Diet and exercise are important to help people stay in good physical shape and health. However, many people have areas of their body that will not improve no matter what they do. These people may benefit from body contouring surgery.

This surgery may help achieve a slimmer figure or a better-proportioned body. In addition, excess breast or body tissue may cause back pain, neck pain, problems buying clothes, and difficulty with daily activities or exercise. Body contouring procedures such as liposuction, abdominoplasty, breast reduction, breast augmentation, and male breast reduction may give you the appearance and lifestyle you desire.

Liposuction is one of the most popular elective cosmetic surgery procedures for both men and women. The results of liposuction can be seen almost immediately and can help boost your confidence in your appearance. Liposuction is more than just cosmetic surgery ­ it is a chance to sculpt your body into the figure and shape you desire.

Liposuction is an elective cosmetic surgical procedure that removes fat by a suction technique. It is better to think of liposuction not as weight removal but as body contouring. Patients are advised not to think in terms of an absolute weight loss but a desired body shape.

In women, the common areas for liposuction are the hips, thighs, stomach, back, flanks, and neck. In males, the common areas are the love handles (male flanks), stomach, chest, and neck.

With diet and exercise you do not have a choice where you lose the fat. When you do lose fat, it is lost in proportion to your total body fat content. Women tend to lose fat from their face and breasts before they lose fat in their thighs or stomach. With liposuction you can choose where you want to lose the fat and what shape you want your body to be.

Age is an unavoidable force. However, with liposuction you can minimize its effects. Body fat increases with age. On average, a 21-year-old male has 13% body fat, but by age 50 the fat content has increased to 26%. A 21-year-old woman has 25% body fat, but by age 50 the fat content increases to 29%. Also, your weight shifts with time and age toward the middle of your body.

With Liposuction, the fat does not come back. Exercise and dieting simply shrinks your fat cells. They are still there. If you stray from your exercise and dieting routine, the weight can easily come back. Liposuction removes the fat cells so the weight will not come back in the suctioned areas.

Liposuction can also offer a psychological boost. Patients often see the immediate results of surgery and are encouraged to continue exercising and dieting.

After pregnancy or weight gain, the abdomen often fails to return to its original shape. When the abdominal tissues are stretched beyond their capacity to return to normal, exercise or diet programs will not work, no matter how hard you try. In these cases, abdominoplasty can provide a long-lasting solution. Abdominoplasty (commonly called a tummy tuck) is a frequently performed procedure used to tighten overly stretched abdominal muscles and remove excess skin and fat. The goal is to achieve a smoother, flatter appearance.

If you're considering abdominoplasty, the following information will provide you with a good introduction to the procedure. For more detailed information about how this procedure may help you, we recommend that you consult Dr. Karp and Dr. Choi who are board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and have extensive experience in this area.

Abdominoplasty can dramatically tighten the abdominal muscles, as well as remove the sagging, excess skin and fat. You will have a firmer/flatter abdomen with better muscle tone.

The amount of improvement depends upon the extent of surgery and your skin tone, body build, and healing process. Most people are happy with the results, and report a better body image after the surgery.

The body lift is performed to remove excess skin and sometimes also fat from the torso and upper legs. It is a complicated procedure that can take three to seven hours under general anesthesia and involves a difficult recovery period of four to six weeks, but it offers an improvement in appearance for patients who have lost significant amounts of weight due to childbearing, diet, exercise or bariatric surgery, or who have loose, inelastic skin for other reasons. The procedure is often combined with others such as breastlifts, facelifts and armlifts to retain a proper body proportion.

» View Before and After Photos

A thigh lift is performed to remove excess skin and fat from the upper legs. Candidates typically suffer from loose, inelastic skin after extreme weight loss due to diet, exercise or bariatric surgery. Because of this, the procedure is often combined with others such as breastlifts, facelifts and armlifts to retain an attractive body proportion.

» View Before and After Photos

Arm Reduction

After substantial weight loss, weight gain or simply from the effects of aging, skin on the upper arms can become inelastic, loose and flabby. Arm lifts, also known as brachioplasty, remove that excess skin and fat. Patients who have significant amounts of fat may want to consider combining the procedure with liposuction.