Swelling. Fatigue. Chronic pain. At Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates, we understand how conditions like lipedema can consume every aspect of your health and wellness—including your confidence. When lipedema makes even the most basic activities feel like monumental tasks, you need powerful solutions.
Fortunately, liposuction serves as an effective form of lipedema surgery in Jacksonville. Though no treatment can fully eliminate this condition, liposuction can remove painful fat deposits and help you sculpt your best body yet.
Continue reading to learn more about lipedema and how liposuction can help you take on each day with a newfound strength. If you’re ready to speak with one of our triple board-certified surgeons and begin creating your procedure plan, visit our website to schedule your consultation.
What is lipedema?
Lipedema causes abnormal and uncontrollable fat accumulation throughout the body, including the butt, thighs, and calves. This fat buildup can be painful, often making exercise and daily activities more difficult than usual. Many patients with lipedema describe feeling a heaviness in their legs and bumps of fat underneath the skin.
Other common symptoms of lipedema include:
- Pain
- Joint issues
- Flat feet
- Swelling
- Fatigue
- Bruising
Experts identify 5 types of lipedema based on where the patient experiences symptoms. These classifications include:
- Type 1 – Impacts the navel and hips.
- Type 2 – Affects the area around your pelvis and knees.
- Type 3 – Accumulates around your pelvis and ankles.
- Type 4 – Builds up between your shoulders and wrists.
- Type 5 – Includes your knees and ankles.
Patients can also experience multiple lipedema types at once, depending on the severity of their symptoms.
Often mistaken for obesity, many people with lipedema have a BMI, or body mass index, of 35 or greater. Patients can also confuse lipedema with lymphedema, which occurs when the lymphatic system malfunctions and causes excessive swelling throughout the body. When left untreated, lipedema can lead to secondary lymphedema, causing a blockage in the lymphatic pathway and fluid buildup.
What causes lipedema?
Medical experts do not know the exact cause of lipedema, but the condition almost exclusively affects women. For this reason, researchers believe lipedema may have a connection to female hormones, as it often worsens during pregnancy, puberty, and menopause.
Experts also believe lipedema could be genetic, with 20 to 60% of patients saying the condition runs in their family.
Is there a cure for lipedema?
Researchers haven’t developed a cure for lipedema because they don’t know its exact cause. That said, along with medications and supplements, those affected by lipedema may be able to manage their symptoms with:
- Regular exercise – Helps reduce stress on the joints and improve mobility.
- An anti-inflammatory diet – Lessens inflammation in the lower extremities.
- Compression stockings – Improves blood circulation and reduces swelling.
- Lymphatic drainage massage – Allows the body to flush out toxins via the lymphatic system.
Lipedema fat doesn’t respond to traditional weight loss methods in the same way that normal fat does. Typically, your body uses normal fat to store and reserve excess energy. Oppositely, lipedema fat resists metabolization and can harden in advanced stages. Surgical intervention is often necessary for patients needing more substantial relief.
To reduce the appearance of lumps and fat buildup underneath the skin, our experts recommend liposuction as a form of lipedema surgery in Jacksonville.
Liposuction for Lipedema
Though lipedema can change your body’s shape rapidly, liposuction can help you restore your natural contours and rebuild your self-confidence.
Liposuction uses vacuum suction to remove stubborn pockets of fat. This cosmetic procedure can target lipedema fat from the buttocks, abdomen, calves, and ankles. After liposuction, the skin molds itself to the new shape of the treated areas, minimizing fat lumps for a smoother appearance.
Liposuction for lipedema differs from regular liposuction procedures because lipedema fat is often harder to remove, and the skin needs additional tightening. For lipedema procedures at Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates, our providers use energy-based tools like VASER and Renuvion to target these areas of stubborn fat and skin laxity effectively.
Our experts recommend liposuction for patients with lipedema who are otherwise in good health. You may need to incorporate healthy lifestyle habits into your routine before we recommend liposuction as a form of lipedema surgery in Jacksonville.
Who’s not a good candidate for liposuction?
Liposuction cannot serve as a substitute for weight loss. We also cannot perform liposuction on patients with the following conditions:
- Heart disease
- Blood clotting disorders
- Uncontrolled diabetes
- Autoimmune disorders
You must also have realistic expectations of how liposuction can treat your lipedema before entering surgery. Because there is no cure for lipedema, liposuction cannot create a dramatic body transformation or permanently change your contours. The condition may come back or flare up—and you may need additional sessions to achieve the dimple-free skin you desire.
The CSA Lipedema Treatment Process
You shouldn’t have to sacrifice your time, energy, and self-esteem to lipedema. Our expert surgeons want to help you minimize the impact lipedema has on your day-to-day life so you can get back to the things you love most with confidence.
Here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you choose Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates to perform your lipedema surgery in Jacksonville.
Initial Consultation
Each lipedema treatment process starts with a comprehensive consultation led by one of our surgeons. During this appointment, your surgeon listens carefully as you describe how the pain, appearance, and symptoms of lipedema impact your daily life. Your surgeon will also review your medical history, using this information to determine if liposuction is a viable option for you.
From there, your surgeon conducts a full-body examination, closely analyzing where lipedema affects your body. This information helps them create your personalized procedure plan customized to your lipedema type and health needs.
Before proceeding with your lipedema treatment plan, your surgeon may have you consult your primary care physician to ensure that liposuction can safely and effectively address your concerns.
Preparing for Surgery
In the days leading up to your liposuction procedure, your surgeon asks you to stop taking blood-thinning medications that may cause excess bleeding during your surgery, including NSAIDs and herbal supplements. They may also ask you to stop smoking, drinking alcohol, and using other tobacco products.
We recommend staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water and other fluids in the days leading up to your lipedema surgery in Jacksonville. Your surgeon also gives you additional preparation instructions during your initial consultation.
Liposuction for Lipedema
Your surgeon begins your procedure by administering general anesthesia or IV sedation. Once you are asleep, your surgeon makes small incisions in your desired treatment area to insert a cannula underneath your skin. This cannula breaks up and liquifies portions of stubborn fat.
From there, your surgeon uses a suction device to eliminate the melted fat from your body. They then insert any necessary drainage tubes, suture your incisions closed, and apply bandages to your treatment area.
Liposuction for lipedema can take anywhere from 1 to 4 hours to complete. This process may take longer depending on how much fat your surgeon needs to remove from your treatment area to achieve your aesthetic goals.
Recovering from Your Procedure
Immediately after surgery, one of our staff members relocates you to a recovery room, where they monitor you as your anesthesia wears off. Your surgeon also stops by to check in with you and provide you with an in-depth recovery guide. This plan includes everything from best care practices for taking care of your surgical site to guidance for wearing your compression garments.
You must arrange for a ride to and from your procedure. Our surgeons also recommend having someone stay with you throughout your first day of recovery in case of an emergency.
You may experience bruising, swelling, and pain in the days following your lipedema surgery in Jacksonville. To minimize these symptoms, your surgeon prescribes you pain medications to use throughout your recovery. We recommend taking 2 to 4 days to completely rest and recoup after your procedure.
Be sure to wear your compression garments at all times, aside from bathing, during the first 3 weeks of your recovery. Your surgeon also schedules regular check-ins to track your recovery process and provide additional support.
Stunning Results
Though no procedure can completely eradicate lipedema, surgical solutions like liposuction are most effective at tightening the tissues to reduce skin dimpling and depressions.
It may also take multiple procedures to achieve the smoother, cellulite-free skin you desire. Depending on the severity of your lipedema, our surgeons may recommend a series of 3 or more sessions to achieve your ideal results.
Once post-procedure swelling and fluid retention subside, most patients report noticeable fat reduction within 1 to 3 months after surgery. This timeline depends on the amount of fat you have removed and the number of areas your surgeon treats.
Treat Lipedema at Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates
As a chronic health disorder, lipedema can damage your self-image and make your favorite activities less enjoyable. But with lipedema surgery in Jacksonville, our experts want to help you take on this condition—one step at a time.
Put yourself first at Cosmetic Surgery Affiliates. Visit our website or give us a call to speak with one of our surgeons.
Want to learn more about liposuction or our methods for losing excess skin after weight loss? Head over to our blog for the details you need to make an informed treatment decision.
