Will fat grow back after liposuction?
Sydney liposuction
Most people who choose to live a healthy lifestyle do so because they want to feel good and to be able to participate in the activities they enjoy. At the same time, many would like to have a slim, athletic body shape, so that how they look matches how they feel. Although some are fortunate enough to achieve this simply through diet and exercise, others are not as lucky. Genetics plays a strong role in how the body stores fat tissue, and many people find themselves with stubborn pockets of fat that simply won’t disappear.
Liposuction is a surgical procedure that removes these pockets of fat tissue from particular areas of the body. For those who are interested in exploring this option, they may wonder how long the results will last. Will fat grow back after liposuction? How often will you need to get liposuction?
Fat tissue is removed permanently by liposuction
The removal of fat tissue by liposuction is permanent. In general, fat cells that are removed from your body during the procedure will not grow back.
In most adults, the number of fat cells remains stable. When you gain or lose weight, this primarily happens through each fat cell getting larger or smaller, as it changes the amount of fat stored within the cell. In most cases, fat cells are not being created or destroyed within the body. Therefore, after a plastic surgeon removes some fat cells from your body, they will not be replaced by new fat cells. In this sense, liposuction offers permanent removal of fat tissue.
What if your weight changes?
The general recommendation is that a patient considering liposuction should be within about 10kg of their ideal weight. Liposuction is not intended as a method of overall weight loss, but rather as a method of body contouring. Only about a maximum of 5kg of fat tissue can be removed at one time through the procedure. After the procedure, try to keep your body weight as stable as possible.
If you do gain some weight after having liposuction, then the procedure will affect where that fat is stored. Fat cells all over the body will get larger when you gain weight, but there will be fewer fat cells in the area where you had liposuction. Therefore, this area will tend to gain less volume than other areas. Your body shape will still be affected by your procedure, even if you gain weight.
Recent research shows that when people gain very large amounts of weight, new fat cells actually can be created. However, the new fat cells will be created from the existing fat cells, and there will be fewer fat cells in the area where you’ve had liposuction. Because of this, if you do gain a lot of weight after having liposuction, your body shape will still show the effect of the procedure. The area where you had liposuction will be smaller than if you hadn’t had the procedure, even if your overall body shape has changed.
Sydney liposuction
If you’re at a stable and healthy body weight, but you’re frustrated by stubborn pockets of fat that you can’t seem to get rid of, then you might be a candidate for liposuction. During the procedure, a plastic surgeon uses a flexible tube connected to suction to precisely remove pockets of fat tissue. Good surgical technique is important, as the surgeon must be very precise in removing the right amounts of fat tissue in the right places to get a pleasing body contour afterwards.
As an associate professor of plastic surgery at the University of Sydney, Dr. Marucci continues to hone and develop his surgical skills so that he can get the best possible results for his patients. If you’re interested in liposuction and would like to consult with an expert to learn more about the procedure, we invite you to schedule an appointment with A/Prof Marucci in his Kogarah or Miranda rooms. After examining you and learning more about your goals for your appearance, he’ll be able to give you a realistic idea of what results you could expect from liposuction. Contact our office to book your appointment.
