Large-volume liposuction is sometimes done as the first stage of body re-contouring, especially in patients who still have large deposits of fat in multiple areas, even after losing 100 pounds or more. In such cases, there is too much fatty bulk to achieve the best possible result with a circumferential body lift, which primarily addresses excess sagging skin.
To solve this problem, large-volume liposuction (LVL) is used to de-bulk the excess fat so that lifting procedures performed later will be more effective. Your surgeon will be able to determine whether your results from a circumferential body lift will be markedly improved if you undergo large-volume liposuction first. Sometimes LVL can re-contour body areas sufficiently so that an excisional surgery is either not necessary or is less extensive.
Large-volume liposuction is usually done as a separate procedure, but standard liposuction of smaller volumes can be combined with various types of lifts. For example, liposuction of the thighs or the arms and upper back may be done in the same surgery as a circumferential body lift. For safety reasons, we generally do not perform liposuction in the same body area where tissue will be excised.
