The hips and flanks may be the hardest part of the body to shape and contour through exercise. Try as they might, many women simply cannot seem to get rid of fat deposits on their hips to achieve the desired hourglass figure. Men too often have trouble losing any excess fat resting on their hips. This fat may be hard to lose, but that doesn’t mean that you have to learn to live with it. Hip liposuction can work wonders when it comes to contouring this part of the body.
How Does Hip Liposuction Work?
During a hip liposuction procedure, your surgeon will make a small incision and then use a tool called a cannula to remove fat cells from your hips. The procedure focuses on the area just above the hips, known as your flanks, and the sides of the hips themselves where so-called saddlebags often form.
Although liposuction is ostensibly about removing excess and unwanted fat cells, the amount of fat your surgeon keeps is just as important as how much she removes. The ultimate goal of the surgery is appropriate body contouring that leaves you with a narrower waist and smaller flanks while still maintaining the natural curves of the hip and buttock area. Removing too much fat will make you look awkward and unnatural rather than shapely. This is a difficult problem to fix, so choose your plastic surgeon carefully.
Is Hip Liposuction Safe? How Painful is the Surgery?
Every surgical procedure comes with a certain amount of risk, of course, but liposuction is generally considered to be quite safe. Mia Aesthetics utilizes tumescent liposuction, which is the safest type of liposuction available. In tumescent liposuction, an anesthetic solution is injected into the treatment area prior to surgery. This anesthetic causes swelling, making the treatment area firmer and easier to work with. It also shrinks the blood vessels in the area to reduce the amount of bleeding associated with the procedure.
Reducing blood flow to the area not only minimizes the risk of bleeding but also reduces the amount of post-surgical swelling, bruising, and pain that you experience after the procedure is complete. During the surgery you won’t feel a thing as your surgeon will put you under general anesthesia. They will send you home with a prescription pain medication to keep you comfortable, but liposuction recovery usually causes only moderate pain that resolves within 2 to 4 days.
Who is a Good Candidate for Hip Liposuction?
As is true for most surgical procedures, the best candidates are those in the best shape. You should strive to be as close to your goal weight as possible at the time of your surgery and have any chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, well controlled. If you smoke, quitting will make you a much better surgical candidate, as will avoiding drugs and excessive amounts of alcohol.
In order to be a good candidate for plastic surgery you must also have realistic surgical goals. A good plastic surgeon can produce results that look close to miraculous, but every body is different. Your specific needs and skin elasticity may impact the results of your surgery. You may expect a marked improvement, but you shouldn’t expect the Photoshopped perfection you see in magazines.
Who Should Not Get Hip Liposuction?
Unfortunately, obese patients with a BMI of 34 or above are not good candidates for hip liposuction. People looking to lose weight through the procedure are also poor candidates. Although liposuction removes fat from the body, it is not a weight loss procedure and does not result in a significant weight reduction. If after a liposuction procedure you adopt or continue with an unhealthy lifestyle and gain a significant amount of weight, your body will produce new fat cells and could undo the results of your liposuction.
You may also need to avoid hip liposuction if you have circulatory issues or conditions that lead to excess bleeding and scarring. Your surgeon will discuss your specific conditions with you to determine whether or not they exclude you from surgery or simply need extra management during your procedure.
What is Hip Liposuction Recovery Like?
We typically perform liposuction as an outpatient procedure and recovery is relatively easy. Your doctor will give you pain medication to keep you feeling comfortable, but pain from liposuction surgery is generally mild to moderate and eases within 2 to 4 days.
After surgery you will need to wear a compression garment to reduce swelling and help your body hold its new shape. You may also wake up from surgery with surgical drains in your incision. If necessary, your surgeon inserts these to combat swelling and fluid buildup after surgery. He will explain how to keep them clean at home and remove them for you in a few days.
Most patients can return to work in about a week assuming their job is not physically demanding. Other patients may need a little more time.
How Much Does Hip Liposuction Cost?
At Mia Aesthetics, liposuction procedures start at $3,149. The exact price you pay, however, will vary based on the location and surgeon you choose. Your specific situation may also affect the price as every patient is unique and may have different surgical needs and requirements. We can provide more detailed pricing after meeting with you for a free virtual consultation to determine your surgical goals and needs. When you have your quote, be sure to research our financing options. We work with several financing companies to provide our patients with as many choices as possible.
What Other Procedures Can Be Combined with Hip Liposuction?
If your concerns extend beyond your hips, now may be a great time to address them. By combining multiple procedures into one surgery you can save on anesthesia and operating room fees. You also need to schedule only one recovery period. Many women choose to add a BBL, mommy makeover, or other liposuction procedures to their hip liposuction. You can combine any procedures you like so long as your surgeon deems it safe to do so.