Liposuction, one among the top five popular cosmetic surgery procedures since 1992, is a popular body contouring procedure to permanently remove stubborn fat from areas such as abdomen, arms, thighs and hips. The question of whether the fat removed via liposuction was one that was debated till research proved that it does not.
According to a study published in 2012 in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), fat cells neither return to treated areas nor get redistributed to untreated areas of the body after liposuction. This study is a contrary to a report published in 2011 in the journal Obesity which claimed that fat returned to untreated areas of the body, especially the abdomen, shoulders, and arms, within one year after liposuction.
The study refuting this claim was based on an evaluation of 301 patients who had liposuction, either alone or in combination with abdominoplasty. The study revealed no evidence of fat re-growth in treated areas of the arms, abdomen, or lower body; upper body dimensions were unchanged after surgery, indicating no fat redistribution.
Liposuction is not a weight loss program. While considering liposuction, it’s also important to remember that the procedure, whether performed using conventional techniques orusing advanced SmartLipo laser liposuction technology, does not change your ability to gain or lose weight. Optimal results are seen in men and women who are healthy and within a few pounds of their ideal target weight. Lipolysis permanently reduces the number of fat cells in the treated areas. However, liposuction is not a weight loss solution. Also, while liposuction can permanently remove the targeted fat cells, it doesn’t mean that the results of liposuction will necessarily be permanent as well. Future weight gain and poor diet may affect the outcome achieved through the procedure. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is crucial for lasting liposuction results.
