Top 4 Myths about Liposuction

Do you exercise and watch what you eat, but still just can’t seem to lose weight where you’d like to? Belly fat, hips and buttocks, and thighs can be problem areas that might need some professional help, such as liposuction.

Liposuction can contour your body to bring it more in line with your vision of what you want to look like. According to the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, liposuction (also known as lipoplasty and liposculpture) is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures, and close to 400,000 patients had it done in 2012.

As popular as it is, liposuction continues to generate misunderstandings. So, before you make a decision to have a liposuction procedure, learn more about it as we debunk these top 4 myths:

Myth 1. Liposuction isn’t really surgery. Perhaps its popularity and commonality have helped perpetuate this myth. It is true that the liposuction procedure often does not require general anesthesia the way most other surgeries do, the incision areas are small, and you can often have it performed as an out-patient, make no mistake, you are still undergoing surgery.

The procedure of liposuction actually breaks up fat which is then suctioned out. The tissue that is involved is therefore disrupted significantly. And as with all surgeries your body could experience adverse reactions during the procedure or later during the healing process. Make no mistake that this is serious surgery.

Myth 2. Good-by cellulite. Contrary to what many women believe – and wish – cellulite does not disappear by being broken up and suctioned out with liposuction. When liposuction is performed on the thighs, if there is an apparent improvement with cellulite, it is generally a consequence of the area smoothing out when the underlying fat has been removed. However, even this is not always the result

Myth 3. The fat is gone – permanently. This is actually partly true. What happens with liposuction is that the amount of fat cells is reduced. But some fat cells necessarily must be left intact. That doesn’t cause problems unless you gain weight, in which case the fat cells that remained after surgery can get bigger. Weight gain can obviously affect your liposuction outcome long-term.  

Myth 4. An easy way to lose weight. At first glance liposuction can look like a dieter’s dream – just suction the fat away and you’ve lost your weight. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Some of the confusion might be coming from the discussion of what liposuction does with fat.

It’s true that liposuction removes fat cells which in turn changes the body’s contour and shape. But the actual weight of those fat cells that are suctioned out is minimal, and can result in very little actual pounds of weight lost.

The purpose of liposuction is to help get rid of visible fat pockets that stubbornly refuse to be eliminated through diet and exercise. The risk of gaining weight does not change, nor do problems associated with obesity such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

What physicians call “visceral fat” – the fat that accumulates around deep internal tissues and that can’t be seen but adds to your weight as measured by the scale -  is a threat to your health, and is not at all affected by the liposuction procedure.

Now that you know more about the truth of liposuction, you can still discuss the procedure with a Board Certified plastic surgeon, and you might discover that it is, indeed, a good choice for your body complaints. Areas on the body that are commonly treated by liposuction include the belly, buttocks and hips, and thighs that we’ve already mentioned, as well as “ love handles,” “saddlebags,” calves and ankles, and even breasts, your back, underarms and the neck.

Alice Perkins is a Customer Service Representative for http://www.drbucko.com, plastic surgeon Dr. Dennis Bucko and the Belladerma Cosmetic Surgery and Skin Care Center located in La Jolla, CA. Dr. Bucko is Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and is a Fellow with the American College of Surgeons.