Question: How effective is liposuction for a small area, like my ankles?
Dr. Rohrich: Targeted liposuction can be very effective for certain isolated areas where skin tone is good. Most common areas are under the lower arms, neck area, calves and ankles, back and flanks.
For target areas such as these, the surgeon will use a small, fine cannula to reshape and contour the area carefully. Finesse in the use of these smaller instruments is essential, as is experience in the most sophisticated liposuction like ultrasound assisted liposuction.
They key to avoiding an unnatural look is to make sure not to over suction the area and to operate carefully to prevent depressions or deformities. The goal is to gracefully contour the area to make it more shapely and the surgeon’s aesthetic sense plays a major role here.
This surgery is usually performed as an outpatient procedure and patients will wear compression garments for about two weeks after their surgery. These garments will help improve post operative healing and reduce swelling in a uniform manner.
After your surgery, weight gain or loss will usually not effect your results as much as a more traditional circumfential liposuction which can be more dramatic with weight change. However, keeping a stable weight, with change being less than 10 to 15 lbs in either direction, will help to best maintain results and of course innate genetics always plays a major role as well.