Liposuction is not about weight reduction, but sculpting

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD answers: Does liposuction make you lose weight?

I am thinking about having liposuction around my stomach, lovehandles and thighs. Will I lose weight or just get a bit smaller? Overall, I am happy with my figure, but I have always had an extra 20 pounds that I haven't been able to lose through diet or exercise. Will liposuction accomplish this?


Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
9 months ago

Dear Star12345,

Let's get real. What you weigh boils down to two things that are hard to control: How much you eat and how much you metabolize. Change either of these things and you change how much fat is on your body.

Unfortunately, what happens to most of us is we eat too much and don't exercise enough. The result is unwanted weight gain. Liposuction does absolutely nothing about this equation. Unless you change what you eat or the amount of exercise you do, you will regain every ounce of fat that was removed by the liposuction.

So here is the key. Liposuction is great for localized unwanted areas of fat like saddle bags, stomach, inner thighs, etc. While you will later regain the fat that was removed (unless you eat less or exercise more), the effect of liposuction on body contour will be relatively lasting because the localized fat deposits will be permanently improved relative to the rest of the body. The fat you regain will be more evenly distributed over the entire body.

The take home less is liposuction is for body sculpting not weight reduction. Having said that, sometimes the improved body contour inspires people to increase their workout or reduce their caloric intake.

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A: Liposuction is a contouring procedure

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD
9 months ago

I would not look at weight to determine if you are a candidate for liposuction. In fact, I would not even think of liposuction since that is just a tool we have for removing fat.

First, I would have you look at your lifestyle (i.e. diet, exercise, habits, , etc.). You should optimize your lifestyle as much as possible. Each person will have a different body contour at their ideal healthy and stable lifestyle. Then you can look at specific body features and determine what if anything you would like to change.

A plastic surgeon can then determine the appropriate surgeries to achieve your goals. However, look at these procedures as contouring procedures, not weight reduction procedures. Your weight could even go up after liposuction, but hopefully your contouring will be more agreeable. As far as liposuction is concerned, the more fit you are, the more compact and limited the fat deposits, and the more accurate and safe the liposuction is.

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