If you are curious about how much weight you will lose from liposuction plastic surgery then you may well be disappointed. You need to know that you will not lose any weight. Weight is lost through diet and exercise (read “Three Steps to Lose Weight Now”). Fat suctioning is not a method for weight loss but rather a cosmetic surgery procedure for contouring body fat that is non-responsive to exercise.
The liposuction procedure is meant to eliminate unwanted fat deposits in localized areas of the body. Although some people lose weight following the procedure because they are happy with the results and want to sustain them. So, they begin a more healthy lifestyle that is conducive to weight loss. It is the lifestyle changes that secure the wanted weight loss, not the liposuction.
According to 2014 statistics from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average cost of liposuction is $2,971 dollars. This does not include fees for anesthesia, operating room facilities, or other related expenses. Whatever your thoughts on the price, many people would gladly pay the sum if liposuction were a long-term investment for fat reduction. Unfortunately, the fat reduction is hardly long-term.
Liposuction Results Are Temporary
A 2012 publication in the research journal Obesity showed that the liposuction results were not permanent. The study, “Fat Redistribution Following Suction Lipectomy: Defense of Body Fat and Patterns of Restoration,” showed body fat removed by suctioning was restored and redistributed from the thigh to the abdomen. This was the first study of its kind conducted in humans. Earlier animal models showed that adipose tissue (fat) redistributes several weeks after liposuction.
The goal of the trial was to determine if body fat would return to baseline levels following liposuction surgery in non-obese women. It was hypothesized that adipose tissue would not only return but would be redistributed, as well.
Study results supported the hypothesis. Adipose tissue in the lower abdomen, hips, or thighs that had been removed surgically via liposuction returned to baseline levels. Body fat was not only restored to baseline levels in non-obese women after small-volume suctioning, but was redistributed abdominally. The cosmetic effect was retained at 1 year in the thighs, but a slower return of fat was still apparent.
Liposuction Can Worsen Your Appearance
Liposuction can make your appearance worse if you are outside your ideal bodyweight. Liposuction can increase the amount of loose skin in people who are above their ideal bodyweight. The removed fat can create contour irregularities and pockets of skin that appears deflated.
If you do opt for body contouring plastic surgery, the best results are had by those who are near or at their ideal bodyweight. Under the right conditions, excision of excess skin and fat can re-contour your body to a more lean and smoother profile. You may wish to read my experience, “Plastic Surgery with Dr. Joseph F. Capella.”
Living larger than ever,
My Bariatric Life
Photo: The after photo of this patient was taken 4 months postoperatively, American Society of Plastic Surgeons
