Liposuction: Info, Prices, Photos, Reviews, Q&A

Liposuction is a permanent removal of fat cells from the area which is treated. Liposuction is best performed on the problems areas for your specific body type. In women this may be the abdomen, love handles or inner and outer thigh.

These problem areas tend to not respond very well to diet and weight loss, making them good areas to treat with liposuction. Maintaining stable body weight is key.

As long as you keep your weight within 20 lbs of your weight at the time of liposuction, you’ll get lasting results.

If you gain a lot of weight, the fat will come back; liposuction never removers 100 percent of fat cells and should certainly not be treated as a method of weight loss. (Deason Dunagan, MD, Huntsville Plastic Surgeon)
Liposuction is body contouring surgery, not weight reduction. As long as you do not gain your weight back, you should have no problems. The vast majority of patients will tell you that Liposuction is well worth it. (Robert E. Zaworski, MD, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction does permanently remove fat cells. However a patient must ensure that they manage and monitor their weight. (Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS, West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction Does Last But You can Still Gain Weight

Fat cells removed during liposuction are permanently removed. However one fat cell can accumulate fat and grow to 4 times it’s size. This if you do not manage your weight after Liposuction you certainly can gain weight and fat even in the areas that were treated with Liposuction (Brooke R. Seckel, MD, FACS, Boston Plastic Surgeon)
The number of fat cells and their location is constant after puberty. With weight gain or loss, these cells increase or decrease in size. During liposuction the fat cells are permanently removed in the area of disproportionate fullness.

You can certainly gain weight post operatively if you do not maintain good nutrition and exercise appropriately. Liposuction is a procedure for contouring, not weight loss. (Richard W. Fleming, MD, Beverly Hills Facial Plastic Surgeon)

Your body has a finite number of fat cells

Once an area is liposuction and the fat cells that are removed do not regenerate. That’s not to say that you won’t gain weight if you don’t change your eating habits and lifestyle.

If for example you liposuction done on your stomach, a certain percentage of fat cells would be removed. It would still be some fat cells remaining that could enlarge if you were to gain weight.
In addition the areas that weren’t liposuction such as your buttocks arms rests back and neck as well as thighs would all be deposit areas where you would gain volume as you gained weight. (Joseph M. Perlman, MD, Houston Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction is one of the most common procedures in plastic surgery. Just like anything else, you have to prepare your body for the procedure with sensible diet and exercise, and be committed to continuing after.

Theoretically, the fat cells are removed with liposuction, which can permanently change the fat distribution in the areas treated. Of course the remaining fat cells can get larger and this can lead to recurrence, but it has been shown that continuing with diet and exercise and commitment to taking care of your investment leads to long term satisfaction. (Andrew P. Trussler, MD, Austin Plastic Surgeon)
The fat cells that are removed with liposuction do not come back. If you gain weight over time, the remaining fat cells can enlarge however.

The key to maintaining your result is eating a well-balanced diet and keeping with a small exercise routine, both of which will help prolong your lifestyle. (Ankit Desai, MD, Jacksonville Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction removes the fat cells forever. With weight gain, fat cells get larger individually, but not typically in the total number of fat cells. Therefore, by removing them, you have less in an area to enlarge, and your results last.

Of course, if you gain a large amount of weight, you will notice more fat in an area that underwent liposuction because liposuction removes a portion of the fat cells, not all of them. So remember that to maintain excellent results from liposuction, eat right, exercise, and you’ll be happier for it all! (David Bogue, MD, Boca Raton Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction results should be permanent

After clusters of lipocytes are removed via liposuction, they are gone and will not comeback. However, if one were to gain weight in the future, lipocytes that remain in the prior liposuctioned areas or elsewhere will be renourished and undergo hypertrophy.

This is why women who had undergone liposuction in the abdomen tend to have increase in breast and hip sizes later if they were to regain weight. There is a cluster of fat underneath the abdominal muscle that is not accessible to traditional tumescent liposuction known as the omental fat, which can increase in volume and size even if the fat above the abdominal muscles get liposuctioned. (William Ting, MD, Bay Area Dermatologic Surgeon)

Fat removed is in the bucket

When fat is removed via lipo, the fat is literally “in the bucket” attached to the lipo machine. It is therefore gone forever. If a patient gains weight after surgery, they will be bigger, but this is not because of lipo — it is simply unwanted weight gain. If your weight remains basically stable post surgery, the result is permanent. (David Shuter, MD, Jupiter Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction is not a weight loss technique. As a matter of fact, if you keep eating the same and exercising the same you will weigh the same, but you will look different. Your body fat will be distributed differently, you will pick up fat in other areas of your body. (Ricardo L. Rodriguez, MD, Baltimore Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction lasts, but you have to do your part too

Liposuction permanently removes fat cells. It is designed to get areas of your body that are out of proportion, back in proportion. It is NOT a weight loss technique. The areas that have been liposuctioned still have some fat cells left, as they should.

These fat cells, as well as all the others in your body, will plump up in size if you don’t lead a healthy lifestyle after the liposuction by over-eating and under-exercising. Conversely, if you lose weight after liposuction, your fat cells will all shrink.

Either way, you will be more proportioned than you were before surgery. However, if you decide to do lipouction, try to first get in the best shape you can, and then preserve your investment in yourself by leading a healthy lifestyle after liposuction! (Douglas J. Mackenzie, MD, Santa Barbara Plastic Surgeon)

Liposuction results are permanent in the sense that the fat cells removed at surgery will not be replaced by your body. It is important to know that you are still able to get out of shape and gain weight after the procedure, but the improvement in proportions should be maintained long term. (Armando Soto, MD, FACS, Orlando Plastic Surgeon)