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The Reason for a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon
Unfortunately, disappointment can run high in those undergoing SmartLipo™ or any other type of liposculpting procedure if they are given bad advice wrapped in hope. For example, this is a true story. Several weeks ago I finished grocery shopping at a local store. I had come from the office and on my scrubs was my name, my business name “Bridges to Beauty, and the title “plastic surgeon”. While leaving I was approached by a young lady who asked me about SmartLipo™ specifically and body contouring in general. She had been to a surgeon who was not a plastic surgeon for a consult pertaining to SmartLipoTM and liposculpting. This young lady was about 5’ 4” and she said she weighed 450 lbs. She was the mother of two. The general surgeons recommendation was to have liposculpting of the abdomen and flank regions. She had saved hard for the $5000 procedure. This general surgeon had purchased a SmartLipo™ and other liposuction equipment a year earlier. This general surgeon only had one tool and did not have the training to give the proper advice or the best advice for surgical correction to this young lady.
I asked her what she expected from the liposculpting procedure. Her expectation was way off base for what the procedure can do. The major reason she was not a candidate for liposculpting was because her skin laxity was so great. Her skin of the abdomen draped nearly to her upper thighs. No type of liposculpting would allow the skin to contract to a level to prevent the skin from hanging off her abdomen.
I believe common sense for some reason goes out the window when one talks about cosmetic surgery. I don’t know why but it does. In her case the skin laxity of the abdomen was too great to handle with liposculpting alone. Her consulting surgeon should have recognized that she has too much skin laxity to be improved by any type of liposculpting device, including an ultrasonic liposculpting.
There could be innocent reasons besides greed that motivated this general surgeon to give her this bad advice. It could have been given because the surgeon is untrained in proper assessment and the knowledge and cosmetic surgical skills to give the right recommendations to come closer to meeting this patient’s expectation. However if it was recognized that she need a greater intervention, it was ignored and she was given bad advice and unfounded hope that liposculpting would meet her expectations.
After educating on the common sense reasons of why she would be greatly disappointed with the results she understood that liposculpting alone was not in her best interest. I recommended a tummy tuck or panniculectomy with liposuction. That would take care of the excess skin associated with the excess fat as well as restore the underlying shape of the abdominal muscular wall.
Understand also a general surgeon is not trained in any cosmetic surgery or cosmetic surgical assessments during residency training, I know because I did general surgery before I did an additional 3 years of training in the specialized field of plastic surgery. Understand also any person with an MD behind their name can purchase any type of liposculpting machine without prior experience in the field of body contouring. The companies that sell these machines don’t care about your results or whether the physician is properly trained to evaluate a person for body contouring. People come in many shapes, sizes and tissue types and liposuction may not be the surgical intervention of choice. A tummy tuck with and without lipocontouring maybe the correct recommendation.
At Bridges to Beauty, I will assess whether you are a good candidate for SmartLipo™ and I will give you and honest opinion on the procedures that will get you closer to your desired body contouring goals.
The consultation is free so call 318-219-8555 or contact us for your consult today.
Dr. R. McIntyre Bridges, Jr. MD