What Is 360° Liposuction?

Posted April 19, 2021 in Body Contouring, Body Lift, Liposuction, True Form Body Contouring®, True Form Tummy Tuck®, Tummy Tuck

By Sherri Roberts

One of the defining characteristics of Dr. Patronella’s True Form Plastic Surgery® approach is his meticulous 360° degree body contouring. With weight gain and loss, aging and pregnancies, an inevitable change in skin tone occurs that affects not only the abdomen, but also the hips, waist, buttocks and thighs.

Dr. Patronella notes, “360-degree contouring is about being attentive to the changes that have occurred not just to the front of the body, but to the back and sides as well. If the skin tone of the abdomen is improved through a tummy tuck, but the hips, waist, and buttocks are neglected, the results will not match the rest of the body. It would create a disconnect. From the front, a person would look very good, but from the back, she/he would appear to be a completely different individual.

To prevent such artificial-looking contrasts, Dr. Patronella employs an assortment of techniques to achieve complete, natural-looking rejuvenation. These include liposuction, fat grafting, and procedures to remove excess skin and tighten sagging tissues.

The 360 Lipo Body Contouring Consultation

Dr. Patronella said, “When I look at a woman’s body during a cosmetic plastic surgery consultation, I’m viewing the body as a whole. For example, a prospective patient may be primarily focused on restoring a firm, flat pre-baby appearance to her abdomen after childbearing, citing loose abdominal skin and/or a tummy pooch as her main aesthetic concerns.

“But if she gained 40 pounds during pregnancy, other areas in addition to the abdomen underwent stretching that resulted in excess skin and sagging. Patients such as this often also have waviness in the outer thighs and hips. I might have them look in the mirror and show them that I can lift the buttocks and outer thighs as well, and it will give them a better overall appearance.

“This is a 3-dimensional concept. The individual may be focused on one thing, but it’s my duty to explain how doing a tummy tuck or other plastic surgery procedure will impact their overall body contour, discussing if adjacent areas should be treated to optimize the overall result. If the person’s goal is to look better in a swimsuit, and they have a roll of fat on their hips, I might fall short of meeting their expectations if this or another area is not addressed in conjunction with the primary concern. It’s my duty to educate them. The results we are trying to achieve will appear more authentic if it’s blended with adjacent areas.

“One of the most obvious examples of this would be to perform a tummy tuck procedure without also giving attention to the waist, so that the abdomen appears flat and markedly improved, but the patient’s love handles are now more noticeable. It would appear unnatural and imbalanced to have a flat toned abdomen and a loose, flabby waist because this does not happen in nature. This scenario would create a disconnect, giving the abdomen a surgical appearance. While the decision ultimately rests in the patient’s realm, it’s my responsibility to review how one procedure can affect an adjacent area that may need contouring for a natural-looking result.

“In my experience, the majority of the women I see in consultations want to know my opinion and tend to have an open attitude to what I perceive and how I can make them look better and more well-balanced overall. As in any artistic endeavor, attention to details such as proportion, composition, and contour lines is necessary to create harmony and the most ideal aesthetic outcome possible.”

What Procedures Can Be Combined with 360° Liposuction?

To give the body a harmonious, proportionate appearance, Dr. Patronella frequently combines one or more of the following procedures.

Liposuction

With liposuction, Dr. Patronella strategically removes fat though a thin cannula to create more ideal contours and proportions. Frequently, he performs liposuction in conjunction with his True Form Tummy Tuck® to slim the waistline. Other common targets for liposuction include the bra line, arms, back, thighs, and knees. While fat removed through liposuction was once routinely discarded, today it’s a valuable sculpting tool in fat transfer procedures (fat grafting) for the face, breasts, and body. View 360° Lipo before and after results photo gallery.

Fat Transfer (Fat Grafting)

Frequently, Dr. Patronella will transfer a patient’s own fat to areas which will benefit from the added volume, according to the look a patient desires. Many opt to have fat transferred to the buttocks to give them a fuller, lifted appearance, aka Brazilian Butt Lift Surgery. Increasingly, women are requesting fat to add curvature to their hips and fill in hip dips, the hollows which can often be seen in the hip/lateral gluteal region. By rounding out the hips (and buttocks, if desired) and slimming the waistline, Dr. Patronella can create the highly sought-after hourglass figure that many women seek.

Body Lift (Buttock Lift)

If excess skin is present, Dr. Patronella may recommend a procedure to remove loose skin and tighten sagging tissues. A lower body lift targets the hips, outer thighs and buttocks and typically is performed in conjunction with a tummy tuck to provide comprehensive rejuvenation of the lower body. With a lower body lift, Dr. Patronella extends the incision for a tummy tuck around to the back. This allows him to excise sagging skin and reposition tissues to give the lower body a firmer, toned appearance.

For patients who are bothered by back rolls, which can be a combination of loose skin and excess fat, a bra-line lift (torsoplasty), can be a good solution to tighten the upper body. This often is combined with brachioplasty (arm lift surgery) to slim the arms by removing hanging arm skin that’s sometimes referred to as “batwings.”

What is the Cost of 360° Liposuction?

The cost of 360º lipo varies depending which areas are targeted and the specific procedures which are performed. During your consultation with Dr. Patronella, the two of you will discuss your aesthetic goals, and he will give you his recommendations to help you achieve the best outcome possible, whether that is liposuction alone or in conjunction with another body contouring procedure. Once you’ve determined the plan, his patient coordinator will provide you with a quote and you can discuss the next step, including preparation for surgery and scheduling a surgery date.

Dr. Patronella: One of the Top

360° Liposuction Surgeons in Houston, Texas

The results of 360 liposuction, particularly when combined with Dr. Patronella’s True Form Tummy Tuck, are often quite dramatic. Dr. Patronella’s ability to envision ideal results for an individual and to achieve them via his extensive surgical expertise have made him one of the top liposuction 360 plastic surgeons in Houston, Texas and the nation. With his outstanding safety record and reputation for creating exceptional results, you can be confident, he will design a plan and deliver results that will help you look your best from every angle. 

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Patronella, please contact us. Dr. Patronella and his team look forward to working with you to help you achieve the look you desire.