Hello, and welcome to
my
practice! I'm Dr. Stefan Mark
Szczerba (pronounced
Sher-ba).
I am a board
certified
Chicago plastic
surgeon with fellowship
training in cosmetic plastic surgery. This level of
training represents 9 years of training after medical school and is matched by only by a handful of plastic surgeons in the Chicagoland area. I have three offices in the
Chicago
area where we offer
both cosmetic and
plastic
surgery treatments
as well
as aesthetician
services
and non-invasive
procedures such as
Botox,
dermal fillers
and skin
resurfacing
treatments.
You can find everything
you
need for your
personal image
transformation
at one
of my conveniently
located offices in
and
around
Chicago.
I look
forward to
meeting
with you to
discuss your
makeover
desires.
10400 W. Higgins Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
(847) 853-9900
1786 Moon Lake Boulevard, #205
Hoffman Estates, IL 60169
(847) 885-1200
900 N. Kingsbury Street, Suite 130-N
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 286-1642
3226 N. Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 348-1800
LIPOSUCTION
See before and after photos of this procedure.
INTRODUCTION TO LIPOSUCTION
Liposuction is an elective surgical procedure that removes unwanted fat beneath the skin with the use of a very small, hollow, metal tube smaller than a straw (called a cannula). Liposuction can be performed under general anesthesia, IV sedation or just with local anesthesia, depending on the area treated.
Liposuction can be done on almost any part of the body in which pockets of fat are found which have been unresponsive to the patient’s best efforts with diet and exercise. Common areas include
- the abdomen, particularly the “love handles”
- upper back
- the flanks or lower back
- thighs
- knees
- along the jaw line
- throughout the neck
- under the chin
Liposuction can be part of another procedure such as a tummy tuck (abdominoplasty) or employed to remove fat from one area of the body (the tummy for example) so as to use that fat to plump up the face during a face lift procedure.
Regular liposuction is also called tumescent liposuction because the fluid used to make liposuction safe is called tumescent fluid. When additional energy to disrupt fat cells comes from ultrasound applied to skin just before the liposuction or by a special ultrasound cannula during liposuction, this is called “Ultrasonic” liposuction. The ultrasound effect does produce some skin tightening from the energy and heat of the ultrasound. This additional tightening may be recommended if you skin is loose even before any fat is removed. Another source of energy that can be used to disrupt cells is from a a laser. This is called laser assited liposuction. It is not clear if laser assisted liposuction offers any advantage over ultrasonic liposuction.
GOOD CANDIDATES FOR LIPOSUCTION
You may be a good candidate for liposuction if you are a healthy man or woman with pockets of stubborn fat that don’t seem to go away despite good diet and exercise. If you have lost weight through diet and exercise, Dr. Szczerba can offer that little extra removal of fat to improve your body contours. If you are significantly overweight, liposuction may not provide the effects good diet and exercise offers. Dr. Szczerba can offer liposuction as a way to contour your body but liposuction alone is not a substitute for weight loss.
Dr. Szczerba can show you, through the use of computer imaging, how your body can look after liposuction removes fat pockets that affect your body contours.
HOW LIPOSUCTION IS PERFORMED
Dr. Szczerba usually performs liposuction in an accredited surgical suite in Chicago, Rosemont or Hoffman Estates. If a very small amount of liposuction is to be performed, such as under the chin or jaw line, sedation anesthesia may be used instead of general anesthesia.
When done correctly, tumescent liposuction, with or without ultrasonic assistance, it is an extremely safe procedure. The fluid contains diluted epinephrine, which profoundly shrinks blood vessels and thereby virtually eliminates blood loss.
Before surgery, Dr. Szczerba carefully marks the areas planned for liposuction with a special surgical marker. He then takes photographs of the marks and goes over the photos with you one last time before surgery to make sure all your areas of concern are addressed.
After anesthesia has been induced, tiny incisions over the planned areas are made to accommodate the cannula that will be used inject the tumescent fluid and to remove the fat. A careful amount of tumescent fluid is injected into the areas of fat, causing the area to become firm with fluid. The fat is then aspirated and the tiny incisions are closed.
RECOVERY FROM LIPOSUCTION
After liposuction, there will likely be some blood-tinged fluid that leaks over the first day or so through the incisions. Occasionally a drain can be placed to remove extra fluid or swelling that the body produces in response to surgery. Normally, any extra fluid is allowed to slowly absorb over several weeks while you are healing.
Dr. Szczerba will discuss the preferred method for your needs at your consultation. He will call you the evening of your procedure to check in, and will see you in the office within 7 days of your liposuction to make sure your recovery is going well. He will require that you wear a special compression garment after your procedure for 2-4 weeks except when showering. Most people find recovery from liposuction to be uneventful, and are able to return to normal activities within only a few days. You should avoid exercise or heavy activity until you clear it with Dr. Szczerba. However, this limitation on your activities is never longer than six weeks.
