Guide:
- How Much Weight Can You Lose After Liposuction?
- Liposuction vs. Weight Loss: What’s The Difference?
- Am I A Good Candidate For Liposuction?
- Liposuction vs. Tummy Tuck: Which Is Right For Me?
- Will Fat Cells Come Back After Liposuction?
How Much Weight Can You Lose After Liposuction?
Body contouring surgery such as liposuction can be a transformational part of your weight loss journey. Using a suctioning technique, lipo permanently removes fat cells from stubborn areas to sculpt the area and reveal your body’s natural contour.
The idea that liposuction can be a form of weight loss solution is a misconception. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the truth is that most patients only lose an average of 2-5 pounds during liposuction surgery. According to doctors on RealSelf, fat removed from liposuction does not weigh much, ranging from 2-10 pounds.
Before surgery, recommendations are that patients should be within 30 percent of their ideal weight range with just localized pockets of fat they want to remove. For best results, liposuction is for people within a healthy weight range and not as a substitute for weight loss through diet and exercise.
Rather than a weight loss solution to make a significant dent in overall body weight, liposuction is a body contouring procedure designed for stubborn fat removal in specific areas such as the chin or stomach and highlighting the body’s natural contours.
Liposuction Vs. Weight Loss: What’s The Difference?
So, what is liposuction? Liposuction removes stubborn fat pockets in problem areas that don’t seem to budge with diet or exercise and is an excellent procedure to consider once you’ve reached your goal weight through weight loss solutions.
The main difference between weight loss and liposuction is that the goal of weight loss is to reduce overall body weight, yet rarely allows for spot reduction of fat, while liposuction targets localized, specific pockets of fat but cannot be safely used for the primary goal of shedding pounds.
Some fat in your body may be excessive, but other fats are essential for your body type and overall health and well-being. Liposuction aims to eliminate that excess, stubborn fat while preserving healthy fats that give you energy, protect your organs, support cell growth, and help your body absorb necessary nutrients.
Liposuction sculpts your body, highlighting your natural contours, and your surgeon will target the unwanted fat carefully without interrupting the vital fats that keep you healthy.
Am I A Good Candidate For Liposuction?
Whether you want arm liposuction or neck liposuction, you probably want to know if you’re an ideal fit.
According to ASPS, ideal candidates for liposuction are within 30% of their ideal body weight and have good skin elasticity and muscle tone. Skin firmness is a benefit with liposuction, as it allows the skin to bounce back more effectively once the extra fat volume is removed during this procedure and prevents a saggy, crepey look afterward.
Aside from being at a healthy weight ahead of your surgery, you should also be in good overall health. We do not recommend liposuction if you have a life-threatening illness or other disease that affects your safety during this procedure. With liposuction, your body has to do some of the work, and if you are unhealthy, it won’t respond correctly.
Other characteristics of the best liposuction candidates include:
- You are a non-smoker.
- You are not underweight or overweight going into your procedure and will not experience drastic weight fluctuations once your surgery and recovery are complete.
- Your expectations of your results are realistic. You understand that liposuction aims to sculpt the body, not help you lose substantial weight.
- You are willing and able to properly follow post-operative instructions for a healthy recovery and the best results.
- You understand the recovery period and are prepared to take the recommended time away from certain activities.
- Your weight is not above or below the recommended BMI requirements.
Liposuction vs. Tummy Tuck: Which Is Right For Me?
While both tummy tuck and stomach liposuction can make an impactful improvement in the appearance of the abdomen, liposuction is best for patients with subcutaneous fat and good skin elasticity while tummy tuck is more effective for patients with extra skin.
A tummy tuck is more invasive and requires noticeable (yet well-hidden) incisions. Still, if you have excess, hanging skin and laxity in your stomach, you won’t achieve your goal results with liposuction alone.
A tummy tuck leaves your abdomen more toned and firmer as it tightens the underlying muscles and removes excess skin, while liposuction leaves your stomach flatter with less stubborn fat.
Because these two procedures take care of the whole package: reducing fat, tightening and reducing skin, and strengthening abdominal muscles, liposuction with tummy tuck are often combined. Being most effective for patients who have gone through pregnancy or significant weight loss and is the most common procedure combination for the mommy makeover.
Will Fat Cells Come Back After Liposuction?
The fat cells removed during liposuction are permanently gone and do not regrow, but if you gain a significant amount of weight after liposuction, remaining fat cells can swell in size, and new fat cells can form.
If you maintain your post-lipo weight, your results will remain dramatic and intact. We recommend sticking to a healthy, nutrient-rich diet and an active lifestyle after liposuction to avoid the growth of remaining fat cells or the formation of new ones.
To maintain your liposuction results in the long term, we recommend:
- Following all post-op instructions your surgical team provides
- Maintaining a caloric intake that helps you maintain your weight while eating a healthy, balanced diet
- Drinking plenty of water
- Finding an exercise routine that works for you and sticking with it
- Avoiding yo-yo diets that may cause your weight to fluctuate drastically
If you are still interested in liposuction, understanding that it is a fat loss procedure, not a weight loss procedure, request a consultation with Dr. David Liland in Dallas to find out if this body contouring procedure can help you safely and effectively reach your goals.