Liposuction is permanent in the sense that the procedure completely removes the fat cells from certain parts of your body. However, this does not mean that you can’t gain weight after having liposuction. Body fat can also redistribute after liposuction, especially if you don’t take steps to prevent it with your diet and exercise habits.
To ensure the best long-term results from a liposuction procedure, you will need to follow your healthcare provider’s diet and exercise recommendations.
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Long-Term Liposuction Results
The results of a liposuction procedure can remain obvious for life, provided you are able to manage your weight following the procedure. Since there will always be some fat cells left in the areas where liposuction was done, subsequentweight gaincan make the remaining fat cells row larger.
Since there will be fewer fat cells left, however, they will tend to stay in better proportion to the rest of the body even if a few pounds are gained after liposuction. If there is excessive weight gain after liposuction, however, parts of the body that were not liposuctioned may suddenly appear disproportionately bigger than the rest because there are more fat cells there.
In short, while it can improve your body proportions,liposuction has limits. It is not an effective method of weight loss and certainly does not grant an all-you-can-eat lifestyle. If anything,weight gain after liposuctionmay be more problematic given that it makes certain body parts look larger than ever.
How Liposuction Works
The human body has only a certain number of fat cells. The fat cells grow larger or smaller as we gain or lose weight, respectively. The number and distribution of our fat cells are set before we even reach adulthood. This is why we may have some stubborn areas where fat won’t seem to budge, even though we are losing weight in other areas.
When fat deposits are removed throughliposuction, those fat cells are gone forever. After liposuction, the body’s contour is improved, and ideally, the areas in question are now more in proportion to the rest of the body.
How long does the liposuction procedure last?The procedure itself may last between one and five hours, depending on how much fat you are having removed and how many areas you’re targeting.
How long does the liposuction procedure last?
The procedure itself may last between one and five hours, depending on how much fat you are having removed and how many areas you’re targeting.
How Much Fat Can Be Removed?
Liposuction can remove a substantial amount of fat, up to 8 pounds or more in some cases.There are no firm guidelines about how much fat can be safely removed, but research suggests that removing more than 100 ml of fat per unit of body mass may be associated with an increased risk of complications.
How long does liposuction take to heal?Side effects of liposuction can include moderate pain, swelling, and bruising. For most people, pain will begin to subside after the first week or two. Swelling and bruising may persist for up to six weeks.
How long does liposuction take to heal?
Side effects of liposuction can include moderate pain, swelling, and bruising. For most people, pain will begin to subside after the first week or two. Swelling and bruising may persist for up to six weeks.
How to Make Liposuction Results Last
The best way to keep your new proportions after liposuction is to exercise.
Of the 36 healthy but inactive women aged 20 to 35 that had liposuction, half had regained fat six months after the procedure. Most of the weight gain was not associated withsubcutaneousfat, the fat situated beneath the surface of the skin, butvisceralfat, the type thatsettles around the organsand increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
All told, the women with weight gain added 10% more visceral fat than they had prior to liposuction.
The other women didn’t gain back the subcutaneous or visceral fat due to a structured, four-month training program consisting of aerobic and strength-training exercises delivered thrice weekly. Not surprisingly, the women ended uplosingvisceral fat compared to their values before they had liposuction.
Can you have liposuction more than once?If you gain weight in the years following the surgery, you may be able to have revision liposuction that targets the areas where fat has returned.
Can you have liposuction more than once?
If you gain weight in the years following the surgery, you may be able to have revision liposuction that targets the areas where fat has returned.
Understanding Your Weight Set-Point After Liposuction
Scientists don’t know why liposuction fat comes back as visceral fat. It could be because people tend to be sedentary after liposuction surgery rather than embarking on a progressive exercise plan.
At the same time, our bodies are finely tuned to defend their fat stores and may try to compensate when we lose fat quickly. Exercise appears to mitigate those efforts and recalibrate the body’s weight set point.
The weight set-point theory suggests that the body likes to remain in a state of homeostasis (equilibrium) even if it is unhealthy.Rapid changes, such as liposuction, may cause the body to overcompensate to return to its recent state.
That said, exercise is not always enough to prevent fat redistribution or gains.
A2015 review of studies inObesity Surgeryfound that for abdominal liposuction, changes in body fat and weight were usually transient. The reasons for this are unclear. Some theorize it is the result of metabolic overcompensation where the body redistributes fat that it believes is “supposed” to be there. Why this doesn’t happen in other parts of the body remains a mystery.
How much does liposuction cost?According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average cost of a liposuction procedure in the United States is $4,711. This number does not include additional costs such as anesthesia and operating room expenses.Cost will also vary depending on which body areas the surgery targets as well as your geographic location.
How much does liposuction cost?
According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the average cost of a liposuction procedure in the United States is $4,711. This number does not include additional costs such as anesthesia and operating room expenses.Cost will also vary depending on which body areas the surgery targets as well as your geographic location.
Summary
Liposuction is a surgical procedure that removes fat from the body. Once the fat cells are removed from the body, they do not grow back. However, remaining fat cells can still grow larger over time, so liposuction results don’t always last for the long term.
Exercise is the best way to ensure long-lasting post-liposuction body contours.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Washington University Physicians.Results and recovery: Comparing liposuction and coolsculpting®.Geliebter A, Krawitz E, Ungredda T, Peresechenski E, Giese SY.Physiological and psychological changes following liposuction of large volumes of fat in overweight and obese women.J Diabetes Obes. 2015;2(4):1-7. doi:10.15436/2376-0494.15.032Chow I, Alghoul MS, Khavanin N, et al.Is there a safe lipoaspirate volume? A risk assessment model of liposuction volume as a function of body mass index.Plast Reconstr Surg. 2015;136(3):474-483. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000001498American Society of Plastic Surgeons.What you need to know about your liposuction recovery.Müller MJ, Geisler C, Heymsfield SB, Bosy-Westphal A.Recent advances in understanding body weight homeostasis in humans.F1000Res. 2018;7:F1000 Faculty Rev-1025. doi:10.12688/f1000research.14151.1American Society of Plastic Surgeons.How much does liposuction cost?Additional ReadingSeretis, K., Goulis, D., Koliakos, G., and E. Demiri.Short- and long-term effects of abdominal lipectomy on weight and fat mass in females: A systematic review.Obesity Surgery. 2015; 25(10):1950-8. doi:10.1007/s11695-015-1797-1
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Washington University Physicians.Results and recovery: Comparing liposuction and coolsculpting®.Geliebter A, Krawitz E, Ungredda T, Peresechenski E, Giese SY.Physiological and psychological changes following liposuction of large volumes of fat in overweight and obese women.J Diabetes Obes. 2015;2(4):1-7. doi:10.15436/2376-0494.15.032Chow I, Alghoul MS, Khavanin N, et al.Is there a safe lipoaspirate volume? A risk assessment model of liposuction volume as a function of body mass index.Plast Reconstr Surg. 2015;136(3):474-483. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000001498American Society of Plastic Surgeons.What you need to know about your liposuction recovery.Müller MJ, Geisler C, Heymsfield SB, Bosy-Westphal A.Recent advances in understanding body weight homeostasis in humans.F1000Res. 2018;7:F1000 Faculty Rev-1025. doi:10.12688/f1000research.14151.1American Society of Plastic Surgeons.How much does liposuction cost?Additional ReadingSeretis, K., Goulis, D., Koliakos, G., and E. Demiri.Short- and long-term effects of abdominal lipectomy on weight and fat mass in females: A systematic review.Obesity Surgery. 2015; 25(10):1950-8. doi:10.1007/s11695-015-1797-1
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Washington University Physicians.Results and recovery: Comparing liposuction and coolsculpting®.Geliebter A, Krawitz E, Ungredda T, Peresechenski E, Giese SY.Physiological and psychological changes following liposuction of large volumes of fat in overweight and obese women.J Diabetes Obes. 2015;2(4):1-7. doi:10.15436/2376-0494.15.032Chow I, Alghoul MS, Khavanin N, et al.Is there a safe lipoaspirate volume? A risk assessment model of liposuction volume as a function of body mass index.Plast Reconstr Surg. 2015;136(3):474-483. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000001498American Society of Plastic Surgeons.What you need to know about your liposuction recovery.Müller MJ, Geisler C, Heymsfield SB, Bosy-Westphal A.Recent advances in understanding body weight homeostasis in humans.F1000Res. 2018;7:F1000 Faculty Rev-1025. doi:10.12688/f1000research.14151.1American Society of Plastic Surgeons.How much does liposuction cost?
Washington University Physicians.Results and recovery: Comparing liposuction and coolsculpting®.
Geliebter A, Krawitz E, Ungredda T, Peresechenski E, Giese SY.Physiological and psychological changes following liposuction of large volumes of fat in overweight and obese women.J Diabetes Obes. 2015;2(4):1-7. doi:10.15436/2376-0494.15.032
Chow I, Alghoul MS, Khavanin N, et al.Is there a safe lipoaspirate volume? A risk assessment model of liposuction volume as a function of body mass index.Plast Reconstr Surg. 2015;136(3):474-483. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000001498
American Society of Plastic Surgeons.What you need to know about your liposuction recovery.
Müller MJ, Geisler C, Heymsfield SB, Bosy-Westphal A.Recent advances in understanding body weight homeostasis in humans.F1000Res. 2018;7:F1000 Faculty Rev-1025. doi:10.12688/f1000research.14151.1
American Society of Plastic Surgeons.How much does liposuction cost?
Seretis, K., Goulis, D., Koliakos, G., and E. Demiri.Short- and long-term effects of abdominal lipectomy on weight and fat mass in females: A systematic review.Obesity Surgery. 2015; 25(10):1950-8. doi:10.1007/s11695-015-1797-1
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