The Answers to Your Liposuction Questions

Dr. Mulholland answers questions related to liposuction in this latest post. He shares his expertise and gives advice to people who are thinking of liposuction.

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Liposuction: The Most Common Misconception People Have About It

Before you have your liposuction surgery, you’ll have to arm yourself with the realities and expectations from the surgery. It’s a very common misconception that liposuction is a way to lose weight, but it’s not. Plastic surgeons often explain to their patients that liposuction is a sculpting procedure, not a weight loss treatment.

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5 Wrong Assumptions About Plastic Surgery

Like almost everything else in life, plastic surgery just happens to be one of the topics where people make assumptions. These assumptions tend to stem from word-of-mouth or just a lack of information. If you haven’t noticed, we’re all about talking about and debunking common plastic surgery myths here at SpaMedica. Below are a few widespread assumptions and comments that we hear about various procedures, so we wanted to share some insight and answers to them.

Assumption #1: Botox gives a frozen face

Botox has long had the reputation of giving people that frozen, startled look. A lot of people will think of celebrities who had not so great results after Botox injections like Nicole Kidman. That stems from overdoing the treatment which results in an unnatural appearance. Botox treatments shouldn’t erase all movement in your face—ideally, it’s meant to soften lines or wrinkles.

With your plastic surgeon, you’ll decide where you want to see improvements on your face. By injecting just enough units of Botox in your areas of concern, your end results should look natural and not frozen. And if your treatments are done well, no one should even know that you had anything done.

Assumption #2: I can use my friend or family member’s fat to transfer to my own body

Procedures that involve fat transfer like Brazilian butt lifts or fat grafting to the breasts require taking fat from one area and then transferring it to the butt or breasts. You can’t use someone else’s fat in these procedures. Your immune system simply can’t recognize another person’s fat and would reject their fat if this was attempted. Even if you have an identical twin, there’s still a possibility that the fat would be rejected. Another risk of using someone else’s fat is disease transmission.

Assumption #3: Men don’t get plastic surgery

Women are the ones who are always pegged as the ones who are most concerned with their appearance. With this mindset, the assumption is that women are the people who undergo plastic surgery. According to recent statistics from a RealSelf survey, men have been increasingly seeking plastic surgery procedures. 73% of doctors say their male patients have increased in the last year. 

These men are most interested in:

1. Botox and fillers
2. Eyelid surgery
3. Body contouring procedures
4. Male breast reduction

Men are now more open about wanting to maintain their appearance and will undergo treatments if they feel compelled to.

Assumption #4: Liposuction will help me achieve my target weight

Liposuction is often seen as a method to lose a lot of weight. That’s easy to assume, but it’s simply not the case. Liposuction is a body contouring procedure that removes fat from specific areas on the body for a slimmer looking physique. The procedure is ideal for patients who are at their ideal weight but still have some problem areas like love handles.

Source: SpaMedica. Before and after rhinoplasty at SpaMedica.

Assumption #5: I’ll see my final results right after my plastic surgery procedure

For many plastic surgery procedures, your final results won’t be seen immediately. That’s because there’s a recovery period where there’s swelling or bruising. Take for example rhinoplasty. This is a procedure where patients are required to take at least a week off from work to recover. Rhinoplasty patients should be aware that there’ll be ongoing improvements with their nose that can take up to 1 year to settle. The nose changes greatly over the course of 2-12 months, especially in the nasal tip area. After that, patients can see their final results.

What are some other assumptions you’ve heard about plastic surgery? Let us know and maybe we can address it!

How Would You Feel If Your Grandma Got Plastic Surgery?

How would you feel if your mom or grandma said they were going to get breast augmentation or a facelift?  Would you be shocked, disturbed or supportive? Whether you like it or not, the older generations like the Baby Boomers are having plastic surgery to maintain or revamp their appearance. They’ve thought about it long and hard, they have disposable income and they’re sure about their decisions.

While a lot of media attention has been on teenagers and plastic surgery lately, we can’t overlook that older generations make up a large chunk of those who get plastic surgery. In 2014, people between the ages of 51-64 made up 24% of the total surgical procedures performed in the U.S. That’s 433,517 procedures performed on this age group. People who were age 65 and up accounted for 7.9% of total surgical procedures. That’s 138,612 procedures.

Why Baby Boomers Want Plastic Surgery In The First Place

Dr. Mulholland, a Toronto plastic surgeon, says that Baby Boomers (those who were born in 1946-1964) are an interesting generation. “Their mothers and grandmothers were the descendants of a religious work ethic. They were more accepting of life and aging. It was a matter of what God had dealt them in life,” he says. The Baby Boomers are totally different from their mothers in terms of attitudes. He says these women want a certain quality of life and will achieve it on their own if they have to.

Dr. Mulholland sees many female clients in their 40s at SpaMedica. “They’re far less likely to be manipulated by the media—and the media’s idea of beauty—than women who are a generation younger,” he says. They’re not coming in for treatments because they want to look like a certain celebrity. It stems from their dissatisfaction of their looks compared to the rest of their lives. Simply put, they want the whole package. They have an active life, family and fulfilling career; they want their appearance to reflect how they feel inside.

Dr. Mulholland appeared on Global news to talk about women in their 60s getting breast augmentation.

Which Plastic Surgery Procedures Are These Women Having?

Some of the most popular procedures amongst this group are breast augmentation and liposuction. After having children, a lot of women deal with stubborn fat or a loss of volume in their breasts. For these reasons, they seek procedures that can enhance their bodies. For non-surgical procedures, the Pan G lift is another common treatment that’s performed. The Pan G Lift provides similar results that a facelift would give without surgery.

After seeing so many career-oriented women at SpaMedica, Dr. Mulholland knows the main reason why these women are making appointments. It’s not about trying to look good for their partner. “They want it for themselves. They want to look the way they feel.”

Dr. Mulholland Shares Advice on Plastic Surgery on Newstalk 1010

Dr. Mulholland makes many media appearances throughout the year to talk about the latest trends and news on cosmetic plastic surgery. He recently was live on air with Newstalk 1010 with Barb DiGiulio to answer callers’ questions regarding plastic surgery.

The segment was nearly an hour long and was jammed with interesting information—they talked about if a person can be too young for plastic surgery, advice on how to pick the right surgeon, and provided answers to questions about different surgical and non-surgical procedures. Dr. Mulholland also shared that when he first opened SpaMedica in 1996, he only saw two men for treatments that whole year. Now men make up 20% of the clientele. “Men are extremely vein and we just don’t about it,” he says.

Below are just a few tidbits of what Dr. Mulholland, the host and callers discussed that night. You can also listen to the full show here.

Kelly, the first caller of the night, mentioned she had been researching on how to reduce the bags under her eyes. She says she’s aged prematurely because of many difficult life events that have happened over the years. Her main concern was how long recovery time would be after blepharoplasty.

Dr. Mulholland of SpaMedica in Toronto

Dr. Mulholland: Non-surgical options like soft tissue fillers and some laser treatments can help reduce the appearance of eye bags. Get these treatments done on a Friday afternoon and you can return back to work on Monday looking much more rested.

For more permanent results, consider having a lower lid blepharoplasty. It removes the fat pads under the eyes and tightens the skin around it. Bruising will occur, so having 7 days off from work to recover would be suggested.

Would I be okay to do bending or lifting at work after surgery?

Dr. Mulholland: In the first 3-4 days, there are some delicate blood vessels that are sealed. If you bend over and strain, it raises the blood pressure around your eyes which could cause some bleeding. Generally, as long as you’re not a world-class bodybuilding who deadlifts 180 pounds, you can carry office space boxes within a few days.

Source: SpaMedica. This patient had lower lid blepharoplasty to remove the fat pads under her eyes.

How much would lower lid blepharoplasty cost?

Dr. Mulholland: There’s a range in the city and in the country. In general, two lids—whether it’s two upper lids or two lower lids—is going to start at about $2,500.00 and might go as high as $6,000.00 depending on how aged that lower lid is and the practice in the city.

Let’s say you do the upper and lower lid combination, it’s called a quad bleph or four lid blepharoplasty. That’s usually in the $4,000.00 to $8,000.00 range depending on the practice in the city.

Another caller asked about scarring after surgery as a person of colour.

Are there usually any scars that are seen after any kind of plastic surgery for people of colour?

Dr. Mulholland: Dark skin individuals are prone to pigmentation disorder like brown discolouration and scars that are usually much darker than their surrounding skin. Whether it’s breast augmentation, a facelift, liposuction or a tummy tuck, things need to be hidden extremely well when you have darker skin that you know is not going to heal favourably. 

Caucasian skin is often prone to scars that are red and raised. Attention to placement is one of the tricks of plastic surgery school. One of the first steps to plastic surgery is deciding with your plastic surgeon what procedure, approach and incision is going to work best for you.

Thinking about surgery seriously? Dr. Mulholland shared advice on how to start research.

What is the process somebody goes through if they want to do a consultation with you?

Dr. Mulholland: The first step is to start your research online.

Make some searches on Google on who you should see and then pick three practices. Look on websites like RealSelf or Yelp and see what people are saying about these physicians and practices. 

Go on websites like The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and make sure there’s no complaints and the physician’s in good standing.

Interview the doctors as much as you can since you’re going to have a history and physical. You want to ask certain questions: 

• How long you been in practice?
• How many of these procedures have you done?  
• What complications have happened?  
• If a complication happens to me, how is it managed? 

Make sure there are good before and after photos.  Make sure you can talk to patients. At the end of the day, you just got to feel right.  You should have a good sense that this is the right physician and team for you.

Kylie Jenner has made headlines for months because of her notably larger lips. She’s recently admitted that she had lip injections to plump them up (after repeatedly denying it). The host asked Dr. Mulholland what he thought about teenagers and plastic surgery.

We’re seeing a lot of stuff happening with teenagers, how young is too young?

Dr. Mulholland: Every plastic surgeon would have a different answer to that, but as a father of six children, it’s tough enough to be a teenager and come to terms with your sense of self without complicating it with cosmetic surgery and without succumbing to peer pressure and paradigms of beauty. 

It can be quite unhealthy so I’m a big believer that you should be a voting adult and that you should be at least 19 before considering plastic surgery. You should have carefully thought these things out and it shouldn't be a spontaneous decision.  Now, having said that, there are always exceptions to the rule.  If you’re a young woman and you have a pathological condition like Poland Syndrome (where you don’t form a breast on one side and you do on the other) It’s really a hereditary congenital abnormality, so that might be a situation of circumstance where you might consider it.

Or maybe you’ve had trauma and you broke your nose or you were born with an extremely large bump and it is way outside the spectrum of what would be considered normal variant, you might consider those extreme circumstances. But I think as a rule, it’s a bad idea to mix teenagers and cosmetic surgery.

What You Should Know About Plastic Surgery and Gender Transitioning

If you’ve been keeping up with celebrity news, then you’ve definitely heard about Bruce Jenner’s confirmation that he’s transitioning to life as a woman. Coming out and talking about his personal life is a huge deal, especially considering that trans issues and voices are often under-addressed in the media and public sphere. Jenner’s candidness has put the common struggles transgender people face on a daily basis in the spotlight—it also draws attention to what the process of transitioning and plastic surgery can look like for some transgender people.

The Process of Transitioning

In order to be eligible for gender reassignment surgery, a person has to first be diagnosed with Gender Identity Disorder (GID) by a mental health professional. After diagnosis, the person can begin hormone therapy. Biological females transitioning to male are given androgens. Biological males transitioning to female take estrogen, progesterone and testosterone-blocking agents. These hormones can be taken orally, by injections or through a patch.

The individual must live their life as their preferred gender for a period of time. This is called the Real-Life Experience. One of the purposes of the RLE is to confirm that the person wants to live the rest of their life as their preferred gender.

After one year of hormone therapy, Real-Life Experience and two letters of recommendation from health professionals, the individual is eligible for genital surgery. Not everyone decides to have surgery though; some people are content with the results they get from hormone therapy. For those who do want to pursue surgery, they can have procedures like liposuction, rhinoplasty or vocal cord surgery as part of their transition.

Source: Jezebel.com. A photograph of Bruce Jenner

During Jenner’s widely watched interview with Diane Sawyer, he said he plans to get cosmetic surgery to his face and breasts. He also said that he had been taking hormones for a year and a half. Wondering what other plastic surgery procedures transwomen can do? Below are just some of them.

Liposuction

Liposuction can help define areas such as the waist and abdomen. The targeted fat is removed to create a slimmer and more refined hourglass appearance. Non-surgical and surgical liposuction techniques are available.

Rhinoplasty

Cosmetic concerns like bumps, bulbous tips or crooked noses can be addressed through a nose job—this procedure can enhance a person’s overall appearance and facial features. Depending on the case, certain characteristics of the nose can be changed to look more feminine by narrowing the nasal bones and nostrils.

Hair transplants

Hairlines can be moved forward or have a rounded shape through a hair transplantation. If there are areas of thin hair, a hair transplant can be performed to add more density.

Cheek implants

Females tend to have fuller cheeks than males. To achieve this look, cheek implants can be inserted. Fat grafting is another way to enhance cheeks. Fat grafting involves removing fat from an area of the body which is then transferred to the cheeks.

Lip fillers

Fuller, pouty lips are typically considered feminine and attractive. Soft tissue fillers such as Juvederm or Restylane are injected to plump up lips. Fat grafting to the lips is another method of lip enhancement.  

We’re glad to hear that Bruce says he’s never been as happy as he is now. It took a lot of courage to be open about his life, especially in front of millions of people and his family. Hopefully Bruce’s story will continue to encourage more conversation about transgender people and issues. Not everyone will support Bruce, but his honesty and voice at the very least puts these issues on the table to get people thinking. Sometimes just talking about issues is what’s needed to start change.

Transform Your Post-Baby Body With A Mommy Makeover

Source: SpaMedica. This mommy makeover received breast augmentation and energy-assisted liposuction.

Even after having children, plenty of women are healthier than they’ve ever been. They have healthy eating habits and work out a few times a week. Just take a look at celebrities—they’re known to give birth and hop right back into their evening gowns and bikinis almost immediately.

Exercise and a good diet don’t bring back certain things though and a lot of women can attest to that. After giving birth and breastfeeding, a woman’s breasts tend lose volume and shape. Dr. Mulholland, a Toronto plastic surgeon, says breast augmentation is a very popular procedure for women. Many of his breast augmentation patients are women in their 30s who have children. Breast augmentation is the second most performed procedure after liposuction.

Amanda, a woman in her 20s, feels self-conscious of her body after giving birth to her daughter three years ago. She says she was so used to always having a fit body without ever having to workout often. After giving birth, she started feeling insecure about her body. “I didn’t feel as sexy or desirable anymore,” she says.

Amanda exercised regularly for a few years. Even though she’s in good shape, she still feels bothered by some problem areas—her abdomen and love handles. She also says her breasts have lost some volume. To address these concerns, Dr. Mulholland recommends liposuction and breast augmentation. This combination of surgeries performed at once is also known as a mommy makeover.

Source: SpaMedica. This mommy makeover received liposuction to her tummy and hips.

Dr. Mulholland performs two types of mommy makeovers; a mommy mini and mommy major. Amanda had the mommy mini, which was an operation that took an hour and 15 minutes to complete. Mommy majors are ideal for women who had or plan to have two to three kids. Usually, mommy majors include breast surgery, tummy tucks and liposuction.

Mommy makeovers without tummy tucks performed require about 1-2 weeks of recovery time. If a tummy tuck is needed, then women should expect to have 2-3 weeks of recovery.

Now that a few months have passed after her procedure, Amanda says she’s ecstatic with her appearance. She says those around her have noticed a major change in her personality and sense of humour. Though her looks changed, she says the biggest difference was in her personality and how she presented herself.

SpaMedica's CoolSculpting Demonstration at Park Hyatt Toronto

MedSpa team: Jennifer, Danielle, Lola, Marsha and Laurel

The SpaMedica team and Dr. Mulholland were at Park Hyatt last Thursday evening on February 26 to discuss and demonstrate CoolSculpting. As well with a lot of information to learn, there were h'ordeuvres, refreshments, free consultations and gift bags to enjoy.

The event started off with Dr. Mulholland explaining how prevalent fat removal procedures are in North America now. To be specific, 200,000 liposuction procedures were performed in the U.S in 2013, according to the latest ASPS plastic surgery statistics report.  

Gift bags for the attendees! They contained skincare products, samples and coupons.

Genetics, diet and lifestyle contribute to the widening of people’s waistlines. It’s not just in North America where people have expanding waistlines—people are getting bigger in China, too. Dr. Mulholland says that since fast food is so common in China now, people are heavier than ever. Considering these changes in diet, culture and lack of exercise, fat reduction procedures like liposuction are booming.  

On the flipside, some people just have hereditary fat and can’t get rid of it regardless of diet or exercise. That’s one of the reasons why fat reduction treatments like CoolSculpting are so appealing.

What is CoolSculpting?

Dr. Mulholland speaks to Charmaine about her CoolSculpting treatments.

CoolSculpting, a non-surgical fat reduction treatment, uses cold temperatures to permanently kill fat cells from areas where there is unwanted fat. The device sucks fat into a chamber where the temperatures are then dropped below freezing.

The fat cell’s temperature drops to the point where the cell disables and undergoes a permanent death cycle in response to the cold exposure. Up to 22% of the fat cells in the treated area will die. Dr. Mulholland says it’s the least invasive treatment at SpaMedica’s MedSpa.

As long as you maintain your weight, the fat won’t come back. Sometimes after seeing they’ve lost 10 pounds, CoolSculpting patients feel motivated and want to continue losing weight. They see CoolSculpting as a catalyst to keep dropping the pounds. Dr. Mulholland says measurements for final results should be taken 6-10 weeks after treatments—he guarantees noticeable results, and if not, a complimentary treatment will be offered.

Another bonus is that if you do decide to have a surgical procedure in the future, you could put 50% of the cost you paid for CoolSculpting towards that procedure (as long as he’s not retired or dead, Dr. Mulholland quipped).

Live demonstration of CoolSculpting

Claudia shows us how CoolSculpting works.

Claudia, our senior medical aesthetician, prepped Sarah for a CoolSculpting treatment while Dr. Mulholland answered the audience’s questions. Sarah never had the treatment before so she was understandably nervous about it—but after a few minutes, she looked relaxed and comfortable. The treatments are comfortable enough that patients can work or browse on their phones and tablets, which is what Sarah did most of the time.

We were also giving away a free CoolSculpting package that night. We’ll announce who the lucky winner is this Wednesday. Overall, the evening was engaging and informative. Thanks to all of you who came out!

20 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About SpaMedica and Dr. Mulholland

Ever wondered who visits SpaMedica and what kind of treatments they get? What's the average age of SpaMedica clients? What was life like for Dr. Mulholland before he became a doctor? All these questions are answered below!

1. SpaMedica has been in operation in Yorkville, Toronto since 1997.

2. About 70% of Dr. Mulholland’s patients are women

3. Most of these women are between ages 35-55

4. Dr. Mulholland says these women are not privileged housewives. They’re usually very outgoing or hardworking professionals.

5. 90% of Dr. Mulholland’s breast augmentation patients are over 35. They usually have a few kids and want to recapture their breast shape.

Source: SpaMedica. Before and after photo of a facelift patient.

6. Women over age 35 tend to seek non-surgical procedures like Botox Injectable, FotoFacials, Restylane, laser hair removal and leg vein treatments. The top 5 surgical procedures are brow and eyelid surgery, facelifts, breast augmentation, liposuction and tummy tucks.

7. Male clients want to look more youthful. They come in for facial changes such as jowl removal, facelifts, eyelid lifts and rhinoplasty. They seek liposuction to remove unwanted fat too.

8. Dr. Mulholland never operates on teenagers. “Generally the closer women are to age 20—before they’ve had some life experience—the less confident they are about body image. It’s hard to figure out who you are then, let alone confuse it with surgery,” he says.

Source: SpaMedica. Before and after photo of a Botox Injectable patient.

9. At SpaMedica, the average Botox Injectable patient is age 40.

10. Injections of Voluma fillers have become almost 25% of Dr. Mulholland’s job.

11. When it comes to older women, Dr. Mulholland says any insecurity is usually related to professional advancement. “Ageism is rampant in the workplace,” he says.

12. These patients usually want to increase their breasts to a small to mid-sized C cup.

13. According to Dr. Mulholland, Canadian women are at least a cup size smaller than U.S women.

14. Women under 30 usually see him to change their breasts, nose or get rid of unwanted fat.

Source: SpaMedica. Dr. Mulholland played professional hockey with Rogle BK in the Swedish first division. After his year in Sweden, he signed a professional contract with the Calgary Flames.

15. Before becoming a plastic surgeon, Dr. Mulholland was a professional hockey player.

16. Dr. Mulholland studied and completed his core general surgery and plastic surgery training at the University of Toronto.

17. Dr. Mulholland travels around the world several weekends of the year to teach physicians different non-surgical and surgical treatments.

18. He invented the Pan G Lift, a non-surgical treatment that provides results similar to facelifts.

19. He and his team have over 30 years of experience in hairtransplantation and have successfully placed millions of grafts. 

20. The original FotoFacial procedure was co-developed by Dr. Patrick Bitter, Jr. and Dr. Mulholland. This popular procedure is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic procedures in North America.

FotoFacial treatments use radiofrequency, intense pulsed light and infrared energy. They’re pulsed gently on the skin to target facial spider veins, fine lines, blemishes and brown spots on the face, neck, chest and hands.

The Ugly Truth About Cosmetic Surgery Addiction

We’ve all seen people who look like they’ve had a bit too cosmetic surgery done, and it doesn’t take an expert to spot it. Whether it’s on TV or in the real world, some people walk around with faces that look like caricatures or bodies that look obviously unnatural. Cosmetic surgery addicts exist—taking a look at celebrities, I can name a few names off the bat. Example: Heidi Montag, who seems to be best known for having 10 procedures in one day which included breast augmentation, liposuction, rhinoplasty, and a brow lift all in the same day.

Lots of people may laugh or gawk at cosmetic surgery addicts, but the thing is, it’s a serious addiction that could be detrimental.

What is cosmetic surgery addiction?

Cosmetic surgery addiction is classified as a behavioural addiction. When someone has a behavioural addiction (it could be to video games, shopping or gambling), it means they are compelled to repeat a specific behaviour regardless of physical, mental, social or financial consequences. Behavioural addictions start out with a person associating the behaviour with pleasure, but then once it becomes more frequent, the behaviour becomes a major part of the person’s life. While indulging in the behaviour provides the person with relief, it’s also used as a way to deal with stress or other underlying issues.

A cosmetic surgery addict can be willing to shell out thousands of dollars and alienate themselves from loved ones to get the procedures they want.

Source: Zimbio.com. Heidi Montag underwent 10 cosmetic procedures in one day. Some procedures include breast augmentation, brow lift and liposuction

Body image and psychological issues can also influence someone’s choices for multiple cosmetic procedures. David B. Sarwer and Alisson L. Infield discussed in their book Breast Augmentation that several studies from around the world show between 7-15% of cosmetic surgery and dermatology patients have some form of body dysmorphic disorder. Those with BDD are preoccupied with small or imagined defects in their appearance. This preoccupation can wreak havoc in their work and social lives.

Cosmetic surgery addicts will seek multiple procedures at whatever cost

There is nothing to stop a person from seeking consecutive cosmetic procedures. Even if someone has had liposuction two times before, there are no real regulations or laws in Canada to prevent them from having a third or fourth procedure. That’s where the role of plastic surgeon is important—they may be the ones doing all the magic work, but they should be spending a lot of time talking to and evaluating their patients during consultation. This is the point where they understand if the patient is seeking surgery with realistic expectations and the right mindset.

Dr. Mulholland, a Toronto plastic surgeon, says he turns down over half of the people who approach him for surgery. He says he spends a lot of time during interviews to find out the person’s motivations for surgery and their expectations. “Cosmetic surgery should be used to enhance your life, not compensate for a failed relationship or other set-backs,” says Dr. Mulholland.

It all goes back to the ethics of a plastic surgeon. They can refuse to perform surgery on patients who they find unsuitable. If the patient wants breast augmentation because she thinks it will help her win back an ex-lover, that reason won’t fly with an ethical doctor who has the patient's well-being in mind during consultation. But the sad thing is, there are surgeons who will do what the patient wants—regardless of their mental state and motivations.

Liposuction: 3 Things You Have To Know About It

Source: SpaMedica. Before and after photo of a liposuction patient.

Some people would say liposuction is the “easy” way to lose some weight. On the surface, sure, it looks like the procedure is a great way to trim up and shed off pounds. I mean, what’s the point of going on a hardcore diet and exercising everyday when you can avoid all that stuff by getting liposuction?

This is a super common misconception. First off, liposuction  is not a “quick” way to lose weight. It’s actually not a weight loss method. Also, it’s not a procedure where you go in, get some fat taken out and your results will automatically appear within the next day.

There’s maintenance and things you’ll have to consider when it comes to diet and lifestyle to keep your liposuction results. Dr. Mulholland, a Toronto plastic surgeon, shares his expertise on what you should expect to do after liposuction so things don’t come as a surprise.

A balanced, healthy diet will help your body heal quickly after liposuction

This idea is the same for any other surgery. Having a healthy diet (don’t be too hard on yourself by restricting calories though) helps your body heal fast and without complications. Gradual weight loss of less than 20 pounds will also benefit your liposuction results. The areas and contours you’ve gained will shrink and enhance your overall looks. Weight gain, of course, can sabotage your liposuction results. Not only will the fat return to the areas you’ve had treated, fat can also travel and accumulate in areas where you normally didn’t have.

What your diet should be like depends on your own individual health. Your liposuction surgeon is in the best position to recommend what your diet should be after the procedure.

Dr. Mulholland appeared on Cityline to discuss and perform BodyTite Liposuction.

You can return back to regular activities soon after liposuction.

“Patients can return to relatively low-impact activities the day after the procedure,” says Dr. Mulholland. With energy-assisted liposuction procedures like BodyTite or SmartLipo, the risks of pain, bruising and swelling are reduced. This provides patients with a faster opportunity to get back to regular activities. Some patients have had liposuction on multiple areas of their body and can go back to very light activities the next day. It’s not a bad idea to have 2-3 days dedicated to resting and recovery after liposuction, though.

If you’re into active physical activities like running and weight training, you’ll have to wait 4-6 weeks after your procedure to jump back into these activities.

Weight fluctuation is common after liposuction

As mentioned earlier, liposuction is not a way to lose weight. It’s a way to help you shape up contours and remove unwanted fat from pockets of your body that you don’t want. Dr. Mulholland says to focus on your contours and the inches you’ve lost, not your weight.

With that noted, you will lose some weight after liposuction. It’s also possible to see your weight fluctuate. Some reasons that cause weight gain are related to the stress of surgery and stress hormones—this shows up in the form of water weight. However, it’s a good idea to have a close follow-up with your liposuction surgeon to make sure everything’s fine if you have any worries about your weight.

These are just some of the things to consider before you decide to take the plunge and have liposuction. Do your research, pick a board-certified plastic surgeon with years of experience and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Leave a comment or book a consultation online if you have any questions about liposuction.

New Year, New You: Look Even Better With These Skin Treatments

Everyone always says it every year, but 2014 has really gone by so fast. In a matter of hours, we’ll be ringing in a new year. Have you accomplished some of your resolutions? That’s great if you did, and it’s still fine if you didn’t. New Year resolutions are always about improving yourself or your circumstances. It’s a good time to try to set goals to live and look better than the year before.

Why not start with making beauty resolutions to have even better skin for 2015? Whether that means getting rid of wrinkles, hair or tattoos you don’t want, we have a list of treatments you should try out. Below are non-surgical treatments that can firm and clear up your skin so you look awesome all year round.

Botox

Source: SpaMedica. Before and after photo of a patient who had Botox

When Botox first emerged a few decades ago, many people were skeptical of the treatment. “Is it safe?” “Won’t it just make my face look frozen?” Patients and the media frequently asked these questions. There’s no doubt that some people are still reserved about Botox, but the attitude towards it is much more relaxed today with so much information available now. And plus, it’s the most popular non-surgical treatment year after year.

Botox, a purified protein named botulinum toxin A, relaxes muscle areas by blocking nerves impulses which trigger contractions. This helps to soften wrinkles on your face. Results usually last up to 6 months.

It’s like maintenance—a few injections of Botox here and there will keep unwanted wrinkles and lines away. It’s pretty common for people in their 20s to get Botox to prevent wrinkles from showing up in the first place. These treatments have been called “pre-juvenation”.

Laser Hair Removal

Source: SpaMedica. Before and after photo of a patient who had laser hair removal

Who doesn’t like smooth skin? It’s a hassle to constantly shave and wax every couple of days and weeks. Maybe you’re frustrated with always busting out the razors to scrape away hair during the summer. Laser hair removal is a way to quit that routine for good. 

With faster and better lasers, men can get the hair on their backs removed within 20 minutes. Hair on a woman’s whole body could be removed within that same amount of time. To permanently remove 80% of the hair, patients should expect to have 4-5 laser hair removal sessions. Different lasers and wavelengths are used depending on your skin and hair type.

Skin Tightening For Your Body and Face

With age and genetics comes droopy skin. Maybe you’ve noticed that your neck or cheeks don’t look as firm and tight as they did before. SpaMedica is equipped with several non-surgical treatments that combat loose skin. These treatments can treat your face or different areas on your body.

Source: SpaMedica. Before and after photo of a patient who had non-surgical liposuction

Body

Exilis is one of the available non-surgical fat reduction and skin tightening treatments to firm up your body. It’s a device that uses radiofrequency to contour your body and reduce fat without surgical intervention. Drop in the clinic once a week for 4-6 weeks and after that, you’ll see improvement in your figure and skin. These treatments are great alternative options for people who don’t want to deal with recovery time or surgery like liposuction and tummy tucks.

Face

If a facelift is out of the question for you, then be happy that the Pan G Lift is an amazing non-surgical alternative to firm up your skin. It’s a series of treatments that uses radiofrequency energy, ultrasound and more to lift your face and neck without any need for cuts. 

The Pan G Lift lifts up droopy brows, cheeks, jowls and neck—it also targets other skin concerns such as wrinkles and spider veins. Each treatment lasts for one hour. Right after your appointment, you can go back to work or normal activities. It’s that simple.  

Laser Tattoo Removal

Source: SpaMedica. Before and after photo of a patient who had laser tattoo removal.

So what if wrinkles or droopiness isn’t even your concern? Maybe getting rid of a tattoo is on your mind. Starting off the New Year by erasing an embarrassing or poorly designed tattoo is a pretty good way to renew yourself in 2015. Long gone is the idea that tattoos are forever; that’s far from the case now with the booming laser tattoo removal industry. 

The PicoSure laser is the latest laser in the industry that’s annihilating tattoos better and faster than before. With the PicoSure, the amount of treatments you’ll need is cut dramatically compared to other lasers. After 4 treatments, you can see 90% of your tattoo cleared. Compare that number to older lasers that require up to 16 treatments for tattoo clearance.

Start The Year With Enhanced Skin

If enhancing your skin and appearance is on your mind as beauty resolutions for the New Year, we hope we’ve provided some good options and insight for you to look into. Leave a comment or book an appointment online if you have any questions!

Happy New Year and best wishes for all you lovely people.