A Cut Above the Rest

You simply can't afford to make a mistake with cosmetic surgery, so get the best - and to hell with the air fare. Even the tiniest nip and tuck earns you recuperation at a private resort, so Shannon Leeman plunders address books for the Tatler guide to the world's best snips and post-op pampering.
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THE BODY

Women have always striven to change their shape. There has always been a market for liposuction but, like the dishwasher, we never knew we needed it until it was invented. The technology used to remove fat cells permanently has changed dramatically in the past five years. Unsightly contours and pits from liposuction gone wrong are history.

The most advanced method is the tumescent technique. The surgeon injects the area to be treated with a local anaesthetic and salt water mixed with small amounts of adrenaline solution. This mixture shrinks blood vessels, which means you don't get much swelling or bruising. Recovery can take as little as one week.

Ultrasonic-assisted liposuction (UAL), which is also gaining credibility, uses an ultrasonic device that liquefies the fat to make extraction and sculpting more effective. There is far less bruising, swelling and blood loss. The skin also shrinks and retracts more easily, giving more pleasing contours. This requires skill: if done badly it can burn the skin.
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Ultrasonic-assisted liposuction:
Dr. John Sherman
New York (tel: 001 212 535 2300)

With 16 years' experience in liposuction, Sherman uses UAL on the larger, more fibrous areas of the stomach, hips and buttocks with greater success than previously seen. About 20 percent of Sherman's patients are male, and UAL is particularly effective on male chests and waists. Ultrasonic liposuction is not recommended where the skin is thinner (knees and inner thighs). Sherman combines the tumescent technique with ultrasound to amazing effect.

Cost: £4,500.
Recovery time before flying home: one week.