Why do some doctors say they cant remove (lipo) all fat from tummy area?

Question

Had a consultation and Dr said he cannot remove 100% of the fat from tummy area only full back.

Afshin Farzadmehr, MD · Answer

This is an excellent question.  Anything can be done safely and effectively based on doctors experience and expertise.  There are limitations based on skin laxity and quality and retraction aptitude to give great results and judgement need to be made.  Nevertheless, I see a great number of patients in my practice for lipo re do as not all fat was removed or lipo was ineffective and not enough of deeper sub cutaneous fat was no removed by prior doctor as he or she was not comfortable or experienced in getting all the fat for better contouring.  This is quite common and has to do with surgeon being comfortable and experienced lipo surgeon.  Not all surgeons have similar skills and aptitude and experience.  My practice Is based on 19 years of experience and 20,000 patients operated being in first center in North America where lipo was first ever performed more more than 40 years ago and ever since.

Mitchel Goldman, MD · Answer

Your skin needs to rest on a thin layer of fat in order to look smooth and healthy. If you removed all of your fat, your skin would adhere to the underlying muscle and form lumpy scars. This is not an effect you want. Please take your time finding an expert board-certified dermatologist to perform your liposuction. You may also want to consider noninvasive fat-elimination techniques, such as Vanquish, CoolSculpting and ThermiTight. They take longer, but there’s less risk of overdoing it.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

Nobody can remove ALL the fat in someones body, this would leave scar tissue and irregularities.  Also if you have any loose skin to begin it will make that worse as well as the cellulite.  I suggest seeing an HD liposuction expert, VASER HD lipo specialist, they do more deep fat extraction and superficial shaping as compared to traditional liposuciton.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Mariusz Sapijaszko, MD, FRCPC · Answer

Liposuction or, better yet, BodyTite is a great way to remove unwanted fat that can not be decreased with diet and exercise. It is impossible and not necessary to remove all fat cells in body regions.I have been performing BodyTite Liposuction for over 5 years and it is s great technique for fat removal as well as skin tightening.Please make sure that you see an experienced doctor for a thorough consultation and assessment prior to undergoing any treatments.Best regards and I hope this helps, Dr. Sapijaszko.

Bryan G. Forley, MD · Answer

The goal of liposuction is to treat excessive fatty deposition with the aim of creating a desired shape or contour. It is not to remove every fat cell. In essence, it is a sculpting procedure that also has to take into consideration the skin quality and the anatomy of the individual patient.

Kenneth Hughes, MD · Answer

The skill of liposuction rests in removing as much fat as possible while leaving the skin smooth.  Kenneth Hughes, MD

Daniel Barrett, MD · Answer

Dear Amanda_06,the maximal amount of removed fat is 5000cc. A meticulous liposuction of your abdomen should give good results without any irregularities. 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, MHA, MS 
Certified, American Board of Plastic Surgery  
Member, Am. Society of Plastic Surgery

Johnson C. Lee, MD · Answer

It is not possible to remove all the fat from an area since the body naturally has fat between skin and the underlying muscle. Disrupting your natural anatomy and removing all the fat will cause the skin to scar down to the underlying muscle and will create contour abnormalities and deformity which may be impossible to repair. Hope this helps!Johnson C. Lee, MD Plastic Surgery@drjohnsonlee

Tim Sayed, MD, MBA, FACS · Answer

The simple answer is that NOBODY can remove all the fat from any body part. First off, we have fat in our bodies for a reason - it is soft tissue that provides contour, protection, shape, and a store of energy. Further, fully removing all fat could compromise blood supply to the skin, and leave a skeletonized, unappealing look. Without examination, it is hard to advise you as to how much contour improvement you could reasonably expect with liposuction to the abdomen and back, but it sounds like you are getting a few opinions on consultations to help educate you to make a good decision on which surgeon to work with.

Carlos Gonzalez Legarda, MD · Answer

Nor tummy, nor back, the surgeon never is going to try removing all the fat.  First we need the fat at our body. Second is a very agresive liposuction is done, the skin can die, or at least have a notorious deformity

Why do some doctors say they cant remove (lipo) all fat from tummy area?

Answers (11)

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