About Liposuction

Liposuction is a type of cosmetic surgery that focuses on the removal of excess fat found in various areas of the body. Liposuction can help contour the body, creating a smooth and toned look. If you are considering getting liposuction, it is important that you realize this procedure is not a weight-loss solution. However, liposuction does often result in a slimmer, more shapely appearance.

Liposuction appeals to individuals that are otherwise at a stable weight but are having trouble getting rid of fat from certain areas with diet and exercise.

Targeted Fat Removal

With liposuction, patients can see their problem areas transformed through targeted fat removal. Popular liposuction treatment areas include:

• Stomach and waistline
• Back
• Love handles
• Hips
• Upper thighs
• Upper arms
• Buttocks

Liposuction is offered as a standalone treatment or can be part of a comprehensive procedure. If you are interested in other cosmetic treatments in addition to liposuction, Dr. Bounds can create a plan for you that addresses your areas of concern and helps you achieve a great result.

Recovering from Liposuction

After liposuction, it is normal to experience swelling and bruising. This is a natural part of the healing process and will subside over time. Dr. Bounds will prescribe medicine to help you manage any pain or discomfort as you heal. He will also provide you with detailed aftercare instructions that you must follow so that you can heal properly. These instructions could include avoiding restricted activities and wearing specialized compression garments to reduce swelling.

After the recovery period, you will begin to notice your results. You may notice a smooth appearance in the treatment area as well as a notable reduction in fat. Pockets of fat that were previously resistant to other methods will now be replaced with a tight body contour.

Leading a healthy, active lifestyle and remaining at a stable body weight can help maintain your sculpted results.

Liposuction in Virginia Beach

Dr. Bounds and his skilled team are eager to help you shed unwanted fat with liposuction. To learn more and schedule a liposuction consultation, contact our office today.

The post Is Liposuction Right for Me? appeared first on .

Continue reading to learn more about how liposuction can help rid you of stubborn areas of fat.

Liposuction Basics

Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery that gets rid of unwanted deposits of fat. It is important that those considering liposuction understand that the procedure is not intended to be a weight loss surgery. However, you may notice a slimmer waistline, smaller arms, and more shapely thighs and hips, which in turn can make you look trimmer.

Liposuction is ideal for those that are in good overall health and at a stable weight but have pockets of fat in specific areas of the body that don’t seem to respond well to diet and exercise. Candidates should also have cosmetic goals that are realistic and in line with the expected liposuction outcomes.

Targeted Solution

Liposuction targets areas of the body that are commonly regarded as “problem areas,” including:

• Stomach, abdomen, and waistline
• Hips and love handles
• Back (particularly below the bra band)
• Buttocks
• Thighs
• Arms

Liposuction can also be used to shape these areas in a technique known as body contouring.

Liposuction Recovery and Results

Dr. Bounds is committed to your satisfaction with your liposuction results. After your procedure, you will notice some swelling and bruising, and any pain can be well-controlled with medication. Most patients are required to wear tight garments to help limit swelling, which typically goes away after several weeks.

Following your recovery, you will notice a significant reduction in fat in the treatment areas. The fatty pockets will be gone and an attractive body contour will take shape.

Liposuction in Virginia Beach

When you choose liposuction at Bounds Plastic Surgery, you choose to be treated by board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Kevin Bounds, who has earned an impressive reputation for helping patients look and feel their best. Dr. Bounds and his knowledgeable staff are eager to help you on your cosmetic journey. If you are ready to learn more about how liposuction can transform the appearance of your body, schedule a consultation by calling (757) 496-7373 or simply filling out our online contact form.

The post How Liposuction Helps Get Rid of Stubborn Fat appeared first on .

Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Kevin Bounds of Plastic Surgery of Virginia Beach helps patients improve their figures and increase their confidence with liposuction, a surgery that removes fat cells to sculpt and shape problem areas. Liposuction is not a treatment for obesity or cellulite, nor is it a substitute for proper diet and exercise. However, it can help you shape certain areas of the body with great results.

At Plastic Surgery of Virginia Beach, the five most popular areas for liposuction are the following.

Abdomen

Fat on the midsection can be more stubborn than any other area. Liposuction can target difficult subcutaneous fat and eliminate it for a more pleasing contour. If abdominal skin and muscles are stretched from pregnancy or weight fluctuations, a tummy tuck procedure may be combined with liposuction to achieve an optimal result.

Hip Rolls

The hips can also be tough to target on your own, especially when genetics are a factor. With liposuction, Dr. Bounds removes excessive hip fat that has been resistant to diet and exercise. Once the most stubborn fat cells are eliminated, many patients find their lifestyle changes to be more effective in the long term.

Thighs

Even with aggressive exercise, the thighs can be difficult to tone down. Thigh liposuction can target the most problematic portion of the thighs, which tends to be the inner upper thigh. After this fat is removed, thigh liposuction patients can find more enjoyment in wearing warm-weather clothing.

Chin

Submental fat is located at the bottom of the face and can create the appearance of a double chin. Because people cannot easily exercise this area, fat beneath the chin can be especially persistent. Fortunately, liposuction is a good way to remove unwanted fat cells and restore definition to the neck and jawline.

Other Liposuction Areas

Although these are the four most popular areas for liposuction at our practice, Dr. Bounds performs the procedure on many other areas with stubborn fat. The flanks, made of the fat on the side of the body (also known as “love handles”), are also popular liposuction targets. Liposuction can also help restore definition to the upper arms or the buttocks.

Contact Plastic Surgery of Virginia Beach About Liposuction

If you are considering liposuction as a solution to stubborn fat on a specific body area, Dr. Bounds may be able to help. To schedule a consultation for liposuction, call Plastic Surgery of Virginia Beach. Our office can be reached at (757) 496-7373, or by filling out our online contact form.

The post 4 Most Popular Body Areas for Liposuction: Are You Ready to Improve Your Curves? appeared first on .

What Is Submental Liposuction?

The submental area of the face is located beneath the chin. Much of how this area appears is beyond our control. Genetics play a large role in the fullness of this area and excess fat in this area often does not respond to diet or exercise.

Submental liposuction is a targeted liposuction procedure that extracts the fat from the submental area and creates a more defined facial appearance. Submental liposuction is an outpatient procedure that generally takes about an hour to complete.

The patient has the area anesthetized. Then Dr. Bounds makes small incisions in the area and inserts a slender, hollow tube called a cannula. Dr. Bounds breaks up the unwanted fat and then extracts it through the cannula.

Dr. Bounds takes great care when performing the procedure. This ensures that the chin and jawline achieve the desired symmetry. While modest amounts of fat are removed from the area, the aesthetic improvements are significant.

In some instances, patients may choose to combine submental liposuction with other facial procedures. Combining procedures will increase the amount of time that it takes to complete the procedures. However, combining treatments can enhance the overall facial transformation.

What Is the Recovery for Submental Liposuction?

We all lead busy lives and our time is one of our most valuable assets. One of the most common questions when it comes to submental liposuction involves recovery time. Recovery for submental liposuction varies from patient to patient. Most patients will need to take off four to seven days from work and other activities.

During recovery, Dr. Bounds works with his patients to ensure that their discomfort is minimal and that their healing progress is maximized. After the procedure, the patient will have to wear a compression garment to minimize the swelling. While most patients only report minor discomfort, some experience burning and itching as well. Recovery also depends on whether the patient is recovering from one or multiple procedures.

Schedule Your Submental Liposuction Consultation Today

Are you ready to get better facial definition and eliminate your double chin? Then contact Dr. Bounds at Plastic Surgery of Virginia Beach to schedule your submental liposuction consultation today.

The post Submental Liposuction Offers Better Facial Definition and Eliminates a Double Chin appeared first on .

If you are considering liposuction but not sure whether to proceed with surgery, familiarize yourself with the many benefits. Here, our Virginia Beach plastic surgeon, Dr. Kevin Bounds, discusses three of the best reasons to undergo surgery.

1. Improve Body Contours

Dr. Bounds sees countless patients who exercise daily, follow a near-perfect diet and practice portion control yet still struggle with reducing disproportional areas of unwanted fat. You may find yourself in similar circumstances. It may be that you are simply genetically programmed to store fat in your upper arms, buttocks or hips, and no amount of dieting or exercise will help tone those areas.

Liposuction literally removes the fat cells from the “problem areas” of your body, and they will not grow back. As a liposuction specialist, Dr. Bounds understands exactly how much fat to remove and how to resculpt the remaining fat to create sleek, smooth body contours you will surely love.

2. Boost Self-Confidence

Pockets of unwanted fat do more than obscure a beautiful body shape. Stubborn fat can actually affect your self-confidence. You may feel self-conscious at the beach or pool, or too embarrassed to undress in front of your significant other. Liposuction with Dr. Bounds gives you the confidence boost that comes from feeling your physical best.

3. Improve Clothing Fit

Another problem that Dr. Bounds’ liposuction candidates frequently encounter is difficulty fitting into certain types of clothing. Often patients who are top-heavy have a hard time wearing certain jackets or blouses, and patients who hold onto weight in their hips or thighs find shopping for jeans nearly impossible. By refining your curves with liposuction, you will enjoy better-fitting clothing that truly flatters your body.

Liposuction Is Not a Weight Loss Strategy

There are many reasons to get liposuction, but weight loss is not one of them. Understand that liposuction is not a substitute for diet or exercise, and the best candidates for liposuction are at or within a few pounds of their target weight. If you are overweight and hoping to slim down through liposuction, Dr. Bounds will gently encourage you to work with a medical team to safely lose weight through other means.

Request a Liposuction Consultation Today

Convinced of the incredible benefits that liposuction can provide? The first step toward a more beautiful body shape is to consult with Dr. Bounds about your options. Call or email our plastic surgery practice today to request an appointment.

The post The Three Best Reasons to Undergo Liposuction appeared first on .

Below, experienced Virginia Beach plastic surgeon Dr. Kevin Bounds discusses how submental liposuction can be an effective solution for pinchable fat under the chin and along the jawline, including the dreaded “turkey waddle” and double chin.

The Procedure

Submental liposuction is an outpatient procedure that is performed using local anesthesia. Dr. Bounds makes one or more small incisions in the face or neck and inserts a slender, hollow tube known as a cannula. This is a smaller version of the instrument used for liposuction performed on the body, but it works the very same way — by suctioning out fat cells from the target area.

Because aesthetic balance is so important, it typically takes about an hour for a surgeon to reshape the chin and jawline. In most cases only a few ounces of fat will be removed, but this modest sculpting can result in a profound, yet subtle, change in your facial profile.

The Ideal Candidate

As with other types of liposuction, this procedure is not a treatment for obesity. Large volumes of fat cannot be safely removed during a single session, and so it is important that patient make a determined effort to bring their weight into the normal range before the surgery is performed.

Your satisfaction and results will depend in part on the elasticity of your skin. Flexible, supple skin will easily conform to the slimmer shape under the chin, providing maximum benefit from the surgery. Skin that tends to sag may still appear loose after fat has been removed. In some cases this can be addressed with other types of procedures, such as neck lift.

The relative flexibility of your skin is largely determined by your genetic inheritance, but certain lifestyle behaviors can have an impact, including smoking, excess alcohol intake, poor diet and lack of exercise.

To learn more about submental liposuction, schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Bounds in his Virginia Beach office by calling or emailing today.

The post Submental Liposuction appeared first on .

Liposuction

Liposuction can be a highly effective solution to pockets of fat, but there are also limits to what it can do. A patient with realistic expectations will be pleased by the way the procedure can sculpt the body, restoring the elegant proportions of a fit and beautiful profile. Yet liposuction is not a remedy for obesity, a substitute for exercise and a healthy diet, or a cure for some of the imperfections that often appear as we age.

The most popular target areas are the abdomen, hips, buttocks, thighs, upper arms and certain areas of the face. The procedure is ideal for those areas of the body that seem immune to traditional lifestyle approaches, such as when fat stubbornly lingers in the hips or thighs even after diet and vigorous exercise.

Liposuction is not an effective way to make an overweight patient fit. In fact, Dr. Bounds advises that a patient be within 20 percent of recommended body weight and in good health for the procedure. It is also helpful if a patient’s skin is elastic and muscle tone is good, allowing skin to conform well to new body shape. If skin is already sagging or loose in a certain area, liposuction will not improve its appearance. Liposuction is also not a way to treat cellulite or stretch marks.

Tummy Tuck

Abdominoplasty, popularly known as “tummy tuck,” is a surgical solution that targets loose skin and weakened muscles in the abdominal area. The stomach benefits from a smooth, tucked-in profile after removal of excess skin, some fat and tightening of abdominal muscles.

Women may choose abdominoplasty as a way to restore tone to stomach muscles that weakened or separated during pregnancy. Patients who have lost significant weight and now notice loose skin on the belly are also good candidates for the procedure. As with liposuction, tummy tuck is not a weight management tool, and obese individuals are advised to lose as much weight as possible before considering the procedure.

To learn more about liposuction or tummy tuck, schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Bounds at his Virginia Beach office by calling or emailing us today.

The post Tummy Tuck vs. Liposuction: Key Differences appeared first on .

The myths about liposuction could fill paragraphs, however. Below, experienced Virginia Beach plastic surgeon Dr. Kevin Bounds addresses some of the common misconceptions, and explains the benefits and limits of this popular surgery.

Myth 1: Liposuction Is a Weight Management Tool

Liposuction is not a remedy for obesity, nor a substitute for a healthy lifestyle. In fact, it is important that you give diet and exercise a chance before you consider the procedure. Overweight patients should be within 20 pounds of recommended weight.

Liposuction is ideal for those areas of the body that seem immune to traditional lifestyle approaches. For example, a person may exercise regularly and lose weight through a balanced diet and still retain excess fat in the hips or thighs.

Some types of fat cannot be removed by liposuction. In many obese individuals, the abdominal fat that produces the unwanted overhanging belly profile surrounds internal organs. Because it is located below the muscle, it is not safe to remove this type of fat.

Myth 2: Liposuction Revitalizes Skin

If skin is already sagging or loose in a certain area, liposuction will not improve its appearance. Cellulite and stretch marks are also not likely to improve significantly, although there may be a slight smoothing of the area, depending on the firmness of your skin.

The elasticity of a patient’s skin is a key factor in how the skin will look after the procedure.
If skin is elastic and muscle tone is good, the skin will conform well to the new body shape. With skin that has been stretched and is less elastic, folds of skin may be apparent after removal of fat.

A patient with realistic expectations will be pleased by the way the procedure can sculpt the body, restoring the attractive proportions of a fit and balanced profile.

Myth 3: Fat Will Return

This is both myth and truth. If you change the behavior that led to obesity, you will not need to worry about those pockets of fat re-inflating. The cells that were removed during liposuction are gone, and will never grow back. But if your weight begins to soar again, adjoining fat cells will expand to store the excess caloric intake. In this case, myth becomes reality. Regular exercise and eating nutritious foods in limited quantities are the best ways to preserve your new shape.

Myth 4: Liposuction Is My Only Option

Plastic surgery is a dynamic field, and new innovations continually expand the number of choices available to patients. When it comes to removing stubborn pockets of fat, there are several highly effective alternatives, such as SculpSure and CoolSculpting.

SculpSure uses laser-generated heat to disrupt fat cells. As its name suggests, CoolSculpting relies on the opposite end of the temperature spectrum, freezing cells in the flabby “pinchable” areas of body fat. These crystallized cells are then absorbed by the body over a period of weeks or months.

The pace of fat removal is one of the advantages CoolSculpting has over liposuction. The gradual reduction of fat in targeted areas allows your skin to progressively shrink to cover your new profile. And it also allows time for your body to produce more collagen, a process that is triggered by CoolSculpting’s freezing.

To learn more about liposuction and other rejuvenating procedures, schedule a personal consultation with Dr. Bounds at his Virginia Beach office by calling or emailing us today.

The post Common Myths About Liposuction appeared first on .

Be Active!

Yes, it is important to be an active person when considering liposuction. Ideally, liposuction candidates should be physically fit and not more than 20 pounds overweight. If you are planning to lose a significant amount of weight, or even gain weight (due to pregnancy, for example), now is not the time to undergo liposuction. Liposuction results are permanent as long as your weight remains stable.

Elasticity

Yes, skin elasticity is an important and crucial factor of liposuction. For the best results, the skin must shrink following the procedure. Many people lose skin elasticity with age, which can compromise the results of liposuction so it may be better to receive this procedure when you are younger rather than older. However, if your skin quality remains elastic, age is no deterrent for liposuction.

The Bottom Line

As with other plastic surgery procedures, good health is essential for liposuction candidates. If you have any medical problems such as heart disease, lung disease, diabetes or circulatory problems, your vulnerability to liposuction risks increases. It is important to discuss any medical issues with your doctor beforehand to fully understand the procedure and the process.  If it is determined that you are a good candidate for the liposuction procedure you will be happy with the improvement in your physique.

The post Are You a Good Candidate for Liposuction? appeared first on .

What is a Mommy Makeover?

Pregnancy causes different changes in every mother’s body. Many of these changes are permanent and irreversible without body sculpting surgery. Each mommy makeover is a bundle of procedures and surgeries chosen specifically for each individual in order to help them attain their goals. For that reason, prices, recovery times, and scheduling vary depending on the mommy makeover that is best for you. Some common procedures included in mommy makeovers include Botox, breast augmentation, liposuction, tummy tucks, vaginal rejuvenation, and other surgeries and procedures that target stubborn fat pockets.

When Should I Do a Mommy Makeover?

Sine each mommy makeover is a unique set of procedures, there is no exact guideline to determine when to get a mommy makeover. Dr. Bounds will discuss the timeline that is best for you. Nonetheless, here are some general guidelines that may help you decide when to get a Mommy Makeover.

First, remember that it takes the body a few months to reach a “new normal” after pregnancy. The body new mothers see a week after childbirth is not the body they will see after several months. For example, stretched skin often contracts and excess weight naturally sheds after you return to your normal routine. Additionally, your breasts may change more after pregnancy than they did during pregnancy, especially if you begin breastfeeding. As a result, Dr. Bounds recommends that women wait until after they are done breastfeeding before considering any plastic surgery that may target breasts. Breast-feeding must end at least several months before any breast surgeries.

Additionally, some procedures like abdominoplasty or tummy tucks are best left until after women are completely done having children. Some mommy makeovers can be designed for women who plan to have more children later in life, but more extensive procedures like tummy tucks are best suited for women who have had their last child.

The post Tips for Mommy Makeovers appeared first on .