Does Liposuction Make You Lose Weight?

Funny thing about fat. It occupies a large volume in our skin but it doesn't weigh very much! The maximum amount of fat that can be removed legally at one surgery is 5 Liters! This represents buckets of fat yet it only weighs about 11 pounds, even though the patient may now look like they have lost 60 pounds or more! Why? Because their contour is so effectively improved. Although liposuction is not a weight loss strategy, it can certainly result in patients attaining a sculpted shape they could never attain with weight loss alone.It certainly works for conquering those stubborn fat areas that don't slim down with concentrated diet and exercise. 

The amount of weight loss depends on how much fat is removed. 1 liter weights 2.2 lbs. The standard maximum amount of lipoaspirate that can be removed in one session is 5 liters. Anything over this would require an overnight stay for special monitoring. Now the 5 liters of lipoaspirate aren't all fat, sometimes this is 50% fat, sometimes its 90% fat. Generally, you can expect to lose 3-10lbs from one liposuction session. This may not sound like a lot because liposuction is not a fat loss procedure. It is a procedure to help target specific trouble areas that remain despite a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Liposuction should be thought of as a body contouring procedure rather than a weight loss procedure. Problem areas are contoured as the fat is removed to improve the appearance of these areas. Depending on which areas are treated, I would not expect to lose more than a few pounds once the swelling has subsided. You should be pleased with the overall shape and appearance of the treated area though!

Thank you for your question.  Liposuction is a highly effective tool for targeted removal of fat from, waistline, tummy, back, thighs, and elsewhere.  It is not, however, a method of losing weight.  The maximum amount of fat that can be safely removed in a single session of liposuction is 5 liters - around 10 lbs.  It is important to remember, however, that this is from very specific areas, and very different from losing the same amount from the body as a whole, via diet and exercise.  While the number on the scale may not change so much, beautiful sculpting of the areas treated can be expected.

Thanks for asking this very important question! As you mentioned, those lovehandles and very stubborn pockets of fat can be addressed with liposuction. But I do like to use the term lipo"sculpture" because the point of liposuction is to enhance a patient's contours with very selective fat removal. It's not meant to be a means of losing 20-30 pounds, even though a patient may look like they lost that much after the procedure. A great surgeon is one who can distinguish where best to remove fat, rather than aiming to remove fat from all over. Always make sure you speak with a board-certified plastic surgeon before you book your procedure. 

Liposuction is a surgical procedure that is designed to target stubborn localized fat pockets that are resistant to even vigorous diet and exercise regimens.  Unfortunately and despite many patient's hopes, liposuction is not a method of weight loss and does not generally translate to much poundage loss when patients step on the scale after surgery.  Liposuction is most successful and has the highest patient satisfaction rates when it is approached as a method to eliminate unwanted fat pockets and for better body contour.  Patients should not expect to loose much weight from a liposuction procedure but can expect to see a nice reduction in inches, dress size and pant size.