Liposuction in Nashville, TN, With Dr. Cash
Liposuction is a minimally invasive procedure to remove pockets of excess fat.
Liposuction is a versatile body contouring procedure that removes stubborn fat pockets that remain even when you are near your ideal weight. The goal is to slim and reshape your body, improving your contours and balancing your proportions for a more attractive, proportional appearance. Liposuction can be used to trim excess fat from almost anywhere on your body, including your abdomen, hips, thighs, buttocks, upper arms, and under your chin.
Rather than simply removing fat, liposuction is used to refine your silhouette and create smoother transitions between areas such as the waist, flanks, thighs, and arms. These localized bulges are often hormonally or genetically driven, which is why they tend to resist diet and exercise. When performed on patients with good skin elasticity, the skin can retract more smoothly over the new contours, helping you avoid sagging or laxity and enhancing your overall shape.
Liposuction can also be paired with fat transfer to further enhance your appearance. In this combination, some of the fat removed with liposuction is processed for injection into a part of your body where more volume is desired, such as the breasts, buttocks, or face.
To learn more about how liposuction can refine your body contours and address stubborn fat pockets, contact Nashville Plastic Surgery today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Michael Cash. Dr. Cash is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) and has the training and expertise to perform complex reconstructive surgery and customized cosmetic procedures with remarkably natural‑looking results.
Why Choose Dr. Cash for Liposuction?
At Nashville Plastic Surgery, our mission is to treat you with respect, help you make informed decisions, and provide the highest level of care in a safe, professional environment. Dr. Michael Cash specializes in body contouring procedures such as breast augmentation, tummy tuck, and liposuction, along with a full range of breast and facial surgeries.
Liposuction is a cosmetic surgery that uses only small incisions, but the quality of your results depends heavily on the surgeon performing your procedure. Ample experience with body contouring and a deep understanding of skin elasticity, fat distribution, and proportions are essential for safe, natural‑looking outcomes. You should always choose a surgeon who is board‑certified through the ABPS), the only valid plastic surgery board certification, and Dr. Michael Cash has earned this credential.
Dr. Cash listens carefully and takes a personalized approach rather than relying on a one‑size‑fits‑all technique. Dr. Cash is skilled in a range of body contouring procedures, including liposuction, tummy tuck, mommy makeover, and arm lift | thigh lift, and tailors each treatment plan to the individual. As one of the best cosmetic surgeons in Nashville, he will explain what you can realistically expect, review risks and costs, and help you feel confident and informed at every step.
Schedule a consultation to discuss your goals with Dr. Cash and learn whether liposuction is the right option for you.
Why Might I Consider Liposuction in Nashville with Dr. Cash?
Liposuction targets the stubborn fat pockets that do not respond to healthy eating and regular exercise, even when you are close to your ideal weight. These localized bulges can make clothing fit poorly, disrupt your proportions, or draw attention in photos, even if the rest of your body looks lean and fit. Liposuction can flatten a double chin, trim your waistline, and reduce excess fat from your thighs, upper arms, or other problem areas for more balanced body contouring.
You might consider liposuction if you:
- Feel bothered by specific bulges or “trouble spots” rather than overall weight
- Are near a healthy, stable weight but still see persistent fat in certain areas
- Want to enhance muscle definition or refine your silhouette for a smoother, more proportional look
Areas commonly treated with liposuction include the:
- Abdomen
- Chest and back
- Hips and thighs
- Upper arms
- Buttocks
- Calves and ankles
- Chin and neck
- Breasts (especially for men with gynecomastia)
Liposuction is also frequently combined with other procedures to enhance body contouring. It is often included as part of a tummy tuck to refine the waist, and can improve the results of breast augmentation or breast reduction by sculpting surrounding areas for a more harmonious result.
Even patients who eat well and exercise regularly can struggle with localized bulges that are out of proportion with the rest of their bodies. These stubborn fat pockets often appear in the lower abdomen, love handles, bra line area, inner and outer thighs, upper arms, or under the chin. Liposuction selectively removes these excess fat deposits to smooth bulges, sharpen definition, and help your body look more balanced from every angle.
Schedule a consultation to meet Dr. Cash and talk through your goals for liposuction and overall body contouring.
What Happens in a Liposuction Procedure?
When you arrive for your liposuction
procedure, the treatment area is first numbed with local anesthetic, and you
may also receive sedation for comfort. In some cases, liposuction is performed
under general anesthesia, depending on the number and size of the areas being
treated and your overall health. Once you are comfortable, Dr. Cash makes
small, carefully placed incisions and inserts a thin tube called a cannula to
break up and remove fat.
Different liposuction techniques are defined by how the fat is
loosened before it is suctioned out:
- Different liposuction techniques are defined by how the fat is loosened before it is suctioned out:
- Ultrasound assisted liposuction (UAL) uses ultrasound energy to liquefy fat cells.
- Laser assisted liposuction (LAL) uses laser energy to break up fat tissue.
- Power assisted liposuction (PAL) uses a rapidly vibrating cannula to disrupt fat deposits with less manual force.
There are various liposuction methods, each with advantages depending on the area being treated and your tissues. Dr. Cash chooses the technique or combination of techniques best suited to safely remove stubborn fat pockets while protecting surrounding structures and supporting smooth body contouring.
A liposuction procedure typically takes between 1 and 3 hours, based on how much fat is being removed and from how many locations. After a short period in recovery, you can go home once you are fully alert, but you will need a responsible adult to drive you and stay with you for at least the first night.
If you are ready to explore liposuction and other body contouring options, schedule a consultation with Dr. Cash.
At Nashville Plastic Surgery, our mission is to treat you with the utmost respect, help you make an educated decision, and provide you with the finest medical services in a safe and professional environment.
Dr. Cash, our board-certified plastic surgeon, specializes in breast augmentation, tummy tuck, liposuction, and more. Schedule a consultation today to learn more!
Am I a Good Candidate for Liposuction?
Dr. Cash can determine whether you are a good candidate for liposuction during your in‑person consultation. You may be a good candidate if you:
- Are unhappy with specific parts of your body because of stubborn, diet‑ and exercise‑resistant pockets of fat
- Are close to (within about 20 to 30lbs) your ideal weight and maintain a stable lifestyle
- Are in generally good health and a non‑smoker, or able to stop smoking as directed
- Have reasonably firm, elastic skin that can adapt to your new contours after fat removal
During your consultation, Dr. Cash examines your areas of concern, evaluates fat distribution, and assesses your skin elasticity. If your skin is loose, he may recommend combining liposuction with a skin‑tightening procedure, such as a tummy tuck or arm lift | thigh lift, to avoid sagging and achieve smoother body contouring.
It is important to understand that liposuction is a body‑contouring procedure, not a weight‑loss method. Liposuction removes moderate, localized fat deposits from targeted areas and is not designed to remove large amounts of fat over broad regions or to treat obesity. The best candidates have realistic expectations, understand the risks, and are committed to maintaining their results with a healthy lifestyle.
To find out if liposuction is right for your body and goals, contact Nashville Plastic Surgery to schedule a personalized evaluation.
What Can I Expect During Liposuction Recovery?
You will need some downtime at home after liposuction to rest and allow your body to heal. Swelling, bruising, and mild to moderate soreness are normal in the first days and weeks. To minimize swelling and support your new contours, you will likely wear compression garments or bandages, and temporary drains may be placed to allow excess fluid to exit. Any discomfort can be managed with pain medication prescribed or recommended by Dr. Cash.
Most patients take a few days off from work and other routine responsibilities, depending on the extent of their body contouring. Light walking is encouraged soon after surgery to support circulation, but strenuous activity and heavy lifting should be avoided until Dr. Cash clears you. He will provide detailed recovery instructions, let you know when to return for follow‑up visits, and explain how to reach the office if you have questions or concerns.
As swelling gradually subsides over several weeks, your new body contours will become more visible. Areas that once held stubborn fat pockets typically look smoother and better defined, and many patients notice clothing fits more comfortably at the waist, hips, and thighs. With stable weight and good skin health, liposuction results can be long‑lasting, and removed fat cells do not return to the treated areas.
To discuss what your individual recovery might look like, schedule a consultation with Dr. Cash.
Schedule Your Nashville Liposuction Consultation
If you are frustrated by stubborn fat pockets that do not match the rest of your body or feel that changes in skin elasticity are hiding your natural shape, liposuction may be an excellent solution. Dr. Cash uses advanced liposuction and body contouring techniques to sculpt a smoother, more balanced silhouette while keeping your results natural‑looking and tailored to you.
Contact Nashville Plastic Surgery online or call (615) 454‑2271 to schedule your liposuction consultation with Dr. Cash. During your visit, he will examine you, discuss your goals, review your options, and recommend the safest, most effective approach for your unique anatomy and lifestyle. Patients throughout metro Nashville and Middle Tennessee choose him for his surgical skill, aesthetic eye, and warm, attentive care.
FAQs for Liposuction | Dr. Michael Cash
The cost of your liposuction in Nashville, TN depends upon a variety of factors, including the area that you want to treat. After holding a thorough discussion with you, Dr. Cash and our team will give you a detailed breakdown of costs so that you can make an informed decision about your liposuction according to your finances.
Liposuction is performed under general or local anesthesia, which means that during the procedure itself, you should not expect any pain. But similar to other surgeries, you may feel soreness around the treatment site after the anesthetics have worn off. By taking medications and following postoperative instructions provided to you by Dr. Cash, you can manage your pain during the recovery process. This post-surgical soreness should dissipate a few days after your surgery.
Liposuction is a versatile procedure that can be performed on various areas of your figure. This includes your chin, neck, abdomen, chest, back, upper arms, hips, buttocks, thighs, calves, and ankles. Depending upon your goals, you can have liposuction in multiple areas during a single surgery. After your initial consultation, Dr. Cash can suggest which areas of your figure will be best treated with liposuction.
How much is Liposuction?
Swelling after liposuction is common and it can often take several months to see the final result. However, immediately after the procedure you will have a postoperative compression garment and foam padding to place pressure on the area to help with the swelling. This garment should be worn for several weeks after the operation. The small incision holes will have stitches in them that will be removed the following week. We ask patients to wait 2 weeks before getting in a bathtub, pool or hot tub while those heal.
Exercise should be limited to light walking for the first few weeks with a gradual increase in physical activity.
Fat does not weigh a significant amount and while people often appear that they have lost a lot of weight, in fact they may have only lost a few pounds overall. Removing the fat in the right areas can quickly change how thin someone looks, how well clothes fit, or how comfortable someone is in a bathing suit.
Full recovery from the discomfort of the operation is about 2 weeks. The first week the patient is sore, but not debilitated. Patients are able to take care of themselves, shower, etc. The soreness usually lasts 5-10 days and then the patient feels fine. Often a compression garment is necessary for several weeks after the operation in order to get the best outcome and minimize the swelling during this time.
There is mild discomfort after liposuction which is often able to be managed with ibuprofen and tylenol. A numbing fluid is injected before the liposuction which helps with the discomfort. Most of the time the patient goes home the same day and the discomfort is easily managed.
Liposuction is removing the fat from an area using small incisions (less than 5mm) and sucking fat out using a cannula or a metal tube. This is able to decrease the overall size of the area and improve the contour and shape of the body.
A tummy tuck is a more complex operation where skin and fat are removed through a longer incision. Often the abdominal muscles are tightened during this operation which improves the contour of the abdomen as well. Both operations are appropriate for different patients and often they are combined to give the patient the best outcome and greatest improvement.
After your Nashville, TN liposuction, you may experience some swelling and bruising around the surgery site. These side effects may take a few weeks to subside; however, you can typically see the full outcome of your liposuction upon their resolution. Typically, it may take 1 to 3 months after liposuction for you to notice your results. Depending upon your recovery, Dr. Cash will provide you with personalized advice on how soon you will see your results after liposuction.
Liposuction permanently removes excess fat cells from the treatment area. These fat cells do not grow back after the treatment. However, if you experience weight gain after the procedure, as little as 10 pounds, the fat cells around the treatment area can still grow larger. By maintaining a healthy lifestyle and avoiding significant weight gain after your liposuction, you can sustain your results for a long time.
You may resume strenuous activities, such as exercise, typically after 4 to 6 weeks following your liposuction. However, every patient is different and reacts to recovery in their own time. After your follow-up visits with Dr. Cash, he will provide you with personalized advice on how soon to resume your normal exercise routine.
Liposuction is a process where the fat is removed from underneath the skin through small holes and can cannula which sucks out the fat. The area is first filled with a fluid which makes the area numb and helps control bleeding. Through small holes a cannula (a metal tube) is inserted and the fat is removed by suction. There are several types of liposuction that can help with areas that are more fibrous or if the desired outcome is increased skin tightening over the area as well.
Most patients do not complain of a lot of discomfort after this procedure. The numbing fluid placed at the beginning of the procedure will last for several hours after the procedure and you will have pain medicine available. However, we find that most people can manage the discomfort with ibuprofen or tylenol.
A compressive garment will be provided for the patient which will be worn for several weeks after the procedure.
The amount of fat that can be removed depends on the areas involved. There are two layers of fat, superficial and deep. A greater volume of fat can be removed in the deep layer and the superficial layer should only be removed in specific circumstances.
If a very large amount of fat is removed (over 4-5 liters) the patient would need to stay in the hospital overnight to observe them. Most of the time, patients go home the same day safely after the procedure.
Liposuction will last as long as the patient does not gain weight again after the operation. The remaining fat cells can get bigger if the patient gains weight. Liposuction combined with a healthy lifestyle can be a permanent change.
The patient needs to wear a compression garment after the operation for several weeks. However, there are not usually drains involved with liposuction alone. Sleep is a crucial part of recovery after any operation and we encourage patients to find whatever position is comfortable to sleep in. Most people are able to sleep in their bed and are able to find a position where they can rest. This position depends on the areas being addressed during the liposuction.
The results from liposuction can often be seen immediately after the operation, but the final outcome will take several months while the swelling finally subsides.