STRUONG COSMETIC Live Struong Live Beautiful
714-839-9999
15643 Brookhurst St
Westminster CA 92683
Email: info@StruongCosmetic.com
Call today for a complimentary consultation
Can liposuction still work if I am older or don’t have much skin elasticity?
Yes. Dr. Truong’s technique helps promote skin tightening. Many patients with poor skin elasticity have excellent results with NEOLiposculpture and are very pleased with the amount of skin retraction. Some areas of the body such as the inner thighs naturally have thinner skin and may show some degree of skin wrinkling even in patients with good skin elasticity. The degree of wrinkling after liposuction is approximately the same as one might expect if the patient had lost the same amount of fat from the area by dieting. Even with poor skin elasticity, the cosmetic benefits of liposuction often outweigh any noticeable increase in skin wrinkling.
How long after liposuction will the soreness or tenderness persist?
Dr. Truong’s technique is gentle and because only local anesthesia is used, you should recover quickly. Some patients go back to work or activities the same day. The recovery period after liposuction is similar to a strenuous workout. You will feel very good the day of the procedure, but will likely wake up sore the second day. You should expect to feel sore, but not in pain. Almost all patients are able to manage discomfort with ibuprophen or Tylenol. Recovery is
aided by light exercise, like walking, so do not plan to stay in bed. The compression garment helps minimize discomfort and should be worn for the first three to four days. Some patients find that they wear the compression garment during exercise or strenuous activities (when skin is likely to jiggle) for up to four weeks after the procedure.
Why is tumescent liposuction totally by local anesthesia typically less painful than liposuction under general anesthesia?
Pain associated with liposuction can occur at three different stages: during the infiltration of the tumescent solution, during liposuction, and postoperatively. Dr. Truong is very experienced with the infiltration process and he uses very small instruments, which cause little tissue damage and little pain. Dr. Truong is trained in minimally invasive surgeries and his technique for infiltrating the solution of tumescent anesthesia is comfortable and effective. After the tumescent local anesthesia has been thoroughly infiltrated into the fat, the subsequent liposuction should be painless. Thepostoperative pain after liposuction is much worse for liposuction under general anesthesia compared to liposuction by local anesthesia. After tumescent liposuction, the local anesthesia persists for many hours after surgery and patients need only take Tylenol for discomfort. In contrast, with general anesthesia, patients typically require narcotic analgesics to control post operative pain. Finally, general anesthesia, and the use of intravenous sedatives and narcotics are associated with high incidence of nausea, vomiting and postoperative chills. Dr. Truong has never had a problem with patients recovering from local anesthesia and in fact, most patients drive themselves home from the procedure and return immediately back to activities.
How long before I can go back to work?
Patients should be able to return to normal desk-type work within 1 to 3 days and some patients are able to return to work the same day, depending on the areas treated. Although soreness and tenderness will limit the speed with which a patient can move about, patients should be reasonably comfortable while sitting at a desk or working at a computer.
How long until I can exercise?
Within one to two days after surgery, all patients should be physically able to walk around inside the house, cook, clean and shower. You are encouraged to go for short walks around the neighborhood. Do not plan to remain in bed. Most patients can resume their routine exercising within a few days after liposuction. Initially, patients should not attempt too much exercise. It is recommended that patients start out by doing about 25% of their usual amount of exercise, and thereafter increase their daily exercise as tolerated. Some patients who are joggers or enjoy vigorous aerobics often wear their compression garment for 3 to 4 weeks or until their skin fully retracts.
How long will the bruising and swelling last?
The duration of bruising and swelling after liposuction should be very minimal but varies between patients. Some patients will have almost no swelling or bruising while others will be swollen or bruised for about a week. Dr. Truong’s tumescent technique for liposuction uses “open-drainage” adits, which reduces the amount of bruising. By not using stitches, the rate of drainage of anesthetic solution is accelerated, which minimizes the amount of bruising.
How many adits are made?
The number of adits (tiny round holes) that are placed in the skin is determined by a number of factors including size and location of the area being treated. On the arms, for example, about 3 adits per arm are necessary. On the hips and abdomen, about 6 adits are required. Every effort is made to place adits in areas in which they will not be seen.
How long will it take for the adit sites to heal?
Adits usually close up within a week, and become completely healed with no scabs within 2 to 4 weeks. During the healing process, the adits resemble round red pimples. The adit sites slowly become less and less visible over 3 to 12 months, often times fading until they are invisible. The adit sites on some areas of the body, like the thighs, typically heal faster and more completely than others, like the upper abdomen. Patients who are prone to scarring or keloids may have lifetime scars.
What if I don’t heal evenly or I need more fat removed after my procedure?
We are committed to making you look as good and feel as happy about the procedure as possible and we do not charge for touch up or revision work. The need for touch up work is rare, however if you heal unevenly or you feel that you would benefit from additional fat being removed, please return to our office for a follow up appointment anytime 6 months or longer after your procedure. After 6 months, if Dr. Truong or his team feel that you are sufficiently healed and the results could be improved with the removal of additional fat, there is no additional charge for revision NEOLiposculpture. Remember, it is very common to be slightly lumpy and uneven for a few months after the procedure. The healing process takes 3 to 6 months and some people heal more slowly than average. If you heal with noticeable asymmetry that can be corrected with the removal of additional fat, we will be happy to take care of you at no further charge.
What is the safest form of liposuction?
Tumescent liposuction totally by local anesthesia is the safest form of liposuction. Liposuction using general anesthesia or heavy IV sedation is less safe than liposuction totally by local anesthesia. The greatest danger of using general anesthesia or heavy IV sedation is that these forms of systemic anesthesia permit a surgeon to treat the tissue in an aggressive and damaging fashion, which can lead to a painful and prolonged recovery and uneven results. Doctors who use general anesthesia can perform liposuction much more quickly and hence have more patients in a day, because they can use larger instruments in an aggressive fashion. Using large instruments and a rough technique on patients who are fully awake would not be possible. Dr. Truong performs NEOLiposculpture under local anesthesia and uses smaller instruments and his technique is slower and more gentle, which leads to far less pain in recovery and smoother, better cosmetic results.
How many areas can be treated at one time?
The number of areas that can be treated at one time depends on your height and weight. Although individuals do vary, there are some general rules of thumb:
• If you are slender or thin, up to 8 areas can be treated in one procedure.
• If you are of average height and weight, up to 6 areas can be treated in one procedure.
• If you are heavy, obese, or a very tall or broad person, up to 3 can be treated in one procedure.
Dr. Truong’s priority is safety – we have not ever had a patient experience a serious complication – and he will use his judgment to determine the number of areas that can be safely treated during any single procedure.
Do I need a consultation before having NEOLiposculpture?
No. About half of Dr. Truong’s patients do not have a consultation before making an appointment. If you if you are unhappy with your body’s fat deposits and wish to make an appointment for a procedure, you do not need a consultation. If you are in general good health and have no history of blood clotting disorders or liver disease there is no blood test required. Dr. Truong often asks patients choosing to forgo the consultation to email pictures of their body directly to him so that he can confirm that NEOLiposculpture is indeed an appropriate treatment.
Are consultations free?
Yes. Consultations with Dr. Truong or members of his team are free and take about 20 minutes. Please call our office at 714-839-9999 to schedule an appointment.
Can I bring my friends and family to my appointment?
Yes. Our office has a spacious room with television and snacks where your friends and family can wait for you during your consultation or procedure. Please limit the number of friends or family to three so that there is enough room for all our patients’ comfort. No dogs or children under the age of 12 are permitted in the office.
How much does liposuction cost?
The costs of liposuction are reasonable and affordable. Dr. Truong’s charges are all inclusive and include the procedure, compression garments, and follow up appointments. If multiple areas are treated during one procedure, generally the costs of additional areas are reduced in half. There is no tax on medical procedures. See our liposuction price list for more information.
LIPOSUCTION FREQUENT ASKED QUESTIONS
Frequently Asked Questions
Am I a good candidate for Liposuction?
If you are unhappy with the shape of your body and are in good health then you are likely a good candidate for liposuction. Age and genetics alter the shapes of our bodies, causing fat accumulation that is resistant to diet or exercise. Liposuction is usually the best way to get rid of areas of unwanted fat in specific areas. Almost all liposuction patients find that they can wear one smaller clothing size and that their current clothing fits much better.
How much downtime will I have?
Immediately after your procedure you will walk out and be able to perform mild activities. Unlike the need for prolonged recovery and possible overnight stay when liposuction is performed with heavy anesthesia, downtime is minimized by Dr. Truong’s micro-liposuction techniques which significantly reduce tissue trauma and post-procedural pain while completely eliminating post-anesthesia recovery. Most patients are able to return to normal desk-type work within 1 to 2 days
and some patients are able to return to work the same day, depending on the areas treated.
Will I be awake or under general anesthesia?
You will be wide awake because Dr. Truong performs liposuction in a more advanced, less traumatic manner that requires only local numbing – not heavy anesthesia. This translates into faster recovery, less downtime and, most importantly, the safest possible means of performing liposuction. By having all patients remain awake during the procedure, Dr. Truong avoids not only the risks of heavy anesthesia, but the potential serious complications that can occur from patients
being unresponsive during the procedure.
Why doesn’t Dr. Truong use heavy anesthesia?
Dr. Truong only uses local numbing to ensure patient safety and improved recovery. In traditional liposuction procedures, heavy anesthesia allows the surgeon to use larger instruments with more aggressive and quick movements, which results in faster overall procedure times. Faster procedure times means that typical surgeons can do many procedures in a day, but because they are using heavy
anesthesia and aggressive movements, their patients are exposed to greater risks and have longer and more painful recoveries. In contrast, Dr. Truong performs liposuction with only local numbing and because his micro-liposuction technique utilizes smaller instruments, patients have more uniformity, less bruising, and better cosmetic results.
How experienced is Dr. Truong and his team?
Dr. Truong has personally performed hundreds of liposculputre procedures. He believes that his team approach gives patients the highest degree of attention and care and because each member of the team plays a specialized role, final results are smoother and more consistent. Each member of the team is committed to excellent results.
Does liposuction produce permanent results?
Yes. Liposuction immediately and permanently removes fat safely with minimal downtime. Fat cells that are removed by liposuction do not grow back. Of course after liposuction, the clock keeps ticking — no procedure can stop the aging process. Advancing age will produce the usual changes in the shape of the body associated with the aging process even after NEOLiposculpture. Nevertheless, the benefits of liposuction will always be apparent.
Will I get fat in weird places after I have NEOLiposculpture?
No. It is a common false myth that the fat removed by NEOLiposculpture grows back in other places after the procedure. The number of fat cells your body has was determined by the time you went through puberty. Once you become an adult, your body does not make any more fat cells. Despite the impossibility of new fat growth, some patients do feel as though other areas of their body get bigger after NEOLiposculpture, but it is a problem perspective, not physiological change. For example, a woman who has had her upper arms treated may feel that her back has grown fatter after the procedure. The true issue is not that her back is growing fatter, but rather that her arms have gotten smaller by comparison. Similarly, patients occasionally feel as thought their knees have gotten fatter after they have their thighs treated — their knees are unchanged but now that their thighs are smaller, the knees become more noticible.
What happens if I gain weight after NEOLiposculpture?
If you gain weight after NEOLiposculpture, you will gain it proportionally,
including in areas that were treated. It is possible to gain weigh again in the treated areas, but not to the same extent as prior to the procedure.
How much fat can I have removed with NEOLiposculpture? The only limits to the amount of fat removed is the amount of fat present (we can’t remove what you don’t have) and the aesthetic result to be achieved. A guideline in estimating how much fat you will have removed is to pinch the area you wish to have treated between your fingers and imagine a reduction of 50 to 80%. In some patients the reduction translates into a very large amount of fat to be removed (over a gallon!) and in other patients the volume reduction is small, but the aesthetic change is still very dramatic
Does NEOLiposculpture leave scars on my body?
The adit sites (the holes made by the instruments) are 2mm in size for the body and 1mm in size for the face and they rarely leave noticeable scars. The size of the holes is approximately the same diameter as a spaghetti noodle. These small holes are placed in as inconspicuous of sites as possible and since there are no stitches, there are usually no unsightly scars. The adit sites on most patients are difficult to identify in 12 months and usually fade away with time. The healing process for the holes varies for each individual, but generally the holes begin as small scabs and transform into tiny red dots that fade with time. The number of holes made depends on the area of the body treated and the weight of the patient. Larger patients may have more adit sites than smaller patients. Generally, healthy patients who do not pick at or irritate the healing adits will not have scars, however patients with darker skin tone, serious stretchmarks, or patients who are prone to scaring or keloids may have permanent adit marks.
Is NEOLiposculpture the same as Mesotherapy?
No.NEOLiposculpture is a medical procedure performed by a surgeon to remove unwanted fat while Mesotherapy is a unproven spa treatment involving hundreds of vitamin or medication injections into the middle layer of the skin. Mesotherapy has not been proven by any medical science to reduce the amount of fat in the treated area. Mesotherapy is not only painful and expensive, but it does not produce any noticeable or permanent change in areas of excess fat tissue. Many of Dr. Truong’s patients have tried mesotherapy and most report
that the treatments resulted in pain and bruising, but did not give them the promised results. Sadly, because the ingredients used in mesotherapy are not standardized and each practioners makes their own cocktail, mesotherapy can be dangerous. One of the more common cocktails called Lipostabil, involves a drug called phosphatidylcholine, which has been banned in foreign countries due to safety concerns. In the United States, reports of infections and other serious complications from mesotherapy are well documented in medical literature.
How much bruising or swelling will I have?
Because Dr. Truong’s NEOLiposculpture technique causes less tissue trauma and less inflammation, bruising and swelling are minimized. NEOLiposculpture uses only small punctures ands does not use stitches, so patients experience less bruising and swelling than with the traditional liposuction technique used by other surgeons. The amount of bruising depends not only on individual healing tendencies and the amount of fat removed, but also on the areas treated. For example, outer thighs rarely bruise, while inner thighs almost always bruise.
Similarly, the amount of swelling a patient might experience is difficult to
predict. Some patients experience almost no swelling, while others experience weeks of swelling. A consultation with Dr. Truong can help you guage how much swelling or bruising you might expect after your procedure.
How long will it be until I see results?
Final results vary from patient to patient and depend on patient age, areas treated, the amount of fat removed, and individual healing speeds. Some patients see immediate results that improve steadily while others have weeks of swelling that keep them at about the same size as they were pre-procedure, even though large amounts of fat have been removed. Young patients tend to heal much quicker and have less discomfort, but final results often take longer because
young patients retain fluid longer than older patients. There is no way to
accurately predict your healing speed or how quickly you will see final
results. Most patients will see 80% of their ultimate liposuction results
within one to three months after their procedure. Some areas, like the chin, show almost immediate improvement while other areas, such as the abdomen, take longer for final results. For the first few weeks after surgery there is postoperative swelling in most treated areas and women typically have more swelling than men. Dr. Truong’s NEOLiposculpture technique uses adits (tiny round holes) that are left open, instead of linear incisions closed with stitches, so patients can expect to recover within a few days and as the painless
swelling subsides patients see 80% of the ultimate results within one to three months.
Will liposuction help cellulite (cottage-cheese like dimpling) or sagging skin?
Maybe. Dr. Truong’s NEOLiposculpture technique can improve the appearance of cellulite and can help promote skin tightening, however the degree to which each patient will see improvement is uncertain. Some patients see remarkable changes in their cellulite and others will see no change. Because the amount of cellulite improvement you may (or may not) see cannot be predicted, NEOLiposculpture is not considered a treatment for cellulite. If you are over age 60 and have very little skin elasticity or have undergone a massive weight loss, your skin my have permanent wrinkling that looks somewhat like cellulite.