Liposculpture & liposuction in Puebla

Liposculpture and liposuction: in brief

Liposculpture and liposuction sculpt the silhouette by removing localized fat that resists diet and exercise; they are not a weight-loss method. It is an outpatient surgery performed in Puebla by Dr. Arístides Arellano —second generation of a surgical tradition begun in 1971— with a reference cost from $70,000 MXN. Results may vary from person to person.

“My job is not to promise you a dress size, but a natural, proportionate contour. All surgery carries risk and every skin responds differently; that is why the in-person consultation is where we define what is realistic in your case.”— Dr. Arístides Arellano

What is liposculpture?

Liposuction and liposculpture are often used interchangeably, but they are not quite the same. Liposuction is the surgical removal of localized fat with cannulas and suction. Liposculpture goes a step further: as well as removing fat, it sculpts and defines the body contour by working several areas proportionally —and sometimes combining removal with reinjection of fat elsewhere (fat transfer), as in buttock augmentation with the patient own fat.

In short: every liposculpture includes liposuction, but not every liposuction pursues the level of definition and proportion that liposculpture does.

Techniques used by Dr. Arístides Arellano

Dr. Arístides operates with current-generation equipment, including the LipoVaser Power X platform for ultrasound-assisted liposculpture, and selects the most appropriate technique for each case at the assessment:

• VASER liposuction / liposculpture: the VASER system uses ultrasound energy to liquefy fat before removal, which facilitates the procedure and supports skin retraction. Dr. Arístides Arellano performs it with the LipoVaser Power X platform.
• High-definition ("HD") liposculpture: a technical approach aimed at revealing the underlying muscular contour (abdomen, waist, back) in addition to removing fat. The result depends on technique and on the anatomy of the patient.
• Lipo 360: circumferential treatment of the trunk —abdomen, flanks, lower back and, in some cases, the pubic area— for a harmonious 360-degree contour rather than a single isolated zone.
• Laser lipolysis: uses laser energy to fragment fat before removal, with a goal similar to that of ultrasound technology. Assessed case by case.
• Lipo etching: a selective definition technique that accentuates natural muscular grooves through precise superficial liposuction along those lines.
• Submental (chin) liposuction: for localized fat in the submental area (double chin), often combined with facial procedures.

Which type of liposculpture do you need?

Liposculpture is not a single operation but a family of techniques. This is what to choose depending on your goal —each option has its own page with details and a reference price:

“Liposculpture is not about losing weight, it is about sculpting. Sometimes the right move is to remove fat from the abdomen and add it to the buttock with your own fat: what we are after is proportion, not the scale.”— Dr. Arístides Arellano

• Muscle etching and high definition: if you want the abdomen or waist to show definition on top of fat removal, that is HD liposculpture.
• Moving fat to buttocks or breast: when, besides removing fat, you want to augment another area with your own fat, we are talking about fat transfer.
• Buttock augmentation: if the main goal is to project the buttocks with your own fat, see buttock augmentation (BBL).
• Just the double chin: for fat under the chin in isolation, submental liposuction is a focal area with a lower reference cost.
• Fragmenting fat with a laser: when laser energy is considered to prepare the fat before removal, see laser lipolysis.
• A non-surgical alternative: if you would rather not have surgery and have small fat pockets, cryolipolysis cools the fat cell without an operating room, with more subtle, gradual results.

How is it performed?

The procedure is performed under general anaesthesia or sedation with local/regional anaesthesia, depending on the extent of the areas treated. It lasts approximately 1.5 to 4 hours depending on the number of zones and whether it is combined with fat transfer to the buttocks or elsewhere. It is an outpatient or short-stay procedure, after which a compression garment is worn continuously for the first weeks.

All surgery carries risk and requires prior medical assessment. Results may vary according to each patient, their fat distribution, skin elasticity and adherence to post-operative instructions.

Who is a good candidate?

• Localized fat resistant to diet and exercise on the abdomen, flanks, back, arms, thighs or other areas.
• Adequate skin elasticity — liposculpture does not replace an abdominoplasty when there is significant excess skin.
• Stable weight, close to ideal weight: this is not a procedure for general weight loss.
• Good general health, with no contraindications to surgery.
• Realistic expectations: the goal is to improve body contour, not to reach a specific dress size.

Recommended post-surgical treatments

A compression garment is essential, and Dr. Arístides may recommend manual lymphatic drainage, radiofrequency and/or hyperbaric chamber sessions to speed the reduction of swelling and improve skin quality after liposculpture. See the full guide: Post-surgical recovery and care.

Before and after

The cases below are real patients of Dr. Arístides Arellano, published with their written informed consent. They include frontal, oblique and profile views because contour is assessed as a whole, not from a single photograph. Results may vary from person to person: they depend on fat distribution, skin elasticity and adherence to post-operative instructions.

Recovery is part of the result. A compression garment is worn continuously during the first weeks and, depending on the case, Dr. Arístides may recommend manual lymphatic drainage and hyperbaric chamber sessions to reduce swelling and bruising. The definitive contour is usually seen between 3 and 6 months. See the full guide: Post-surgical recovery and care.

Each goal has its procedure: to augment buttocks or breasts with your own fat, fat transfer; for muscular definition, high definition; and for a double chin on its own, the submental area. If you are looking for the cost breakdown, see how much liposuction costs in Mexico.

Approximate price

Liposuction / liposculpture has a reference cost of $70,000 MXN; the same range applies when combined with buttock fat grafting. Submental (chin) liposuction, being a focal area, has a reference cost of $35,000 MXN. Approximate price — the definitive cost is set at your private consultation with Dr. Arístides Arellano. The final cost depends on the number of areas treated, the technique used and whether fat transfer is combined.

Want the full breakdown? See how much liposuction costs in Mexico: the price table, what the figure includes, what it does not, and why it varies.

About Dr. Arístides Arellano

Dr. Arístides Arellano is a plastic surgeon holding a specialty licence: he practises under a Mexican medical licence (D.G.P. 1125959) and a specialty licence in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (0002008), both issued by the Directorate General of Professions (DGP), which reissued his certificate of professional standing in 2025. His career began before Mexico’s present-day specialty-board system existed: he belongs to the founding generation of plastic surgery in Puebla, the second generation of a surgical tradition started in 1971 by Dr. Francisco Arellano Ocampo. Trust is verified, not promised: both licences are public and anyone can look them up in the DGP’s National Registry of Professionals.

Related patient guide

To go deeper before or after your consultation: Liposuction recovery: what to expect week by week — part of the informational guide series reviewed by Dr. Arístides Arellano.

Dr. Arístides Arellano’s track record in liposuction

This is the longest and best-documented line of his entire career: he trained in liposuction in Buenos Aires in 1988, when the technique was only reaching Latin America, and he still attends world liposuction congresses today. He is a plastic surgeon holding a specialty licence (cédula de especialidad) issued by the DGP, and this is what stands behind it:

• Liposuction course (56 h) — Clínica Libertador · Buenos Aires
• Liposuction and fat-grafting course — Hospital General de Agudos Dr. Abel Zubizarreta · Buenos Aires, 1988
• Member — American Society of Lipo-Suction Surgery — Estados Unidos
• Regular Member — Lipoplasty Society of North America — 1 de julio de 1994
• Appointment — The Lipoplasty University (Board of Regents) — 2002 Appointment to the academic Board of Regents — not an attendee, but faculty.
• World Congress on Liposuction — Chicago (16.5 AMA PRA credits) — Saint Louis University School of Medicine · Chicago, 14–17 de septiembre de 2017

Trust is verified, not promised. All 210 scanned documents —degree, licences, diplomas, publications and certificates, from 1977 to 2025— are open in Dr. Arístides Arellano’s credential archive, alongside an explanation of the difference between a specialty licence and a board certification.

Recovery · step by step

• Days 1–5Swelling, tenderness and bruising in treated areas; compression garment worn continuously; early mobilisation with relative rest.
• Week 2Sutures removed where applicable; discomfort decreases; desk work can resume.
• Weeks 3–6Swelling decreases progressively; exercise is gradually authorised, always as medically advised.
• Months 3–6The definitive contour becomes clear as residual swelling settles and skin retracts.

Risks and contraindications

Liposuction is among the most frequently performed cosmetic operations in the world — and among those that most demand respect for their limits: how much fat can safely be removed in one session, the patient’s health, and the skin’s capacity to retract. Its specific risks:

• Contour irregularities: waves or depressions in the skin, the most frequent aesthetic complication of liposuction; the risk depends on skin quality, volume removed and technique.
• Seroma: fluid collecting under the skin, which may need office drainage.
• Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism: clots forming in the legs that can travel to the lungs. Prevention includes early walking, compression garments and, when indicated, prophylactic anticoagulant medication.
• Fat embolism: fat entering the bloodstream; rare and serious, and its prevention is built into the surgical technique.
• Sensory changes: temporary numbness of the treated areas, usually resolving over weeks to months.
• Residual skin laxity: if the skin cannot retract, it may sit loose once the fat is removed; where that risk exists, the consultation identifies it before surgery and the right plan is discussed.
• Hematoma and infection: less frequent; monitored at follow-up.
• Perforation of deeper structures: exceptional, but described in the literature; one of the reasons this operation is performed in a hospital operating room.

Liposuction is postponed or reconsidered in these situations:

• Obesity or unstable weight: liposuction is not an obesity treatment or a substitute for weight loss; at a high body-mass index the risk rises and the result falls.
• Clotting disorders, or decompensated heart or lung disease.
• Active smoking, because of its effect on circulation and healing.
• Expecting to remove “all” the fat: there is a safe extraction limit per surgical event, and respecting it is not negotiable.
• Current pregnancy or breastfeeding.

Frequently asked questions

Before and after

Real case of abdomen and waist liposculpture, frontal view. A compression garment is worn continuously during the first weeks and, depending on the case, Dr. Arístides may recommend manual lymphatic drainage to reduce swelling. Results may vary from person to person.

Real case of abdomen, waist and flank liposuction in frontal, oblique and profile views. Contour is assessed as a whole and not from a single photograph: this is why liposculpture is planned by treating several areas proportionally. Results may vary from person to person.

Real male case of abdomen and flank liposuction, in frontal, oblique and profile views. In men, fat tends to accumulate on the abdomen and flanks; when there is also glandular tissue in the chest, the indicated treatment is gynecomastia surgery, not liposuction alone. Results may vary from person to person.

Real case of waist and back liposculpture, posterior view. Removing localized fat from the waist and lower back accentuates the natural curve of the silhouette. All surgery carries risks and requires a prior medical assessment; results may vary from person to person.

Photographs of real patients, published with their written informed consent. Results may vary from person to person; these images are not a promise of outcome.

Every figure published on this site is approximate and is not a quote. Any procedure or treatment first requires a private assessment consultation with Dr. Arístides Arellano —$800 MXN, charged separately— and it is at that consultation that the definitive cost of your case is determined.

Educational content; it does not replace a medical consultation. Results may vary from person to person.