Serving Ontario and Toronto Patients – Liposuction
Dr. Frank Lista performs liposuction to remove fat from specific areas of the body where diet and exercise have had little effect. The contours of the abdomen, hips, buttocks, thighs, knees, upper arms, chin, cheeks, and neck can all be improved with liposuction. Our patients have full confidence in Dr. Lista because he performs about 200 liposuction treatments every year, which makes him one of the most experienced liposuction surgeons in Mississauga, Toronto, Ontario, and all of Canada.
Liposuction has undergone a transformation in the past decade. Several new techniques have been introduced, including ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty (UAL), the tumescent technique, and the super-wet technique. These advanced procedures offer better, more precise results and allow for quicker recovery. A recent development in liposuction is Microaire power-assisted lipoplasty (PAL®), which removes fat without the usual extent of bruising. Dr. Lista is a pioneer in the use of power-assisted lipoplasty, and is one of the first plastic surgeons in Canada to offer it to his patients. Through liposuction, tummy tuck, and our other excellent aesthetic options, we are able to help patients every day to achieve their cosmetic goals.
- Before Liposuction
- Liposuction Anesthesia
- The Liposuction Procedure
- Recovery from Your Liposuction Procedure
- Your New Contoured Look
- The Risks of Liposuction
Before Liposuction
Dr. Lista personally meets with every one of his patients at least once before performing a plastic surgery procedure. If possible, he prefers to meet twice at his office serving the greater Oakville, Brampton, Mississauga, Toronto, and Ontario area. During the personal liposuction consultation, Dr. Lista listens to each patient's goals and advises each patient on the realistic results that can be attained. He can use advanced computerized digital imaging to provide an approximate idea of how a patient's liposuction procedure will improve the body's contours.
Patients who choose to have liposuction receive full instructions for preparing for surgery. The instructions will provide guidelines for the consumption of food, beverages, vitamins, and medications. For users of tobacco products, the instructions advise quitting at least two weeks before surgery to avoid adversely affecting the healing process.
Dr. Lista performs most plastic surgery procedures at the Plastic Surgery Clinic in Mississauga, convenient to Toronto and all of Ontario. Liposuction procedures are performed at our state-of-the-art facility with all the advanced tools and safety procedures available in a hospital setting. However, as chief of plastic surgery at the Trillium Health Center (The Mississauga Hospital), Dr. Lista can perform your procedure there, if you prefer.
Liposuction Anesthesia
The liposuction procedure begins with anesthesia. If you are having small areas treated, you may choose to have local anesthesia, which numbs the area(s) to be treated. This can be supplemented, if you prefer, with intravenous sedation to provide a more relaxed experience. For more extensive procedures, you will probably require regional anesthesia or general anesthesia. Regional anesthesia removes feeling from a larger area of the body. The epidural block, used in childbirth, is one type of regional anesthesia. If you choose general, or "sleep," anesthesia, you will be closely monitored by a board-certified nurse anesthetist or anesthesiologist throughout your liposuction procedure. If you have general anesthesia, you will need to arrange for a companion to drive you home and stay with you for 24 hours.
The Liposuction Procedure
Regardless of the liposuction technique that is best suited to the needs of our individual patients from Oakville, Brampton, Mississauga, Toronto, and throughout Ontario, all liposuction procedures share some common elements. Dr. Lista makes a small incision over the area to be treated. He then inserts a narrow tube known as a cannula through the incision to suction away the fat. Using a push/pull motion, Dr. Lista breaks up the fat cells with the cannula and vacuums them away. Dr. Lista always takes great care to make the incisions so that they will be as inconspicuous as possible.
Although the basics of any liposuction procedure are similar, Dr. Lista offers several advanced techniques to help his patients achieve optimal body contouring results.
Fluid Injection Liposuction Techniques
In these procedures, Dr. Lista first injects a solution containing intravenous salts, lidocaine (a local anesthetic), and epinephrine (a drug that contracts blood vessels) into the area(s) to be treated. This allows the fat to be suctioned off more easily, helps reduce post-surgical bruising, and provides additional anesthetic to the treated area.
In tumescent liposuction, large amounts of fluid are injected, and the procedure takes much longer than traditional liposuction, up to five hours. However, the large volume of fluid usually provides adequate anesthetic throughout the procedure.
Contrary to its name, the super-wet technique involves the injection of lesser amounts of fluid. Intravenous sedation or general anesthesia is generally used to keep the patient free of discomfort. A super-wet liposuction procedure takes one to two hours, depending on the extent of treatment.
Microaire Power-Assisted Lipoplasty (PAL®)
This revolutionary liposuction technique employs a cannula that oscillates 3 to 4 millimeters at a speed of several hundred cycles per second. This unique design feature allows Dr. Lista to break up and suction away the fat much more effectively and precisely, and with much less force. This technique offers our liposuction patients the advantages of less bruising and quicker recovery times.
Further information is available to residents of Oakville, Brampton, Mississauga, Toronto, and greater Ontario about our liposuction techniques when they contact the Plastic Surgery Clinic. A member of our knowledgeable staff can answer any questions you might have or schedule your personal consultation with Dr. Lista.
Recovery from Your Liposuction Procedure
You should plan a week of very low-level activity after your liposuction procedure to speed healing and help ensure you achieve the best possible results. Watching TV, reading, and other non-strenuous activities are the prescription for the first week. If you have small children, we recommend that someone assist you in caring for them during the first week.
After the liposuction treatment, a lycra garment similar to biking shorts will be provided to you to wear under your clothes for six weeks. You may shower beginning the day after your surgery. At this time you can also wash the garment.
Dr. Lista will prescribe pain medication to reduce your post-operative discomfort. After two weeks, you can resume gentle exercising, such as walking or using a treadmill. It will be a month before you can resume higher impact activities such as running.
Your New Contoured Look
Soon after your liposuction procedure, you will notice a significant difference in your body shape. After about four to six weeks, your swelling will continue to subside, and your new look will become even more apparent. Swelling should completely disappear after three months, revealing the new, contoured you. You will likely enjoy your new look very much if you have realistic expectations for your results. A wider variety of clothing options will be available to you, and you will probably feel more attractive. Dr. Lista will provide guidelines for diet and exercise that will help you maintain your results for years to come.
Dr. Lista has helped many residents of Oakville, Brampton, Mississauga, Toronto, and greater Ontario with liposuction. To learn how you can look and feel better through our advanced liposuction techniques, contact the Plastic Surgery Clinic today.
The Risks of Liposuction
Although rare, there are some risks associated with liposuction. However, Dr. Lista has accredited surgical training with special training in body contouring, as well as the advanced surgical skills necessary to perform procedures that involve removing a large amount of fat. He also closely monitors the progress of each patient after a liposuction procedure, further minimizing the chance of complications.
More serious risks include infection; adverse reactions to anesthesia or medications; the occurrence of fat or blood clots that can cause death if they move to the lungs; excessive loss of fluids, leading to shock; nerve or skin damage; and the puncturing of vital organs.
With fluid injection techniques, lidocaine toxicity or collection of the fluid in the lungs can occur if procedures are not carefully followed.
Risk increases for those individuals who have diabetes, heart or lung disease, or poor blood circulation, as well as for those who have suffered recent trauma or have had surgery near the area to be treated. It is therefore important that you supply Dr. Lista with your complete medical history during your initial consultation. He will then advise you of whether liposuction is safe for you.
Because their skin has lost elasticity and tightness over the years, older patients may not achieve results of the same quality as younger patients. Imperfections in the results achieved by liposuction patients of any age are common.
Schedule a Liposuction Consultation
Dr. Lista and his staff at the Plastic Surgery Clinic strive to provide the most effective plastic surgery procedures in the safest manner possible to our patients from Oakville, Brampton, Mississauga, Toronto, and greater Ontario. Contact the Plastic Surgery Clinic today to schedule a free liposuction consultation with Dr. Lista and learn how he can help you attain the look you desire.