedure inhibit any future activities?
Most commonly these questions are asked by young women who need to know for eg. how a breast augmentation will affect the ability to future breast feeding, or whether a tummy tuck will cause problems for a future pregnancy.

Last but most importantly, you need to ask this:
What are the possible side effects associated with your procedure?

After tumescent liposuction, the patient may experience slight bruising and swelling for a day or two. There may be some drainage of blood-tinged fluid from the sites of the small incisions. Pain is not usually a problem at all, because the local anesthetic used to tumesce the surgical area remains active in the body for several hours. The incisions will heal by themselves, since they are so tiny, and there will be no visible scars. Small absorbent pads are used to control drainage.  Generally, there is no need to stay in a hospital after tumescent liposuction; because no general anesthesia has been used, the patient can usually go home the same day. Patients are often surprised at how quickly they are able to resume normal activities.

In some cases, surgeons still choose to use general anesthesia for liposuction, but even in such cases, they often combine the general anesthesia with tumescent liposuction. Here there will be the usual risks associated with general anesthesia, such as post-surgical nausea; but the benefits of the local anesthetic will also be felt.

You need to ascertain whether you can pay by credit card, and if so, which ones are accepted? Many practices are now offering finance arrangements or payment plans.
This has been a great help to many who would find it difficult to pay for their liposuction procedure in one lump sum.

As with any financial arrangements you must read the fine print and be satisfied that you understand fully any financial contract. Also, in case of financing the procedure, you may find that the total cost of liposuction is greater than when paid fully.

Depending on your liposuction procedure you will require either a general anesthetic or a local sedation. Some doctors use “twilight” anesthesia which is becoming more and more popular. It is important that any questions about anesthesia are addressed during your consultation rather than before your procedure.

Redos and touch-ups after lipo. Will your cosmetic surgeon correct her mistakes?
This isn’t something that doctors like to admit, as usually it means a higher cost of liposuction. However, going back in for fine-tuning or to correct mistakes is very common, and you don’t want to be charged to have the doctor repair what you don’t like. Be very clear on what your doctor’s policy is regarding this matter.

For an ever increasing number of people the reason is nothing more than to look younger. That’s where liposcution comes handy, removing the excess fat. This can be for personal or professional reasons. I am sure many of you reading this will identify with the ‘mirror on the wall’ syndrome. You feel great on the inside, healthy, youthful, and mentally wonderful, but each time you look in the mirror your spirits plummet at the telltale signs of growing old. “Mirror, mirror on the wall….,” is not telling a pretty tale at all. Not all of us want to grow old gracefully. We are going to fight every inch of the way.

Unfortunately there are many reasons why things can go wrong. All surgery carries with it some risk, and liposuction procedure has its very own set of specific problems ranging from unrealistic expectations and disappointment (even thought the surgery was a success) right through to infections, and even negligence. Is there any good news? Often, trying to reduce the cost of liposuction, you accept less-than perfect options.

Of course, there is! The good news is that the great advances that have been made in cosmetic surgery have translated into a much faster patient recovery time, together with much more natural results. In the following pages we aim to answer your questions, alleviate your fears and give you the knowledge so that you can proceed from this point with confidence that you have made the correct decision.

Ultrasonic liposuction was used first in Latin America and in Europe, and it was there that concerns began to arise about this liposuction procedure due to patient injuries. The method’s popularity began to wane. Cosmetic surgeons in the United States decided in 1999 to adopt the new method and develop it further, as their own, in order to recapture the lucrative market for ultrasonic liposuction. Monitoring of the new process may not be as close as would be desirable.

The newest kind of ultrasonic liposuction is the external method. Here, the areas to be suctioned are injected with fluid, and a vibrating hand-held unit is applied to the outside skin. The object is to loosen and liquefy fat through the sound waves produced by the external device. Unfortunately, when used correctly, this method has not been definitively shown to be effective. When used incorrectly, serious burns to patients’ skin have resulted.

If you are considering ultrasonic liposuction, it is in your best interest to do your research and discuss the matter fully with your surgeon prior to the operation. Be very certain that you are completely aware of the risks, benefits, and possible outcomes of ultrasonic lipo before committing to the procedure.