Atlanta Liposuction and the Jones/Illouz Liposculpture Technique

Liposuction has been the most common plastic surgery procedure for years. Many qualified and, unfortunately, lesser qualified surgeons perform a variety of modified techniques with variable results. Comparison studies show no significant differences in results based on which type of device is used. Instead, the experience, skills, and the diligence of the surgeon determine the quality of the outcome. This is why Dr. Jones is confident about his skills and enjoys an unprecedented lack of any complications or need for touch-ups with his patients.

Liposuction was invented in France by Dr. Yves Illouz in the late seventies and early eighties. It gained popularity in the United States in the mid-eighties. During the time that Dr. Illouz was defining and refining liposuction methodologies, tumescence, fat injection, and fat grafting, Dr. Jones studied under him as a Fulbright scholar. Immediately, this exceptional learning experience promoted Dr. Jones to become one of the world’s experts in lipo sculpting when he returned to Stanford University and began teaching these new techniques.

Since this extraordinary beginning over twenty years ago, Dr. Jones has continued to develop and refine the art of liposculpture. He has synthesized the best and the safest methods with his skill - requiring innovations in his Jones/Illouz liposculpture technique. This approach optimizes body contouring, minimizes postoperative swelling, pain, and need for corrections, and maximizes safety. The approach uses a combination solid probe ultrasonic liposuction with traditional instrumentation and techniques that are safe and dependable.

Candidates for Liposculpture

Each body sculpting is different, because each human body is unique. Also, the outcome desires vary. However, the stubborn pockets of fat tend to accumulate in predictable areas of the body. We all have seen and heard about “love handles” and “saddle bags.” The following three illustrations show the typical areas where fat tends to collect (marked in red), especially in women. This fat tissue is generally removable.

Dr. Jones is diligent in customizing each liposuction surgery for the utmost of his patients. He is confident with his methodologies and has mastered tailoring them to the unique needs of each patient, a key aspect of the Jones/Illouz approach.

Practically speaking, the Jones/Illouz liposculpture can be used on anyone to reduce fat content, but it works better on some individuals than others. There are at least five important aspects to keep in mind when considering the effectiveness of the procedure.

First, it is not a cure for obesity. Addressing obesity requires evaluating some additional medical and other procedures and options. Liposuction is only one of them.

Second, the Jones/Illouz liposculpture works well in reshaping individual areas of the body that are disproportionate to the rest of the body. For example, a woman with normal figure but unusually large thighs is an excellent candidate for liposuction. Also, a woman with excessive fat on her hips, yet the rest of the body relatively normal, is a great candidate for a successful liposuction.

Third, body sculpting generally works best in the central body and the pelvic area. The results are not always a showcase at the extremities such as in the hands or the feet.

Fourth, the degree of the patient’s skin elasticity and quality of skin tone determines how much fatty tissue can be removed without jeopardizing the smoothness of the skin after the procedure. The more elastic and better toned the skin is, the more fat can be removed without ending up with a wavy surface skin.

Finally, there is a fundamental principle of liposuction, a secret that most plastic surgeons know but few have mastered. It is not so much what is removed that is important, but what is left behind. The key to success is to leave both a surface and a deep layer of fat to preserve the blood vessels, lymphatics, and the nerves. Healing takes place within that fat layer through those structures. Applying this principle appropriately is learned through experience and practice. Dr. Jones was privileged to start working with the master and the inventor of liposuction, Dr. Illouz, and then to continue refining his skills for over 20 years.

The Jones/Illouz Liposculpture Approach

There are many liposuction techniques and special equipment available, with ever catchier names and variations of the numerous methods. They include SmartLipo, VASER liposuction, ultrasonic, laser, external ultrasound, thermage, and power-assisted liposuction. Dr. Jones has not been impressed or swayed by any of these approaches relying on special equipment. He has read study after study confirming that the significant differentiator in the results in not the device, but the surgeon. Lipo sculpting appears to be a discipline where hi-tech cannot substitute for a manually skilled, experienced, and knowledgeable surgeon. For his surgical device, Dr. Jones chooses to use a classic combination a solid-probe and Illouzian liposuction equipment that provide safe, consistent, measurable, and predictable results. An expert use of solid probe cannulas helps to decrease pain, to minimize bleeding and bruising, and to stimulate skin tightening for optimum look in the end.

Overall, the Jones/Illouz liposculpture technique is straightforward and adheres to Dr. Illouz’s ten commandments of liposuction. However, in applying it, the surgeon must possess wisdom and good judgment in making the many decisions before and during the surgery to complete each tailored approach for each individual patient. This kind of reasoning comes only from experience, which Dr. Jones has for certain.

Dr. Jones gives a preoperative calming pill to all patients. Gradually, the patient becomes sleepy and is put to sleep in a hospital/outpatient surgical center before the surgical numbing process begins. Dr. Jones then marks the areas of the body to be sculptured right before the surgery. No patient is made to stand cold and naked to be painted with Betadine. For the surgery, Dr. Jones implements “double drugs for double numbing,” one for the short-term and the other for the longer term. The patient wakes up after the surgery is over and the garments have been applied. Dr. Jones’s approach minimizes postoperative discomfort and pain.

Dr. Jones places tiny 2-3 mm puncture-like incisions in hidden creases and wrinkle lines on the fatty area. These incisions are practically undetectable once healed. Early during the case, he also inserts fluids for lubrication and anesthetizes the surgery areas. Dr. Jones often implements both the open and the closed liposuction, complementing the two with solid probe ultrasound/laser. A skilled and experienced surgeon, Dr. Jones is able to preserve the lymphatic system and emphasize immediate control on bleeding during surgery, which is key to preventing post-operative fluid buildup. Special post operative compression garments are the only gear needed to help patient recover from the surgery. Dr. Jones; however, does not need to use drains, a key advantage of his approach.

Recovery takes 1-2 hours, and the postoperative care is relatively simple. As mentioned before, Dr. Jones’s approach minimizes the pain and fluid buildup after surgery. However, there may be some small amount of leakage of the watery tumescent fluid for 36 hours as the garments compress the fatty areas. This is normal. It is not important to eat after the surgery, but drinking fluids is crucial to prevent dehydration. Water and Gatorade work most effectively.

Advantages of the Jones/Illouz Liposculpture Technique

Rare redo’s. Dr. Jones performs his surgeries such that rarely are redo’s necessary. Nationally, redo rates vary between 15 and 30 percent. Dr. Jones has only done a few since 1987, which he credits to his excellent training, attention to detail, and relentless diligence during surgery.

Maximum safety. Dr. Jones has minimized the risks of infection, bleeding, and blood clots with his excellent surgery techniques. He has had no significant complications for over 30 years, an unprecedented record in the business. Dr. Jones also leaves a healthy layer of fat both on the surface and under the first layers to preserve the key blood vessels, lymphatics, and the nerves. Healing takes place within those fat layers and through those structures, facilitating wholesome healing after the surgery.

Minimum Pains. Dr. Jones takes advantage of his expertise in anesthesia, surgery techniques, and after care to minimize the pain and trauma during and after the operation. Using anesthesia to pre-empt pain is both scientific chemistry and an art form. From his physiologic studies at Oxford University in England, Dr. Jones learned the fundamentals of taking advantage of different local anesthetics. He uses a certain combination of anesthetics to cover the entire spectrum of pains expected over the surgery and afterwards. Some act quickly and on the spot, whereas others over time, translating the pain into soreness, a more tolerable condition for the patient than a sharp, cutting pain. Dr. Jones’s expert surgery techniques discussed above help minimize bruising, swelling, and trauma. After surgery, Dr. Jones applies special postoperative layered garments that help minimize swelling, ease mobility, and speed up healing.

Your Next Steps

A consultation with Dr. Jones is easily the best and the most accurate way to learn more about liposculpting most suitable for you. Dr. Jones will discuss your concerns with you and explain the options to consider. He will work with you to determine a surgical plan that best suits your needs to create the results you desire.

Please call Dr. Jones to schedule a consultation or for more information about the Jones/Illouz liposculpture technique.

CAUTIONARY NOTE

Liposuction is safe—when performed by experienced surgeons. It is important that you use a surgeon who is fully qualified to perform these procedures to minimize the risk of complications. For example, even the inventor of liposuction, Dr. Illouz, initially trained non-plastic surgeons to perform this procedure,. However, he learned later that many of the first reported patient deaths from the surgery were from those surgeons that were not qualified plastic surgeons. Unlike what some claim, liposuction is a real surgical procedure with real potential complications. Maneuvering the thin cannula in the body requires the operator to know the precise location and shape of the surrounding body parts and how they are positioned as the patient lays on the operating table. Accidents happen when an inexperienced surgeon punctures a body part in a way that harms its life-giving function. Unfortunately, many board certified surgeons are not board certified in plastic surgery, yet perform these procedures. While some may do a satisfactory, or even an excellent job, based on comparison studies, the patient’s risk of complications is higher with those surgeons not board certified in plastic surgery.

You may “test” whether a potential surgeon is qualified to perform the liposuction by requesting the procedure to be performed in an accredited hospital. An accredited hospital usually checks each surgeon’s background for qualifications for the procedure. If the surgeon cannot or will not perform the surgery at a hospital, then you should be wary. The complications from non qualified surgeons in an office setting have been reported to be more than a hundred times greater than those in an accredited hospital.

You can also check the listing for board certified plastic surgeons at the American Board of Plastic Surgery website.