Would 15lbs of lipo fat come back as visceral fat if weight is gained? Would transferring the fat prevent lipo area enlargement?

Question

Different doctors. 2.Is it better to have the fat transfered to other parts of the body like the glutes to prevent fat from enlarging in Lipo areas and coming back as visceral fat? Thanks for your help!

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

you can gain weight anywhere you did not have it removed after liposuction.  with the right diet and exercise and hormonal optimization visceral fat can be reduced even more after liposuction.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Azita Madjidi, MD, MS, FACS · Answer

When ever you gain weight the fat in your body, regardless of where it is: under the skin (natural or transferred) ,or inside your abdomen (visceral) will enlarge. It's just a matter of proportion. If you have had liposuction in certain areas, you have less fat cells to enlarge but if they are grafted in your buttocks, then you have more fat cells in your buttock to enlarge instead of the areas that have been suctioned.

Zoran Potparic, MD · Answer

Only in the case that you maintain your post-liposuction weight, you will be able to retain your result after liposuction/fat transfer. Any gain in body mass (weight) will result in increase of fat including  areas that were treated with liposuction or areas of fat transfer. Hope this will help.

Gary M. Horndeski, MD · Answer

Fat is distributed throughout the body in two areas.  One is intra-abdominal fat and the other is the rest of the body.  Liposuction only removes fat that is outside the intra-abdominal cavity and results in permanent loss of that fat.  If you do gain weight, your fat will gain throughout intra-abdominally as well as extra-abdominally.  However, the distribution ratio has changed since you have removed some of the extra-abdominal fat.  Women typically have 20% of the fat intra-abdominally and men typically have 25% of the fat intra-abdominally.  If for instance, you gain 10 lbs of fat, 2 lbs would be intra-abdominally and 8 lbs would be extra-abdominally.Best Wishes,Gary Horndeski, M.D.

Michele A. Shermak, MD · Answer

Hello! The physiology of body fat is highly complex. There are hormones that are more associated with building visceral fat and others focused on more superficial fat in the body. Liposuction contours so well because it breaks of fat and removes fat cells. The reduction in fat cells reduces the potential for fat growth in areas treated. Fat transfer moves fat cells to other parts of the body, and these cells see their new location as their new home, and will act as they did in their old site, getting smaller with weight loss and larger with weight gain. If someone does not follow a healthy diet and does not exercise, then they can still gain everywhere, less in the suctioned area, but will still gain there. Many individuals present for secondary liposuction procedures in areas previously treated. There is not intercommunication between visceral fat and external fat - they will both reduce or both grow with weight gain.There is a lot of complexity to the endocrine nature and physiology of fat. Excellent question!

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear porterj89,
if you gain weight after liposuction, it will spread in different body areas and less in treated areas. If you are considering a surgery, I would suggest you to consult a board-certified plastic surgeon. Only after a thorough examination you will get more information and recommendations.
Daniel Barrett, MD
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Plastic Surgery
Member, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Finny George, MD · Answer

Hi, thank you for sharing your question.
Liposuction is not a tool for weight loss and cannot replace the weight that can be lost through proper diet and exercise. If you have areas of fat that are liposuctioned, the transfer of this fat to another area will not prevent weight gain or transformation of fat into visceral fat.  
Consult with a board certified plastic surgeon to go over your options. I hope this helps. Best of luck!

Pejman Aflaki, MD · Answer

Hello and thank you for your question. There is no clinical evidence to support that. Ideal candidates for liposuction have a normal or close to normal BMI,  they have stubborn areas of adiposity that they can't get rid of despite adequate diet and exercise, and have a good skin tone with no significant stretch marks. More specifically, when you are within 10-15 pounds of your ideal body weight, that's a good time to have liposuction. It is important to keep in mind that liposuction is not a weight loss surgery, and is more of a tool to re-shape the body. After liposuction, you should continue to have a healthy life style with balanced diet and exercise to maintain your body weight.  I would seek consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon for a full evaluation and advice. Best,
Pejman Aflaki, M.D.
  
Johns Hopkins-trained double board-certified plastic surgeon

Arian Mowlavi, MD, FACS (license on probation) · Answer

A healthy diet and consistent workout routine is encouraged to maintain cosmetic surgery results. You can gain weight anywhere on your body regardless of whether it is removed by liposuction or not. A Skype or FaceTime consultation with a VASER specialist will help you get an accurate recommendation and pricing.
Respectfully, 
Arian Mowlavi MD, FACS
Realself 100 Hall of Fame Inductee

Robert T. Buchanan, MD (retired) · Answer

Liposuction in not a weight loss method and 15 lbs. is significantly more than reasonable. It is used to reduce localized areas and blend them into the body in a placing way. Liposuction and fat transfer have no effect on on the way the body handles visceral fat. There is a proportionate difference in external fat enlargement in the liposuctioned and grafted areas, but that is simply related to how many fat cells are present and is the same with fat elsewhere. If you gain or lose weight, you will gain or lose fat more or less depending on how much fat is in a particular area. If you start gaining or losing weight, the first place the body puts or removes it is the visceral area, no matter what you have done to the external fat. If you have been told anything different, the person who you talked to simply is not that familiar with liposuction.

Would 15lbs of lipo fat come back as visceral fat if weight is gained? Would transferring the fat prevent lipo area enlargement?

Answers (10)

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