Liposuction is one of the most frequently performed plastic surgery procedures in the U.S. and around the world. Despite this fact, many misconceptions about liposuction exist.
At Rios Center for Plastic Surgery in Edinburg, TX, we want our patients to have the information they need to make the best decisions for their health. Understanding the extent of what’s involved in fat removal surgery and what liposuction can and can’t do ensures that patients have a positive experience from their procedures.
Myth 1: Liposuction Procedures Are for Weight Loss
Fact: Liposuction procedures are for body sculpting, not weight loss. Most patients who undergo liposuction lose only two to five pounds. To qualify as an ideal liposuction candidate, you must be at or near a healthy weight and have concentrated areas of fat to target.
Patients seeking weight loss surgery should pursue other options, such as gastric band surgery, and then consider liposuction for body contouring to refine their results.
Myth 2: You Can Get the Same Results with Diet and Exercise
Fact: While diet and exercise are essential to maintaining a healthy weight and improving your overall health, these methods cannot target stubborn areas where fat accumulates in the body.
Patients seeking to retain some fullness in certain areas, like the breasts and hips, while slimming other regions, like the stomach, may require fat removal surgery to achieve their goals.
Myth 3: Liposuction Fat Comes Back
Fact: A liposuction procedure permanently removes fat cells. When you gain and lose weight through diet and exercise, your fat cells don’t disappear, they just grow and shrink.
Fat cells hold on to lipids, which are the body’s energy reserves. When you lose weight, the body drains lipids from the cells for energy. However, the cells remain. As a result, fat cells can grow up to 50 times their original size. In addition, since the role of fat cells is to hold on to lipids, or energy, when weight levels drop, the body’s appetite increases.
Liposuction permanently removes fat cells from the treatment area. Many patients report a decrease in appetite after liposuction. One theory published in the Journal of the American Medical Association proposed that appetite reduction is the result of fewer fat cells.
Myth 4: You Cannot Gain Weight After Liposuction
Fact: Even though liposuction permanently removes targeted fat cells, the remaining fat cells can still grow and expand. Patients who undergo a liposuction procedure still need to maintain a healthy diet and exercise routine to avoid gaining weight.
Myth 5: Liposuction and a Tummy Tuck Are the Same
Fact: Liposuction only offers fat reduction. A tummy tuck is a much more intensive procedure than fat removal surgery. Tummy tucks repair the muscles of the abdomen and remove excess skin. While some patients opt to combine liposuction with a tummy tuck, the procedures differ.
Myth 6: Liposuction Tightens the Skin
Fact: Liposuction targets excess fat. However, it cannot remedy problems like skin laxity. Patients seeking fat reduction and skin tightening may choose a BodyTite procedure for extra body contouring and skin tightening in conjunction with their liposuction.
Myth 7: Liposuction Leaves Obvious Scars
Fact: While past liposuction procedures may have left apparent scars, fat reduction technology has drastically improved, and most patients now have little, if any, scarring after recovering from surgery. Following our post-treatment care instructions after your procedure and allowing proper healing time will help minimize scarring.
Myth 8: Liposuction Isn’t Surgery
Fact: Liposuction is frequently an outpatient procedure, but it’s still surgery. Liposuction requires anesthesia and downtime while you recover. When you decide to get liposuction, we’ll discuss your options for anesthesia.
Most patients resume strenuous exercise about four weeks after their liposuction procedures and return to work within a few days.
Myth 9: Liposuction and CoolSculpting Are the Same
Fact: As mentioned above, liposuction is surgery. CoolSculpting and other body sculpting procedures are non-invasive methods to destroy fat cells. While both procedures target stubborn pockets of fat, CoolSculpting is the preferred choice for those with small areas of fat.
Patients seeking a more significant fat reduction, fat removal from larger areas, or areas that CoolSculpting can’t target will need liposuction to meet their goals.
Myth 10: Liposuction Removes Cellulite and Stretch Marks
Fact: Although liposuction remains the most effective solution for removing unwanted fat, it’s not intended to remove cellulite. Cellulite is fat that sits below the skin’s surface and appears bumpy and uneven as it pushes through the skin’s connective tissue.
If cellulite concerns you, we can discuss your options for treating cellulite during your in-office consultation.
Myth 11: Liposuction Isn’t for Men, Older Patients, Regular People, etc.
Fact: Both men and women of all ages choose liposuction for fat removal. While men and women often select different areas for liposuction procedures, the surgery is popular because it appeals to anyone looking to reshape their figure.
As long as you’re in good health and your skin is relatively firm and elastic, you can enjoy the body-sculpting benefits of liposuction.
Reshape Your Body with Liposuction
Now that you know the essential facts about liposuction, you can discover if the fat removal surgery is right for you when you schedule a consultation with the team at Rios Center for Plastic Surgery in Edinburg, TX.
Our liposuction procedures employ the latest technology with Vaser Lipo, a technique that uses ultrasound waves to break down fat cells before removal, enabling easier, gentler removal. Learn if Vaser Lipo is right for you when you schedule your consultation in our office today.
Back to Blog
