Q & A with Dr. Levens

Dear Dr. Levens: I gained quite a bit of weight over the recent holidays and would like to get it off quickly. It's mostly in my hip and stomach areas. I hate to diet. Can liposuction take the weight off for me and return me to my pre-Thanksgiving figure? --LM

Dear LM: When desiring to lose weight, liposuction should never be considered an alternative to healthy dieting and exercise. For a variety of health reasons, it is recommended that patients be at or near their ideal weight before having any surgery, including liposuction. In most cases, liposuction does not create great weight loss. Rather, it helps reshape the body by removing stubborn deposits of fat from specific areas, such as the stomach, hips, thighs or buttocks. Once the fat cells are removed, fat will not accumulate in the same areas again. But with weight gain, fat will appear in different areas of the body, causing a new set of problems.

Dear Dr. Levens: My hands seem to be aging faster than the rest of me...the skin in very wrinkled and I have lots of dark spots. Can cosmetic surgery improve this? ---TD

Dear TD: It is possible to perform cosmetic surgery on the hands, but few patients want to invest the time and money for such surgery, unless the problem is truly disfiguring. Non-invasive treatments such as chemical peels and lasers can produce lightening of dark spots on the hands, though multiple treatments are needed. Soft tissue injections such as Restylane or collagen can be used to reduce visible wrinkling.

Dear Dr. Levens: How do I know if I need a liposuction on my stomach or a tummy tuck? ---ME

Dear ME: You'll need to be examined by the plastic surgeon to know for sure, but here are some guidelines. If you have a belly bulge, but good abdominal muscle tone and no excess, hanging skin, liposuction might be the right choice. It can reduce fat in the area, prevent fat from accumulating in the same place in the future and it is a much less invasive procedure than a tummy tuck. However, if you have weak muscle tone and hanging skin, which is usually the case after pregnancy or major weight loss, you'll need a tummy tuck. During the surgery, the abdominal muscles are tightened and excess skin is removed. Sometimes, liposuction is performed at the same time to remove excess fat and sculpt the entire area.

Dear Dr. Levens: I am 50 years old and about 40 pounds overweight. My upper eyelids have gotten very full and saggy. Do I need surgery for this or will the fullness decrease if I lose weight? --GR

Dear GR: The upper eyelids are a part of the face least likely to be impacted by weight loss. Weight loss can cause saggy skin in the face or neck, but saggy skin in the eyelids is almost always caused by aging, or maybe somewhat hereditary, but it is not primarily weight related. During eyelid surgery, incisions are placed in the fold of the upper eyelid to make them inconspicuous. Excess skin is then conservatively removed from the upper eyelids. If excess fatty tissue is producing bulges, then that tissue can be carefully removed to produce a natural lid appearance.

(Dr. Levens' monthly column is carried by the Coral Springs Forum newspaper.)