Dr. Andrew Ordon

Liposuction is not a substitute for diet and exercise. The ideal candidate is someone who is at a stable weight and has pockets of stubborn fat that just aren’t responding to diet and exercise. That’s the kind of history we want to hear. We ask someone who is significantly overweight to lose weight first and then we will focus on their figure flaws. I think the maximum amount of fat that should be removed for a single liposuction procedure is five liters of fat. It’s also important to remember that it’s not about what you take away as much as it is about what you leave behind. Women are not supposed to be straight and should have curves. You avoid liposuction deformities by not removing too much fat.

It’s baffling how many combinations of liposuction there are today: laser assisted, power assisted, wet technique, jet technique. It’s mind-boggling. You have to find an experienced doctor—a board-certified plastic surgeon. I like to use the tumescent technique, and in the right patient, Vaser or ultrasonic-assisted liposuction, especially for revisions and men with fat in the chest or love handles. The ultrasound helps to break up or dissolve the fat cells and then we can suction them away.

That’s a big decision. In the past, we tried to get away with placing large implants without a lift, but as time went by, we found out that a large implant over time is going stretch the tissue, bottom out and create more laxity, and then you subsequently have to do a bigger lift. At our practice, we like to do combination breast lift and breast implant augmentation. We also do what we call and internal brassiere where we’re tightening the tissues inside with special stiches, the Alloderm skin matrix if necessary and sometimes we use internal lasering to contract that dermal tissue.

We try to keep scars to a minimum and in some cases we can do a lift with an incision just around the nipple. Sometimes just a vertical incision and sometimes we need to do a more traditional anchor type incision with the vertical and horizontal scar. However, when we decide to do that anchor incision, there is a reason and a positive trade off to get the best possible breast shape. We’ve tried all the different techniques and there is a right technique for each patient.

We try to keep scars to a minimum and in some cases we can do a lift with an incision just around the nipple. Sometimes just a vertical incision and sometimes we need to do a more traditional anchor type incision with the vertical and horizontal scar. However, when we decide to do that anchor incision, there is a reason and a positive trade off to get the best possible breast shape. We’ve tried all the different techniques and there is a right technique for each patient.

A lot comes from pre-op discussions we have with the patient. That determines where you start. We also look at the diameter of the breast, and do the breasts point straight out or do they point to the side.  It’s based on what the patient wants, too.  It helps if they show pictures of what they are looking for in terms of size. They also have choices in design.  Do they want more of a projecting breast or a low, wider-based breast, which is fuller. There are options.

That’s a big decision. In the past, we tried to get away with placing large implants without a lift, but as time went by, we found out that a large implant over time is going stretch the tissue, bottom out and create more laxity, and then you subsequently have to do a bigger lift. At our practice, we like to do combination breast lift and breast implant augmentation. We also do what we call and internal brassiere where we’re tightening the tissues inside with special stiches, the Alloderm skin matrix if necessary and sometimes we use internal lasering to contract that dermal tissue.

We make sure to put in a long-acting local anesthetic during the procedure, so the patient is comfortable immediately post-up.  Make sure your surgeon gives a muscle relaxant to keep you comfortable during the early post-op period.

We make sure to put in a long-acting local anesthetic during the procedure, so the patient is comfortable immediately post-op. Make sure your surgeon gives a muscle relaxant to keep you comfortable during the early post-op period.

It’s not like a c-section because we are not going inside the abdominal cavity.  The post-op discomfort is less than an intraabdominal procedure. 

It all has to do with how much skin we are removing and whether we are repositioning the belly button or not. In a full, you are cutting around the belly button and removing skin from the pubic area to the belly button, creating new belly button. In a mini, we are removing less skin and are not removing the belly button. With a modified, we are not cutting around the belly button, but pulling it down or “floating” it; we leave it attached.  Typically in all three we are doing some work on muscles that have spread with pregnancy. It’s considered a permanent repair.  You have to ask your doctor which technique is best for you.