Dr. Derek Ford performs liposuction to sculpt away fat in areas that are resistant to change despite diet and exercise. His dedication to optimal body contouring results led him to pursue training in an advanced approach called SAFELipo that removes unwanted fat while minimizing contour irregularities, bruising, swelling, and bleeding. Liposuction is perhaps the most reliable option for reducing specific areas of excess fat that don't respond to diet and exercise. A thin tube (cannula) is inserted through tiny incisions, and the unwanted fat is gently sculpted away. Dr. Ford uses a patented technique called SAFELipo that produces smoother results with reduced discomfort, bruising and bleeding. The quantity of fat cells in the human body stays static throughout adulthood. Weight gain and loss comes not from the gain and loss of fat cells, but rather a change in the mass of the existing fat cells. Liposuction is one of the only methods available to physically remove fat cells, making it especially appealing to people who wish to see long-lasting results. However, Dr. Ford emphasizes that liposuction is not intended to be a weight-loss procedure. It's not appropriate for removing large volumes of fat, and candidates should be at healthy, stable weights to get the most from this surgery.