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Misleading Before and After Photos of Liposuction?

asked 3 years ago by edsprincess in dallas,ga
Latest answer by Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Question viewed 1,555 times

I have been viewing several before and after pics on Drs websites, and a lot show obese people having Liposuction done. Most Drs won't do this if your BMI is in the morbid obese percentage. I am very confused, pics I've seen are definitly morbid obese and after pics are great. Is it or isn't it for these people?

13 answers to Misleading Before and After Photos of Liposuction?

Liposuction is NOT for the obese patient

Liposuction is not intended to provide weight loss. It is for body contouring in areas that are resistent to proper diet and exercise. It will not work well if the skin is at all loose or lax no matter what "kind" of liposuction is performed. Quite honestly, a significant number of patients who would come in and want liposuction will not have their expectations met by what the procedure can actually deliver. That is why they need an honest surgeon who will tell them clearly if... more

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Liposuction is not intended for very overweight patients

The Internet is filled with misleading photographs. In my experience, morbidly obese patients are not good candidates for my liposuction. A maximum safe amount of fat removal is around 5 liters. For patients that are very overweight this usually will not make a significant difference in their photographs. When choosing a surgeon of any procedure it is best to interview him or her and talk to other patients that have used that particular surgeon to see what their experience was. Just... more

Allen Clark III, MD
Montgomery Plastic Surgeon

There are many misleading pictures on the internet.

Hi! There are many deceptive before and after pictures. But you are also asking another question. What about obese patients? In New York, we don't do "high volume liposuction" (more than 10 pounds of fat removed) because I don't think it is entirely safe. There are surgeons who do this, but I don't think liposuction is a treatment for obesity. We do liposuction on very overweight patients, but only to correct specific bulges. They are still overweight afterwards. You can see... more

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Be careful when looking at websites

Please be careful when looking at websites. I would not trust them. It is so easy for people to use stock photos or to use Photoshop to make their pictures look better. My best advice would be to talk to actual patients to see what their experience was like. As for criteria for liposuction, weight or BMI is a consideration. The health of the patient is also a consideration. In general, liposuction is not a weight loss procedure. It is a contouring procedure. However, in moderately... more

David Shafer, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

www.ShaferPlasticSurgery.com

Be wary of these photos

Liposuction is usually not indicated as the main treatment for morbidly obese people. This is because the main function of liposuction is to remove fat. It does not address excess skin or significant skin laxity. The only way to address this problem is with diect excision of the extra skin, as would be done with a tummy tuck. Liposuction only, for these individuals, would only worsen the appearance of the loose skin. If the before/ after pictures look to good to be true, they... more

David A. Robinson, MD
Munster Plastic Surgeon

If something looks too good to be true it probably is

Dear Edsprinces There is no question that some websites have what are most likely totally bogus before and after liposuction photos. The best that one can say regarding these images is that they are misleading. It is also impossible for a couch potato to go from a beer belly pooch to a ripped 6 pack with massive pecs with liposuction alone. It is possible that one could have liposuction, loose massive amounts of weight, and also adopts a fitness routine that resembles the kind of... more

Kenneth D. Steinsapir, MD
Los Angeles Oculoplastic Surgeon

Liposuction photos can be very misleading

Subtle improvements after liposuction may be very difficult to notice in a patient who is not overweight. For that reason, many photos seen on the web are of overweight patients (not necessarily obese) who have had a lot of liposuction done. Certainly don't just rely on photos. Make a consultation with a surgeon, talk to his/her staff, talk to the surgeon, and then decide for yourself. You will make an aggregate decision, one that is based on photos, staff, surgeon, patience, personality,... more

Sirish Maddali, MD
Portland Plastic Surgeon

Photos and liposuction

Unfortunately, some photos you may be looking at are not honest. That can happen in any sector of business. I would like to think that the majority of doctors are honest and ethical. Make sure you investigate wisely. If the photos look too good to be true and red flags go up in yor head , you are probably correct to think there is something wrong.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Photos can be misleading

A lot of times photos will not do justice to see the effect of liposuction, particularly on a patient with low BMI. I think this is why you see photos of liposuction on over weight people because the results are more obvious and can be seen in before and after photos. Liposuction can be done on overweight people albeit not the the best results and higher surgical risks. It is not a method for weight loss and surgeons will have a different BMI limit as to who they will offer this type of... more

Marcus L. Peterson, MD
Saint George Plastic Surgeon

Looking at photos only part of your surgeon selection criteria: meet some.

Edsprincess: If you are confused by what you are seeing on websites, try other means to learn about some experienced and respected plastic surgeons in your area, then call their offices, talk with their staff, finally meet and interview the surgeons. After this, I think you will learn some valuable information about the surgeons and your desired procedures.

Sutton Graham II, MD
Greenville Plastic Surgeon

Yes it can be.

Liposuction may safely, effectively, and prudently be used in obese people. One must be clear however as to the intended goals/reasons. Although liposuction can be used for some (+/-) cosmetic improvement in this patient group, it is more commonly (my experience/opinion) use to "de-bulk) the fat from a particular area in anticipation of a definitive procedure at a later time. This staged approach is nedded to achieve final results safely. Some obese people are happy just to have the... more

Scott E. Kasden, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Don't rely on photos

I usually recommend patients to not rely on before and after photos for avariety of reasons even though conventional advice is to look at a lot of photos. Photos don't tell the whole picture and are usually skewed towards better results. More importantly, they do not tell you if the patients are happy and you cannot reliably compare yourself to any patient with photos without more information

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

Each doctor has different criteria

Each doctor has different criteria as to who they feel will benefit from liposuction, and and for whom it is a safe procedure. In general, we tend to avoid large volume suction procedures on patients who would first benefit from a diet and weight loss plan-- these patients will often have a better result with weight loss alone. The particular weight or BMI (body mass index) cutoff however will vary somewhat from surgeon to surgeon. My recommendation would be to have a plastic surgeon... more