Body Sculpting With Liposuction

Dr. Lutgardo C. Caparas Jr., is unlike any sculptor you’ve met. He doesn’t use a chisel or file to carve marble, wood or stone figures. Neither does he dabble in plaster, clay or wax.

Instead, he works with a thin tube or cannula and a vacuum pump at the Dermclinic Surgi-Laser Center in Manila. As a specialist in liposuction, he “carves” real people and his subjects are living works of art.

“Liposuction is a safe and effective way of removing unwanted fat. It’s a very common plastic surgery procedure just like rhinoplasty (a nose lift). A lot of people want to feel and look good and they can have that with liposuction. This involves body contouring which is why the procedure is also called lipoplasty or body sculpturing,” explained Caparas, a Fellow of the Philippine College of Surgeons.

If you think only women are interested in liposuction, think again. While Caparas admits that most of his patients are women, some men consult him about the procedure.

“That’s not surprising since liposuction is usually done in combination with other surgical procedures such as abdominoplasty or a tummy tuck. Age really doesn’t matter. I get patients as young as 18 and as old as 60,” he revealed.

What can liposuction do for you? Caparas said it can restore your curves and shape your body faster than exercise.

“It has an immediate effect. Fat that’s resistant to exercise can be removed in a flash. You can get rid of fat from the areas you like. For people who spend a lot of time in the gym sweating it out, they’d be surprised how fast they can lose fat with liposuction,” said Caparas who trained at four hospitals - the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, the Makati Medical Center, the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center, and Rizal Medical Center.

Who will benefit most from liposuction? Caparas said the procedure does wonders for young people with abdominal fat and good skin. Poor candidates are those with wrinkled or loose skin since this tends to get worse with liposuction.

“In some cases, elderly patients will get good results provided they have good skin over the area to be suctioned and fatty deposits in the pubic area, the thigh, and flank or in places where it shouldn’t be. Ideally, a good patient is one who is 10 - 20 percent overweight. However, liposuction should never be performed in morbidly obese patients or in those with underlying medical conditions. For people over 35, I require blood tests and other laboratory exams,” Caparas said.

Although liposuction can be done anywhere, Caparas said best results are obtained in the abdominal area. The most difficult part is thigh liposuction since results vary in this area.

“How long you stay in the clinic depends on the skill of the surgeon and the area to be treated. Liposuction can take less than an hour or 12 hours at the most. For small areas like the lower abdomen or chin, local anesthesia is used,” Caparas said.

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