How Does Liposuction Affect Weight Loss?

asked 2 years ago by goddesscomplex in Chicago, IL
Latest answer by Trevor M. Born, MD
Question viewed 1,932 times
Tags: abdomen, waist, female, weight loss, fat reduction

Let me preface this by stating that I know liposuction is not for weight loss. That being said, I am about 20 lbs away from my target weight, and I carry a disproportionate amount of weight in my midsetion. This causes difficulty in finding clothes that fit. My breast/hips are one size and my waist is 1-2 sizes higher. So I'd like to get lipo around my waist and abs now. As I continue to diet and exercise, how do treated versus non-treated areas behave? If I do Vaser or Smartlipo would those area behave differently?

11 answers to How Does Liposuction Affect Weight Loss?

Amount of weight loss with liposuction and effect on

Generally many surgeons tend to limit the upper amounts of fat removal to 5 liters.That equates to roughly 10 pounds of fat. In reality, that would be alot to remove from one area and would likely result in skin laxity. On average, I would estimate that most surgeons remove an average of 2 liters from the abdominal area (approximately 4 pounds of fat). If your weight remained stable subsequent to surgery, the treated versus untreated would remain unchanged. With small fluctuations in... more

Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon

Timiong and longevity of liposuction

Your question implies a two part concern. First is the question of timing of liposuction. Liposuction is merely a method of removing fat through a small incision and is used for body-contouring. The best time to perform body-contouring is when you are at your healthiest, most stable lifestyle Your weight is less important although it should be relatively stable. If you are continuing to lose weight, doing body-contouring may be like trying to hit a moving target although each person will... more

Robin T.W. Yuan, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Weight loss and liposuction

Yes, liposuction is not the answer for weight loss. It is however good for contouring. If you loose weight after liposuction, most likely it won't come off in the same proportion as before. That is,the problem areas that were treated probably won't lose as much as some other areas.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Weight Loss and Liposuction

I'm glad you stated that liposuction is not for weight loss. However, that doesn't mean that you won't lose weight in addition to the weight lost in surgery. I have found that in motivated patients, those who already exercise and eat a healthy diet, the weight loss after surgery can be substantial. This is because patients see the initial results and want to maintain them or improve on them. I have had patients lose over 20lbs. after surgery. In addition I think the loss of the fatty... more

Christopher L. Hess, MD
Fairfax Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction

Dear Goddesscomplex Thank you for your question. You may have some weght change with liposuction depending on the volume removed. Also, the area that you desire for change is excellent as long as the skin quality is good. There is no device on the market that has demonstrated skin tightening through ultrasound, laser or RF that is combined with liposuction. With weight gain after surgery, you will generally gain the weight in the areas of the body that you normally gain fat. In addition... more

Trevor M. Born, MD
Toronto Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction is not a weight loss procedure!!

Even when we do a maximum liposuction of 5,000 ml of fat, patients do not experience significant weight loss. The primary goal is body contouring and treatment of disproportionate fat distribution. The waist and abdomen areas are very easy to reduce by liposuction. If you continue to diet, exercise and lose weight, the surgical result will be enhanced. If you gain weight, it will be more proportionately distributed around the body. For most patients, good surgical technique and an... more

Richard L. Dolsky, MD
Philadelphia Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction for Contouring

You are absolutely right, liposuction is not a method of weight loss. What it will do is to contour your body or your mid section. If you lose weight later, there is the possibility of having loose skin long term. Now it does depend on how much weight you will lose. It does not matter if you use vaser or smart lipo. They are merely different methods of doing the same thing, which is removing fat. Good luck.

Farbod Esmailian, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction and weight loss

As the othe m.d.s have said , liposuction is not for weight loss, but rather a body sculpting technique to restore the feminine 'hourglass" . This can have a pronounced benificial effect on the areas you seem to have trouble with.

Barry H. Dolich, MD
Bronx Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction has no bearing on body weight

Dear Godesscomplex No one loses weight with liposuction. Liposuction is for sculpting the body to permanently reduced undesirable fullness due to how the body tends to store fat locally. Great examples of this are love handles on men or so called saddle bags on the outer thighs of women. How the fat is removed by laser assisted liposuction, ultrasound assisted liposuction, or pure tumescent liposuction, the results are very much the same. The risk of having surgery is certainly increased by... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Body sculpting

Liposuction is mainly for body sculpturing, which is what you mentioned in your question. It will slim down your mid section and will make it more proportional with the rest of the body. We all prefer not to focus on inches and pounds in liposuction but rather get symmetry and an aesthetically pleasing result. Different types of Lipo machines is not very important, the main key is the surgeon who is using the machine. Best of luck!