05-15-11 | Posted by Dorene Kaplan

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Meet a Beverly Hills  Body Contouring Expert

California Medical Director for Sono Bello Body Contouring Centers of Beverly Hills, Dr. Aaron Rollins has performed more than 2,000 liposuction procedures. He is a life-long art lover, and in fact studied sculpture in the evenings while attending medical school at McGill University Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, Canada. To fulfill his dream of combining art and science, he went on to complete general surgery residencies at University of Miami, Miami, Florida, and University of California, San Francisco, California.

“I was lucky enough to find the perfect combination of surgery and sculpture – liposuction, a.k.a. ‘liposculpture,’” Dr. Rollins states.

A specialist in liposuction for all parts of the body, he is also an expert in the Brazilian Butt Lift – read on for more.

www.elitebodysculpture.com

Tell us a bit about your background. What led you to become an aesthetic surgeon?

When I was growing up, I had actually always wanted to be an artist, not a physician. I loved working with my hands and doing anything artistic. Just before going to college I took a summer research position with an orthopedic surgeon and witnessed surgery for the first time. I thought is was amazing because it was a combination of art and science that helped people. What could be better?

I studied psychology in college thinking it would help me be a better doctor, and I’m glad I did. Cosmetic surgery can be a very emotional experience for some patients. After obtaining my degree in psychology I started medical school, but I never stopped pursuing my love of art. I went to art school in the evenings and studied sculpture. I found that I had a talent for it and enjoyed it. I was lucky enough to find the perfect combination of surgery and sculpture – liposuction, a.k.a. “liposculpture.”

What is your specialty?

I am a cosmetic surgeon and specialize in liposuction surgery. I do liposuction of every area of the body, and fat transfer as well.

Which procedure is more popular – buttocks enhancement or reduction?

Perhaps surprisingly, buttocks augmentation is far more popular than reduction. I have been extremely happy with my patients’ results from the “Brazilian Butt Lift.” This procedure involves removing fat from the abdomen, waist, hips and tailbone and transplanting it to the upper buttocks. It gives the patient a very feminine silhouette and the buttocks become fuller and sit a bit higher on the body. It’s a major transformation! I’m not a big fan of buttocks reduction as it can leave the buttocks with a flatter, less flattering shape. I find lipo of the “saddlebags,” waist and hips to be a better way to shape larger buttocks.

What is a laser liposuction and who is an appropriate candidate for this procedure?

Laser liposuction at SonoBello is, to the best of my knowledge, the least invasive way to permanently remove fat from almost any area of the body. We use no scalpel and keep the patient fully awake. We use local instead of general anesthesia so only the area being treated is numbed. We use a powered handpiece and a very skinny cannula (or tube) to suck out the fat. The laser is used to help melt the fat, reduce bruising and tighten the skin. I have used it on patients from 16 to 80 and on patients from 100 lbs to 380 lbs. So basically, anyone healthy with unwanted fat is a potential candidate. One of the advantages with laser liposuction is that patients who are not candidates for general anesthesia due to various health concerns are still potential candidates because they are awake throughout the procedure.

How have body ideals changed in the last 20 years?

That’s a hard question because cultural norms are very subtle and change slowly. But I have noticed that my female patients desire to be as thin as possible, yet they also are focused on having shapely buttocks. I think this is a change that has occurred over the last five years. Another focus point for women is the “muffin top” — as the jeans styles have moved towards a lower rise, women don’t want fat hanging over their jeans and seek liposuction to remove it. I’ve also noticed more and more men seeking body contouring.  They seem to be most interested in removing fat from their chest, lower abdomen and love handles.

What are common body contouring errors and how can they be avoided?

I have revised or fixed a lot of lipo done in the 90s, or by less experienced doctors. I think the single worst mistake is to remove too much fat.  Doing so typically leaves divots or a cobblestone appearance. We need some fat under our skin to look natural and to heal normally. I hate when I can tell someone has had lipo, because I know it can be done so that only the patient really needs to know.

I’ve actually had men and women hide it from their spouses! Taking too much fat requires a fat transfer from another area to fix, but it is typically easy to do as long as its not a large area. Another frequent mistake is when surgeons don’t follow the natural lines of the body. Every single body is different and even each side of our body is a little different. I do everything possible to take this into account and mark the patient accordingly.  Some docs have missed important areas and I often have patients come to me to remove fat that was missed during the initial procedure.