If you exercise regularly but are having trouble with a particular area of your body, liposuction can help you tackle stubborn fat in that area. We often have patients ask us what makes a good candidate for liposuction, and if the results of liposuction can be expected to last. This post should help to answer some of these questions.
How Liposuction Changes Your Body
The results of liposuction can be permanent, if you’re able to prevent the extra weight from coming back on. The human body has a finite number of fat cells — they merely expand and shrink based on the amount of fat they need to store.
What that means relative to liposuction is that when you get liposuction on a part of your body, fat cells are permanently removed from that part. Some cells remain, so it will still be possible to have extra fat in that area if you gain more weight. However, because cells have been removed from that area, your body will now store fat differently, and the “problem area” shouldn’t return back to pre-procedure levels even if you do gain some weight.
So, in a way liposuction permanently alters how your body stores fat. For example, if previously most of the fat was stored in your abdominal area, you should now see a more even distribution of fat even if you do gain some weight after the procedure.
What Makes a Good Candidate for Lipo?
One thing that should be stressed is that liposuction is a sculpting tool rather than a weight loss tool. The vast majority of plastic surgeons will not perform radical liposuction to remove pounds upon pounds of fat from a patient’s body. That also means that once some fat has been removed, the patient can’t just sit back and give up on a healthy lifestyle.
The best candidates for liposuction surgery are patients with a healthy, stable weight and firm skin who have pockets of surplus fat in areas that are difficult to control with diet and exercise. If you are considering liposuction, you should be physically and psychologically healthy, as well as realistic in your expectations for the outcome. Age is not a major consideration, but patients with better skin elasticity are likely to achieve the smoothest contour once fat has been removed.
After undergoing liposuction surgery you may notice that clothes fit more comfortably and that you feel more confident about your appearance. For optimal results, you may want to combine liposuction with another procedure, such as breast augmentation or tummy tuck surgery.
You are also encouraged to meet with our staff nutritionist, who can suggest meal plans and menu ideas and help you develop a balanced diet. By eating healthy and exercising, you can maintain your new, slimmer contour.
Do you think liposuction might be the right procedure for you? Contact us today to set up a consultation and discuss your options with Dr. Ghaderi!
