If you have a “trouble spot” on your body somewhere- maybe it’s the presence of love handles or a spare tire- that simply refuses to disappear despite proper exercise and diet, then you’ve probably considered undergoing liposuction to get rid of that trouble spot once and for all. If you find yourself relating to this situation, then chances are, liposuction is the best option for your body sculpting needs.
Some erroneously believe that liposuction is a method of weight loss. While liposuction can be used to correct the unfavorable development of pockets of fat around the body after weight loss, it should not be used as a method for weight loss itself. This is because liposuction can only remove so much fat- most surgeons are willing to remove up to 12 lbs. of fat, excess tissue, and other materials. In fact, it is quite unsafe to remove too much fat with liposuction. It should also be mentioned that the heavier a person is at the time of surgery, the higher the risk of complications developing both during and after the procedure as more anesthetic will need to be used, the time needed to complete the procedure will be longer, etc.
However, if you are already more or less at your target weight and simply have the presence of excess fat somewhere on your body, there is a good chance that liposuction will be able to help you achieve the body that you desire. Of course, you should keep in mind that there are limitations of liposuction, just as there is with any other cosmetic procedure (or any other surgical procedure for that matter).
For example, liposuction is a method of excess fat removal- it cannot address the presence of excess skin, as is the case of many people who have recently undergone weight loss. Patients who have got skin laxity are likely to discover that liposuction is sufficient to resolve their trouble spots, other patients will need another procedure designed to eliminate loose, excess skin- such as the tummy tuck or thigh lift- to further treat their trouble spots.
If you believe that your trouble spot’s issue is mostly that of excess fat rather than excess skin, you should study liposuction before and after pictures of patients who have had liposuction of the area on which you are considering liposuction. You should keep an eye out for patients who have as similar a body to yours- similar in skin tone, similar in skin elasticity, and similar in the amount of “trouble” in the trouble spot. Patients who have a “before” body that is most similar to yours will be most telling as to how you can expect your liposuction procedure to turn out.