Liposuction in Memphis, TN, with Dr. Roberto Lachica
Liposuction is a surgical body-contouring procedure that selectively removes unwanted fat deposits to create smoother, more sculpted body lines. While it is not a weight-loss treatment, liposuction permanently eliminates excess fat from targeted areas such as the abdomen, flanks, hips, thighs, arms, and neck. The result is a more refined silhouette with improved definition and symmetry.
To learn more about liposuction, contact The Langsdon Clinic today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Roberto Lachica, a board-certified aesthetic plastic surgeon with over two decades of experience.
How Does Excess Fat Develop?
“Lipo” is short for “lipocyte,” the medical term for a fat cell. When you gain weight, the number of lipocytes in a specific area remains constant, but the individual cells grow larger.
Thanks to biological predisposition, most people store diet- and exercise-resistant fat in specific areas, resulting in concerns such as “saddlebags” in women and “spare tires” in men. These genetically influenced fat patterns are why many people struggle with stubborn bulges despite healthy habits. Liposuction spot-tones these resistant areas by removing the enlarged fat cells.
How Does Liposuction Work?
When performed by an experienced surgeon, liposuction can dramatically improve your body proportions while preserving your natural anatomy and skin integrity. Dr. Lachica performs this surgery by making tiny incisions and using them to suction fat through a thin metal tube called a cannula. Before suctioning, he introduces a tumescent solution that provides anesthesia and reduces bleeding.
He removes more fat from thicker central areas and less from thinner edges to create a smooth, natural contour. Because fat cells excised through this process do not regenerate, results are long-lasting.
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What Are the Different Liposuction Technologies?
Modern liposuction emphasizes precision, safety, and natural contouring – not aggressive fat removal. Dr. Lachica will select the technique that best fits your anatomy and goals, often combining approaches to safely remove varying amounts of fat from different areas.
Tumescent liposuction uses injections of sterile saline mixed with lidocaine (anesthetic) and epinephrine (to minimize bleeding).
- Suction-assisted lipectomy: Uses negative pressure to remove fat.
- Ultrasound-assisted liposuction: Uses ultrasound energy to break down fat cells for easier removal.
- Power-assisted liposuction: Uses a vibrating cannula for efficient, high-volume fat removal.
What Areas Are Commonly Treated with Liposuction?
- Abdomen (“tummy”)
- Flanks (“love handles”)
- Circumferential waistline (“spare tire”)
- Hips/outer thighs (“saddlebags”)
- Outer breasts/back (“bra roll”)
- Inner thighs (“thigh gap”)
- Neck (“turkey wattle”)
Depending on your goals, additional areas may include your arms, knees, and lower back.
What is Fat Transfer?
Dr. Lachica can purify fat removed via liposuction and inject it into another part of your body in a procedure known as autologous fat grafting. The benefits are twofold – the donor area becomes slimmer while the recipient area becomes fuller and more contoured.
Fat transfer offers a natural alternative to implants and fillers, using your tissue for long-lasting volume. Popular examples include buttock augmentation (Brazilian butt lift), breast enhancement, and facial rejuvenation (cheeks, tear troughs, and lips).
What Liposuction Cannot Do
Liposuction is a powerful contouring tool, but it has limitations. It cannot help you lose a massive amount of weight, replace procedures such as a tummy tuck or arm lift, tighten loose or lax skin, or remove visceral fat located behind the abdominal muscles.
Instead, this surgery reshapes areas with stubborn, localized fat that resist diet and exercise. If you have significant skin laxity, Dr. Lachica may recommend combining liposuction with a skin-tightening or excisional procedure to achieve the smoothest, most balanced result.
Am I a Good Candidate for Liposuction?
You may be a great candidate if:
- You have small to moderate pockets of unwanted fat
- You are within 20 to 30 pounds of your ideal weight
- You have firm, elastic skin
- You lead a healthy lifestyle and have realistic expectations
- You are willing to maintain your results by following a practical fitness and nutrition plan
View Gallery
Visit our Before and After Photo gallery to see real patient results at The Langsdon Clinic.
Recovery from Liposuction
Healing from liposuction is typically smooth because the incisions are so small. You’ll need to wear a specially designed compression garment for three to four weeks to reduce swelling and support your new contours. Most patients return to work within one week and resume exercise the following week.
Your recovery will be longer and more complex if you choose to combine liposuction with a more extensive procedure like a tummy tuck. Bruising, swelling, and temporary numbness are normal and gradually improve over several weeks. Your results will continue to refine over three to six months.
What to Expect in Your Consultation with Dr. Lachica
Every patient at The Langsdon Clinic receives a personalized surgical plan based on their aesthetic goals. During your consultation, Dr. Lachica will review your medical history, answer your questions, and ensure you fully understand the procedure, recovery, and expected results.
He will also:
- Evaluate your body shape
- Estimate your BMI
- Assess skin elasticity
- Identify ideal treatment areas
- Discuss realistic outcomes
Why Choose Dr. Lachica at The Langsdon Clinic ?
Dr. Lachica is a board-certified aesthetic plastic surgeon with more than 20 years of experience in performing aesthetic surgery. As a Diplomate of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, his background includes complex reconstruction, microsurgery, and advanced contouring techniques.
He has received multiple peer-selected awards, including Memphis Magazine Top Plastic Surgeons and Castle Connolly America’s Best Plastic Surgeons.
Patients choose Dr. Lachica for his meticulous technique, natural aesthetic results, and commitment to safety. His approach blends anatomical expertise with artistic judgment to create balanced, customized outcomes.
Schedule Your Memphis Plastic Surgery Consultation Today
Contact The Langsdon Clinic today to schedule your private liposuction consultation with Dr. Lachica. You’ll discover why patients seeking plastic surgery choose us time and again – our emphasis on safe, natural, and balanced results.
If you would like to partner with one of the best plastic surgery practices in America, we invite you to call (901) 755-6465 or reach us online today.
Memphis Liposuction FAQs
Dr. Lachica uses general anesthesia for most cases. He treats small, touch-up areas under local, “awake” anesthesia.
Yes! For example, many people opt to pair a tummy tuck with liposuction for three-dimensional abdominal shaping – removing loose skin in the front to create a defined stomach, plus flank liposuction to enhance the hourglass shape. You can also ask to have the fat removed via liposuction transferred into your buttocks, breasts, hips, or face for natural volume enhancement.
Most liposuction surgeries do not result in significant weight loss because liposuction is a shaping procedure. For safety reasons, there are limits to how much weight Dr. Lachica can remove through liposuction – in general, approximately five liters is the upper limit, most of which is fluid.
No. Liposuction will increase dimpling and cause indentations.
All surgeries carry a risk of bleeding and infection, but the odds of these effects are low with liposuction. Unintended aesthetic outcomes may include skin contour abnormalities, overcorrection, and under-correction. Larger-volume liposuction can carry a risk for heart- and lung-related problems, but this risk is usually also low in healthy surgical candidates.
Yes, but they are small, and Dr. Lachica is careful to make them in inconspicuous locations. Areas such as the outer thigh require two incisions. Dr. Lachica can also perform suction through another procedure’s surgical incision, as in suctioning the flanks through a tummy tuck incision.
Liposuction removes fat but does not tighten skin. Patients with good elasticity typically see smooth results. In many cases, an excision procedure such as abdominoplasty may also be advantageous.
Liposuction is a single surgical procedure that definitively and precisely eliminates small, moderate, and even large areas of unwanted fat. Other methods target smaller areas, require multiple sessions, and usually result in under-correction.
Liposuction results are long-lasting because fat cells removed during surgery do not return. You can preserve your improved contours by maintaining a stable weight.
Age is not the primary qualification. Your health, skin quality, and goals will determine your candidacy.
Yes. Many patients notice smoother lines, less bulging, and improved fit in tailored clothing.
When performed by a surgeon with Dr. Lachica’s experience, liposuction will enhance your natural shape without looking overdone.
Remaining fat cells will enlarge, but the treated areas typically stay more proportionate than before surgery.
It is not a requirement but may help reduce swelling and improve comfort for some patients.