Lipedema Treatment Cost

The surgeon during pre-operative consultations will explain everything involved in the lipedema surgery. Your surgeon will talk to you about estimated costs. The primary concern of any dedicated surgeon is to inform their patients about all aspects of a particular procedure so as to help them make a suitable and appropriate decision.

Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta, led by plastic surgeon Dr. Paul McCluskey, provides safe and proven lipedema treatments to patients in Atlanta, Marietta, Georgia, and surrounding locations.

Cost Aspects

Lipedema treatment costs can be impacted by several factors. This can cause the cost of treatment to differ between practices and even patients getting the treatment at the same practice. Key factors influencing procedural costs include:

Treatment area size

Cost of procedure is more when the amount of fat and the surface area to be treated are substantial. Patients with lipedema usually require multiple treatment sessions for eliminating the right amount of adipose tissue deposits. Overall sticker price may increase if the patient has complicated additional medical issues.

Technique chosen

Tumescent technique does not involve general anesthesia. If your surgeon chooses this technique, you can save on the cost of an anesthesiologist. Power assisted liposuction tends to cost more because of the use of advanced devices.

Expertise of the surgeon

Fee charged by experienced and qualified surgeons are more as compared to those that are relatively inexperienced or less qualified. You should know that inexperienced surgeons work under the supervision of another senior surgeon. You should choose your treatment provider after evaluating their professional experience and qualifications.

Practice location

Practices located in main metropolitan areas or busy urban centers have higher overhead and real estate costs. This is the reason for procedural costs at these facilities to be higher as compared to the ones located in smaller interior towns.

Elements of the Financial Implications

You should consider all elements of cost while estimating lipedema procedure costs. You should not ignore post-operative expenses that may seem minor. These are a few elements included in the overall monetary amount of the procedure:

• Surgical venue cost
• Anesthesia cost
• Pre- and post-operative medical tests
• Surgeon’s charges
• Prescription drugs
• Post-op appointments at the doctor’s office
• Compression garment

Patients should ideally choose to work with a surgeon that conforms to their needs. Financial factors, such as the fee charged, should come in secondary in their decision.

Lipedema Treatment May Not be Covered Under Insurance

Insurance companies use various reasons for denying coverage despite the seriousness of the concern. Tumescent liposuction of fat cells is a common, effective, and minimally invasive treatment. It also addresses pain, disfigurement, and immobility as a result of lipedema. Unfortunately, all liposuction treatments are viewed by some insurance providers as ‘cosmetic’.

Cosmetic treatments don’t always relate to health and are associated with appearance. Most insurers don’t cover cosmetic treatments. Some insurers may attempt to deny claims even though lipedema is associated with disability and pain. They could use the relationship between cosmetic appearance and liposuction.

Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Paul McCluskey receives patients from Atlanta, Marietta, Georgia, and nearby areas for innovative and advanced lipedema surgery procedures.

Contact Marietta, Georgia Plastic Surgeon Dr. Paul McCluskey at the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta for a Consultation

For more information on procedures and treatments offered by Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Paul McCluskey and the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta, visit:

• • psiatlanta.com
  • sexualaesthetics.com
  • lipedemaspecialist.com

Serving patients in and around Marietta, Atlanta, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, Buckhead, Morningside/Lenox Park, Virginia-Highland, Candler Park, Midtown, Inman Park, Poncey-Highland, Ormewood Park, Georgia and other surrounding areas.

Lipedema

Patients with lipedema tend to have disproportionately overweight lower bodies as compared to the upper halves. However, no lipedema patient is really ‘typical’. Abnormal fat accumulation is the only obvious symptom of this condition. Symptoms could change and worsen with time since it is progressive in nature.

Therefore, it is best to get the right treatment for lipedema as soon as possible to avoid further complications. Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta (PSI), led by plastic surgeon Dr. Paul McCluskey, provides lipedema treatments to patients in Atlanta, Marietta, Georgia, and surrounding communities.

Understanding the Symptoms of Classic Lipedema

The classic presentation of lipedema is a woman with a regular upper body and a disproportionately fat lower half of the body. However, there is more to this. There are several variants to lipedema. Symptoms of this disease depend on the progression and where the patient suffers from any other medical conditions.

These are a few classic symptoms of this condition:

• Lipedema almost always occurs in women exclusively. However, it may occur in men with liver disease or hormonal imbalance in some cases.
• Lower half of the body gets affected in this condition. The condition presents itself as excessive fat accumulation in the lower half of the body. Lipedema starts at the top of the bones at the waist or iliac crest. People with an obese upper body may not suffer from lipedema but some other condition. However, lipedema may affect the arms in some people as well, especially the upper arms.
• Feet and ankles are not affected in this condition. Feet can be affected by a secondary swelling even though they don’t accumulate fat. You may notice a collar of fat right above the ankles.
• Fat accumulation in lipedema is symmetrical. Both sides of the body get affected as with regular weight gain. There is no common pattern to fat accumulation in this condition. Legs may appear lumpy or like columnar trunk. Fat deposits may also appear right below the knee.
• Fat may feel painful and abnormal. Fat areas because of lipedema tend to be tender and are easy to bruise. Fat deposits may be painful for no reason. Skin may develop a less elastic feeling as well.

Lipedema Symptoms can be Complicated

Lipedema may affect men in certain cases. This is not a static but a progressive condition. Disease symptoms typically start out as mild and gradually worsen or change if preventative steps are not taken. It can be difficult to differentiate early lipedema from simple weight gain in healthy individuals.

However, advanced lipedema stages can be easily characterized by the development of unique features. This includes symptoms of lymphedema, a chronic swelling condition. Stage of presentation plays a significant role in the ease of the correct diagnosis of lipedema changes.

As the disease progresses, the symptoms of lipedema may also change. Excessive fat accumulation along with insufficiency of a progressive lymphatic system is seen at advanced stages. Secondary lymphedema may be induced by the damage.

This may also cause fluid accumulation in the area. Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Paul McCluskey receives patients from Atlanta, Marietta, Georgia, and nearby areas for lipedema surgery.

Contact Marietta, Georgia Plastic Surgeon Dr. Paul McCluskey at the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta for a Consultation

For more information on procedures and treatments offered by Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Paul McCluskey and the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta, visit:

• • psiatlanta.com
  • sexualaesthetics.com
  • lipedemaspecialist.com

Serving patients in and around Marietta, Atlanta, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, Buckhead, Morningside/Lenox Park, Virginia-Highland, Candler Park, Midtown, Inman Park, Poncey-Highland, Ormewood Park, Georgia and other surrounding areas.

Lipedema

Lipedema causes abnormal fat accumulation in specific areas of the body as a chronic condition. The fat gets accompanied by fluid swelling. Lipedema may eventually culminate into lymphedema because of other changes. Fortunately, safe and proven surgical treatments are now available to address this condition and restore desirable contours.

Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta (PSI), led by plastic surgeon Dr. Paul McCluskey, provides lipedema treatments to patients in Atlanta, Marietta, Georgia, and surrounding locations.

Lipedema Causes

Underlying cause of lipedema is not known. Generally, symptoms may begin to arise during puberty. However, they may also occur during menopause and pregnancy. It is possible for lipedema to be triggered because of other significant hormonal changes.

Lipedema also implies a connection between the hormonal changes and their onset. This is not surprising when you consider the role of estrogen, progesterone, and other female hormones in normal fat deposition. Adipocytes and fat cells have estrogen receptors that direct cell behavior.

There is a strong hereditary component to lipedema which is why some women get it and others do not. More than 15% women with lipedema usually have a family history.

What Makes Lipedema Worse?

Fluid circulation appears to be abnormal in patients with lipedema. This can promote swelling. Blood vessels that feed fat deposits are known to be leaky and fragile in women with lipedema. This suggests that fat tissue in lipedema patients is prone to accumulating fluids.

Skin of individuals with lipedema tends to have less elasticity. This again enhances their susceptibility to increased fluid accumulation. This is because tension created by skin elasticity applies pressure on the underlying tissue. This pressure may cause fluid to enter into the lymphatic system. It may also cause the fluid to pump through the venous system because of muscle contraction.

A core driver of lipedema is an inability of the fat tissue to maintain fluid balance. This is one of the reasons why lipedema is usually observed in the lower body as compared to the upper one.

More Pressure in Lower Body Fat

Fat tissue in the lower body is under more pressure for maintaining fluid balance as compared to the upper body. This makes the lower body more susceptible to swelling. Gravity adds to the accumulation of fluid in the lower half of the body, especially in the fat tissue. This enhances demand on the lymphatic and venous systems for draining fluid from the area.

Fluid accumulation because of gravity is one of the reasons why people with healthy lymphatic and blood vessels can have swelling in their feet during the night or when they are standing and sitting for a prolonged time.

This means that fat tissue in the lower half of the body is disproportionately prone to fluid accumulation. Patients with lipedema have abnormalities in fluid circulation. This can enhance their swelling.

This would also mean that patients that have lipedema are more prone to fluid accumulation in the legs as opposed to their upper bodies. Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Paul McCluskey receives patients from Atlanta, Marietta, Georgia, and nearby areas for lipedema surgery.

Contact Marietta, Georgia Plastic Surgeon Dr. Paul McCluskey at the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta for a Consultation

For more information on procedures and treatments offered by Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Paul McCluskey and the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta, visit:

• • psiatlanta.com
  • sexualaesthetics.com
  • lipedemaspecialist.com

Serving patients in and around Marietta, Atlanta, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, Buckhead, Morningside/Lenox Park, Virginia-Highland, Candler Park, Midtown, Inman Park, Poncey-Highland, Ormewood Park, Georgia and other surrounding areas.

Lipedema 

Lipedema is a form of chronic medical condition. It is characterized by the buildup of fat or adipose tissue in the arms and legs in a symmetrical fashion. Lipedema is an under-recognized but common disorder. It causes swelling, pain, and easy bruising. Generally, the condition is accompanied by unusual texture of the fat. It may feel like peas, rice, or walnuts beneath the skin’s surface.

It is possible for the intensity of the pain to range from severe to none. The frequency of pain can be constant, occur when the fat gets pushed, or be intermittent in nature. Symptoms can easily get exacerbated because of limited public awareness of the condition coupled with limited research-backed treatment options. In fact, it may result in emotional distress and physical pain as well.

Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta (PSI), led by plastic surgeon Dr. Paul McCluskey, provides lipedema (fluid in the fat) to patients in Atlanta, Marietta , Georgia, and surrounding locations.

Lipedema Affects Women More

Lipedema literally means fluid in fatty tissues. It is sometimes also called as the painful fat disorder. Excessive fat deposits are caused on the thighs, legs, upper arms, and buttocks. The condition is mostly seen in women.

Lipedema affected women tend to feel like they have two bodies. They would have a typical chest, abdomen and upper body. However, the lower half of their body would be out of proportion with their upper half. These women have difficulty finding clothes as well since the body type is of two different people.

Lipedema begins:

• When a woman first starts to menstruate
• During pregnancy
• When the woman ages (because of hormone therapy)

Doctors first identified cases of lipedema way back in the 40s. However, experts are still clueless about what causes it. The condition tends to run in families compelling experts to believe that the cause may be gene related.

Treatments for Lipedema

There are a few treatments and lifestyle changes that can help this condition:

• Diet: Fat deposit growth can be slowed by having a heart healthy diet.
• Exercise: Swimming, walking, and biking can reduce painful symptoms.
• Compression garments: Tight garments can help in achieving relief.
• Occupational or physical therapy: Manual lymphatic drainage therapy can help.

Tumescent Liposuction for Lipedema

Tumescent liposuction plastic surgery can help in reducing the build-up of fatty adipose tissues that are associated with lipedema. This type of liposuction involves removing unwanted fat through a cannula or tube.

The area is numbed first through a liquid solution. This also helps in reduce blood loss. Tumescent liposuction is an effective procedure with respectable results. However, several sessions may be required for removing fat from different bodily areas. In addition, it is possible that fatty swelling may return if you gain weight.

You may still need to carry on with noninvasive treatments after the tumescent liposuction. For instance, you may need to wear compression garments following the surgery for preventing complications. Cosmetic surgeon Dr. Paul McCluskey receives patients from Atlanta, Marietta, Georgia, and nearby areas for lipedema (fluid in the fat cells) surgery.

Contact Marietta, Georgia Plastic Surgeon Dr. Paul McCluskey at the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta for a Consultation

For more information on procedures and treatments offered by Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Paul McCluskey and the Plastic Surgery Institute of Atlanta, visit:

• • psiatlanta.com
  • sexualaesthetics.com
  • lipedemaspecialist.com

Serving patients in and around Marietta, Atlanta, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, Buckhead, Morningside/Lenox Park, Virginia-Highland, Candler Park, Midtown, Inman Park, Poncey-Highland, Ormewood Park, Georgia and other surrounding areas.