After lipo if you gain weight afterwards does it go to untreated areas, like in your face, arms etc?

Question

William T. Stoeckel, MD · Answer

Your question is a very common one and I think that there is a big misconception about it. Even amongst surgeons, let alone patients. It is true that your body does not create new fat cells. Therefore, when fat cells are removed from the body with liposuction, the treatment is permanent......sort of. When liposuction is performed (if done properly), there is a normal layer of fatty tissue that is left behind. Liposuction does not remove all of the fat from a area when treated. These fat cells left behind do have the capacity to get bigger. And they can get bigger and they will get bigger if one gains weight. If you gain weight after liposuction, you will not all of a sudden start ballooning out in non-treated areas while the areas of treatment remain thin. That just doesn't not happen. You will gain weight in all areas of the body in a similar fashion as you did before the procedure. And there will be hormonally driven areas that will be more likely to accumulate fat based on your gender and genetics. The only time that this "myth" holds true about unusual fat deposition after liposuction is when you have gained so much weight that you have maximized the size capacity of your fat cells that were left behind after the liposuction. If you get to this point in your weight gain, it really will be a mute point.I have unfortunately seen a few patients who have had liposuction with great results who have subsequently gained weight again. They were embarrassed and didn't want to take their long term post op photos, but I insisted. The photos prove that the weight went right back to the areas that were previously treated. None of them had unusually fat faces, arms, or other parts of their body.

Antoine A. Hallak, MD, FACS · Answer

liposuction doesn't
affect your future ability to gain weight or lose weight. If you gain weight
after lipo in the flanks, your body will preferentially place it in other
untreated areas like abdomen, back, butt, breast, arms, inner thighs, outer
thighs. Some of it will go to the butt.

the best thing is to try
not to regain the weight back.

Carmina Cardenas, MD · Answer

It is completely a reality that after a liposuction procedure, once you gain weight, your body will find an easy recipient for fat, and those areas treated with lipo, will be hard to hold fat, instead those untreated áreas will receive easily that fat, so it is common, sadly to say, to see patients who end  with big upper bodies after gaining weight.Now fat will deposit on upper chest, upper back, shoulders, neck, face, etc. So definitely maintain, exercise and diet will be mandatory to keep your beautiful results.Dr Cardenas

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

This is a possible outcome.  As such, weight maintenance is prudent.Find

a  board certified plastic surgeon who performs hundreds of liposuction
 procedures each year.  Then look at the plastic surgeon's   
website before and after photo galleries to get a sense of who can   
deliver the results.  Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

Karen M. Horton, MD · Answer

Following a liposuction procedure, you will have an improved body contour and the results are permanent!  However, maintaining regular physical activity and a healthy diet are necessary to ensure the best possible results.I am commonly asked "If I gain weight after surgery, will the fat go elsewhere?".  I answer "Generally, no."  Each of us are genetically programmed to put on extra fat in specific body regions:  some of us are "apples", while others are "pears".  Still others store their fat in the neck/chin region or elsewhere.If a patient undergoes significant liposuction and uses surgery as an excuse to not eat well, not exercise, and they put on an additional 10-20 pounds of fat, it usually is stored in the same areas that they genetically are predisposed to, rather than in a new area.  For the best outcome, I recommend that patients are at or near their ideal body weight, have a regular fitness routine, and that they are committed to doing their part to maintain great liposuction results!Karen M. Horton, M.D.San Francisco Plastic Surgeon

After lipo if you gain weight afterwards does it go to untreated areas, like in your face, arms etc?

Answers (6)

Answer: After lipo if you gain weight afterwards does it go to untreated areas, like in your face, arms etc?

Answer: After lipo if you gain weight afterwards does it go to untreated areas, like in your face, arms etc?

Answer: Results after liposuction are permanent, so long as your weight remains stable

Answer: Results after liposuction are permanent, so long as your weight remains stable

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Everything you need to know about Liposuction

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After lipo if you gain weight afterwards does it go to untreated areas, like in your face, arms etc?

Answers (6)

Answer: After lipo if you gain weight afterwards does it go to untreated areas, like in your face, arms etc?

Answer: After lipo if you gain weight afterwards does it go to untreated areas, like in your face, arms etc?

Answer: Results after liposuction are permanent, so long as your weight remains stable

Answer: Results after liposuction are permanent, so long as your weight remains stable

Browse related questions

Recommended reading

Everything you need to know about Liposuction

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.