What is SAFE Liposuction?

As the summer starts to heat up, many people making their way to the beautiful Florida beaches for some much needed vacation time. However, all of this fun in the sun can unfortunately cause a lot of negative thoughts and body insecurities to rise to the surface. Many women don’t feel as confident in a bathing suit as they would like, and spend valuable time and energy worrying about their appearance instead of enjoying their vacation time. In the era of body positivity, women can also feel pressured to embrace and celebrate their imperfections when the reality is, it’s perfectly normal to for there to be a few things you wish you could change. Fortunately, the power of modern plastic surgery offers safe and effective options for women looking to make impactful and lasting change when diet and exercise just don’t cut it. One of the most popular body contouring procedures today is liposuction, with over 400,000 procedures done each year and climbing! While there many different types of liposuction advertised, this blog post will discuss one of the safest and most reliable methods while answering the common question, “What is SAFE liposuction?”

Let’s start by breaking down the components of SAFE liposuction. SAFE stands for Separation, Aspiration, and Fat Equalization, which are the three basic steps of this method. During the first step, the fat in the areas being targeted is separated from the surrounding tissue. This is accomplished by introducing a sterile “tumescent” solution into the target areas through tiny incisions. This solution helps break up the fat and also contains lidocaine (a local anesthetic) and epinephrine (a blood vessel constrictor) to reduce bleeding and post-op pain. Next, aspiration is performed through the same small incisions by using long cannulas and suctioning out the unwanted fat. During this process, experienced board-certified plastic surgeons like Dr. Traci Temmen are skilled at not only removing the fat deposits in question, but also bringing out natural curves to sculpt an attractive hourglass silhouette. Once this is complete, the final step is fat equalization. During this step, the remaining thin layer of desired fat is equalized or redistributed to create a smooth, natural look. Once this process is complete, the incisions are closed, leaving behind tiny scars that become virtually invisible over time. Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Traci Temmen utilizes the SAFE liposuction technique to ensure beautiful, natural-looking results for her patients with minimal scarring and downtime!

Now that we’ve discussed the mechanics of SAFE liposuction, let’s talk about if you may be a good candidate! In general, good candidates for liposuction are people who are close to their ideal body weight, but with a few stubborn fat deposits that have been resistant to diet and exercise. The areas that are most commonly targeted are the belly, back, and sides, but may also include the thighs, knees, ankles, upper arms, and neck. In addition, good liposuction candidates have good skin quality, meaning that their skin is supple and elastic. Patients with excess loose or sagging skin may benefit more from a procedure that includes skin excision in addition to liposuction, such as a tummy tuck. In addition to these factors, good surgical candidates are non-smokers, have a BMI less than 30, and any medical conditions they have are well-controlled. These criteria help ensure a safe procedure, healthy healing, and a beautiful outcome that the patient is satisfied with.

With swim suit season just around the corner, now is the time to start thinking more seriously about that body-sculpting procedure you’ve been considering! Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Traci Temmen is skilled and experienced at performing liposuction for her patients with consistently stunning results. Patients love seeing their stubborn fat deposits melt away once and for all, and can’t wait to show off their new figure at the pool or in their favorite sundress. To see beautiful examples of real patient transformations, please navigate to the Gallery tab of this website. If you’d like to learn more about if you may be a good candidate for liposuction or any other body-contouring procedure, please call 813-771-6393 to schedule your personal consultation with Dr. Traci Temmen today!