Is 1 liter of fat removed too little for flanks, entire stomach, inner thighs and upper back (bra roll)?

Question

I had lipo done about a week ago and had my flanks redone (they grew back after 5 yrs), my entire stomach, inner thighs and upper back bra rolls. The entire process took a little over an hour and the nurse said they removed about a liter of fat. Will I see a significant difference since soo little was taken from 4 parts of my body? Should more have been taken out?

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

If you are thin already, 1 L can be a lot.  If you are not, it may be very little removed.  Its all subjective to your starting point.  VASER HI DEF gives much larger amounts of removal and contouring.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Stephen T. Greenberg, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question.  It is important to remember that liposuction is not a weight loss procedure and that the goal of liposuction is to change the body contour or body proportions in the areas treated.  Because the goal of a liposuction procedure is to sculpt the body, the amount of fat removed at the time of a liposuction procedure depends on the pre-operative size of the patient and exactly what areas and how many areas are being treated.  There is no universal standard or 'acceptable' or 'recommended' amount of fat that should be removed at the time of a liposuction procedure.  For a petite individual with little body fat 500cc-1000cc (1L) can make a huge difference, whereas a larger individual may require much more fat removal in order to see a noticeable difference.  I would recommend waiting until you are further along in the healing process (at least 3-6 months) to start judging the results of your procedure.  Right now you are probably experiencing some swelling and this swelling can definitely mask your liposuction results.  Best of luck on your recovery!

Nikesh K. Patel, MD · Answer

Liposuction is meant to change the contours of the body and not to change someones weight.  So, the amount that is taken out of you can be different than the amount taken out of someone else, but it is all relative to the size that you are to begin with.  A small person with little fat could make a significant change with less than a liter of fat removed while in a larger person, a liter may not even show a difference.  If you do see a difference after surgery then you had a good amount of volume removed and now all you have to do is wait till things finish changing and enjoy the summer in your new body!

Nelson Castillo, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question and congratulations on your surgery.  Liposuction works best to remove isolated areas of diet and exercise resistant fat.  The total amount of fat removed is not as important as your ultimate results as 1L of fat removed from one person may be a rather large amount while not as much from another.  Allow your results time to mature.  Once healed assess your shape and contour and review your preoperative surgical plan with your surgeon.  You may be very happy with your results.  Hang in there!

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

It really depends upon where you started to begin with. If you were very thin to begin with then a liter of fat may be enough. If you were heavy, then it is not much at atll

Is 1 liter of fat removed too little for flanks, entire stomach, inner thighs and upper back (bra roll)?

Answers (6)

Answer: Is 1 liter of fat removed too little for flanks, entire stomach, inner thighs and upper back (bra roll)?

Answer: Is 1 liter of fat removed too little for flanks, entire stomach, inner thighs and upper back (bra roll)?

Answer: Fat content and liposuction

Answer: Fat content and liposuction

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Is 1 liter of fat removed too little for flanks, entire stomach, inner thighs and upper back (bra roll)?

Answers (6)

Answer: Is 1 liter of fat removed too little for flanks, entire stomach, inner thighs and upper back (bra roll)?

Answer: Is 1 liter of fat removed too little for flanks, entire stomach, inner thighs and upper back (bra roll)?

Answer: Fat content and liposuction

Answer: Fat content and liposuction

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.