Results of Liposuction to Pass Army Tape Test, Easily Pass Fitness Test?

Question

I am a 34 yr old male in the Army. They measure with a tape parallel to the floor across the navel. This maximizes my abdominal fat and flank fat. I have talked to a Dr and may do upper and lower abdomen. My concern is how many circumference inches can I expect to lose considering I have a large volume of superficial fat that causes a hang over and how long will it take for the swelling to subside enough for the inches to be off because I will have a tape test about 3 weeks after surgery.

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

If you have a great deal of fat amenable to liposucgtion you should lose several inches at the completion of healing. However, at 3 weeks you will still be swollen. Find the plastic surgeon with ELITE credentials who performs hundreds of liposuction procedures each year. Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Vivek Bansal, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. Everyone heals differently and results from the surgery depend on 1/3 from the surgeon, 1/3 from the patient, and 1/3 your body. Results will vary with liposuction and will not remove the overhang you have in your skin. This would be best treated with a tummy tuck. You will definitely lose inches with liposuction alone, but many factors determine your results. Be certain to be evaluated by a board certified plastic surgeon who can do an assessment and better answer these questions after a thorough consultation. I hope this helps.

Cameron Rokhsar, MD, FAAD · Answer

Liposuction is used to sculpt areas that exercise just can't seem to take care of it. I always tell every patient that it is not a way to lose weight, and not to expect to completely change clothing sizes, etc. It is more about shaping that it is about actually losing size. Therefore, I would definitely not recommend liposuction for you to pass the army test. You will not lose a significant enough amount to make it worth your money and time, and the recovery period could preclude you from performing many physical activities. If you need to lose a belly, I suggest lots of cardio, eliminating excess sugar (including white breads, cereals, soda, etc), and watching portion sizes carefully. Best of luck!

Peter E. Johnson, MD · Answer

Liposuction is a poor way to control weight, and we would not bet on high volume liposuction to get you through your physical. If the job is important to you, you will need a better plan to get your weight and size down.

Brian K. Brzowski, MD, FACS · Answer

As you've already been told, you will very likely not have an adequate amount of time for the swelling to go away before your measurements are taken:  50% of patients will notice an immediate improvement (not final) and 50% can take 4-6 months before results are seen.  Sorry, nothing will work that quickly.

	 

	Thanks for your service.  I spent a fair amount of my time in the military around you Army guys ----- I can tell you that the Abrams is one bad machine!!

Bernard Kopchinski, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your service. It is a difficult question to answer without a picture. But given the time period that you state, it is not very likely that liposuction will help dramatically at this time. You can expect swelling for up to a month and 6 months for the majority of healing to be completed. Liposuction can help with the tape test if performed early enough. You should also consider having your waist performed as the measurement is taken just above the hips. good luck

Results of Liposuction to Pass Army Tape Test, Easily Pass Fitness Test?

Answers (6)