Is Liposuction A Weight Loss Procedure?

When patients consider surgical fat reduction, they are often curious about how much weight they could lose via liposuction. The Los Angeles area’s Cosmetic Surgery Institute team—serving Palm Desert and beyond—explains that liposuction should not be thought of as an overall weight loss method or as a weight loss alternative. In fact, the idea that it’s a “weight loss surgery” is one of the biggest misconceptions about the procedure.

In order to enjoy the best possible results, it’s important to maintain realistic expectations if you’re planning on having this surgery. Patients sometimes mistakenly assume that because liposuction involves the removal of fat cells, it would be the best way for them to lose weight, but this surgery should not be thought of as an “easy way out,” since patients will still have to maintain a healthy lifestyle to preserve optimal results.

Also, put simply, it won’t dramatically reduce your weight. In fact, most patients will only lose between two to five pounds.

Ideal candidates for liposuction include those who are within 30 percent of their healthy weight range and in a state of good overall health.

Although liposuction does help you achieve some minor weight reduction, the loss of inches from certain areas of the body will be a much more noticeable benefit, so you should judge the results based on the number on the measuring tape rather than the scale.

Think of liposuction as a way to remove excess, diet-resistant fat that doesn’t respond to traditional weight loss methods, such as maintaining a healthy diet and exercising. This cosmetic surgery is designed to address localized pockets of fat that you want to minimize.

Reducing stubborn fat from certain areas via lifestyle efforts can be difficult for many people. Hormones, aging, and genetics can make you prone to storing more excess fat on some areas of the body. Even if you lose weight from one area, such as the stomach, it can seem impossible to reduce fat from other areas like the thighs. The way we lose and gain weight can vary in terms of gender and also significantly vary from person to person. Everyone will respond to this differently: Some are willing to accept stubborn fat, while others may want to have it removed for good.

The great thing about liposuction is that it removes the fat cells themselves, and once they have been suctioned away, they can’t grow back. It’s designed to streamline and contour areas of the body for a person who is close to their goal weight as a way of re-shaping the body. However, it sometimes becomes easier to lose weight and maintain weight loss after liposuction because you may feel more motivated to maintain your body shape and have a higher level of commitment. In other words, liposuction can complement your other weight loss efforts. 

What’s the Difference Between Liposuction and Weight Loss? 

When you lose weight by creating a calorie deficit through traditional weight loss methods, the fat cells don’t actually go away. Instead, they just shrink. We have no control over which areas become slimmer when we lose weight. Spot reduction, which is the theory that you can target fat loss to specific body parts, has been shown to be ineffective since fat loss is generalized to the entire body.

Liposuction actually dislodges and removes the fat cells themselves, unlike typical weight loss efforts. Furthermore, unlike weight loss, liposuction allows patients to target the specific troublesome areas that bother them. Another thing to remember is that liposuction is only designed for subcutaneous fat, which is the soft, pinchable type of fat that can be seen and felt below the skin. Liposuction won’t be effective for visceral fat, which is stored around the organs in the abdominal area.

Ready to find out more about the advantages of liposuction? Contact Pal Desert’s Cosmetic Surgery Institute for more information about this surgical body contouring procedure. Call (760) 837-0364 or submit a contact form to request a consultation if you would like to learn more about plastic surgery.