By: Christopher Chung, MD

Ask any plastic surgeon whether liposuction or mini tummy tucks count as “minimally-invasive procedures” and he or she should give you a pretty clear “NO.” But that hasn’t stopped some news sources and media outlets from calling lipo and “mini” tummy tucks “minimally invasive.” I want to set the record straight.

Lately, many plastic surgeons in Portland, Oregon and across the country are feeling pressure to offer dramatic adjustments with little to no downtime. The good part of this is that surgeons are working hard to offer excellent results while minimizing the downsides of surgery.

However, surgeons first and foremost have to protect their patients’ safety, while taking care to set realistic expectations. Some surgeons are offering “lunchtime” or “no-downtime” versions of popular procedures, but in my experience very often a minimal approach will achieve minimal benefits. A few quick points:

• Mini tummy tucks in Portland, Oregon can help limit recovery time dramatically, but they are still invasive procedures and are only appropriate for certain patients.
• Small-area liposuction really can be performed over a lunch hour, but even the newer laser lipo methods involve surgery, and a patient needs to treat the recovery period as seriously as she would for any other surgical procedure.

Questions to ask yourself before you choose these procedures:

• “Do I have an open mind about my options?” I think it can be easy for a person to latch onto any type of “packaged” procedure as their “best” option, but in most cases it takes a consultation with a plastic surgeon for a patient to understand their needs and goals clearly. Many times, patients will come to me thinking they need liposuction when a tummy tuck or even body lift is more appropriate, so it’s important to stay open to the possibilities.
• “Have I taken the time to research my surgeon and get more than one opinion on my needs?” All high-quality surgeons take an interest in performing techniques to minimize downtime. But the fact is that some doctors are better than others when it comes to performing surgery using less invasive techniques and minimizing recovery time. When in consultation with surgeons you are considering, be sure to get the specifics on how their techniques can limit surgical time, discomfort, and recovery.

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