Some Fat Can’t be Dieted or Exercised Away

Liposuction can help you achieve the contours you’re looking for by removing stubborn fat

Most of us have at least one area of fat that seems destined to annoy us forever. No matter how many calories you cut or how many miles you run, you just can’t get away from that bulge or a spillage of fat that stubbornly clings to your body.

For this reason, it’s no wonder that Liposuction is the No. 1 cosmetic surgery procedure in the country with more than 325,000 procedures performed last year, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).

Although liposuction literally sucks fat out of the body, it shouldn’t be confused with methods of weight loss. It’s actually recommended to lose as much weight as possible before undergoing the procedure so that you are at a stable, ideal weight that you can maintain.

Think about Liposuction as sculpting instead of just suctioning. The beauty of liposuction is that it treats various body areas from the head down to the ankles – anywhere there are pockets of fat that won’t go away with diet or exercise.

Different types of fat – visceral and subcutaneous

Fat is not all the same. Some of it grows around your organs and is associated with dangerous conditions like diabetes and heart disease. This type of “visceral fat” can’t be removed by liposuction – you have to eat right and exercise. The good news is that, with a good diet and workout routine, this type of fat goes away twice as quickly as the “subcutaneous fat” which sits just underneath the skin.

This is where liposuction comes in. The stubborn fat that takes at least twice as much effort to lose sits on areas such your hips, calves, thighs and underarms. It can be suctioned out and the area contoured to look flatter and slimmer. It’s important that you have good skin elasticity so that your skin will shrink back and not hang loose when the fat is removed. Otherwise, a skin excision or “lift” might be needed.

Subcutaneous fat may not have the same effects on your health as visceral fat, but recent studies have shown that liposuction might have some added benefits. Research has shown that people with high triglycerides (which lead to heart disease) had a 43% reduction in triglycerides and an 11% reduction in white blood cells (which causes inflammation). Those with normal levels of triglycerides had no change.

While this means that both visceral and subcutaneous fat may have an effect on your body and health, it also means there’s a chance liposuction could have an added bonus.

Demystifying the liposuction procedure

It’s suggested that you have a healthy body mass index (BMI) of less than 30 to undergo liposuction. This is for your safety and to make sure you get the best results and that the weight doesn’t come back. Once you have reached your ideal weight, liposuction can help you achieve your best contours and perhaps even motivate you to get into even better shape. Getting liposuction too early without sufficient weight loss can result in having to come back for more procedures and not getting ideal results.

The amount of operating time, fat removed and incisions required for liposuction varies from patient to patient. But rest reassured in knowing that liposuction is one of the most common and safest procedures. The incisions are small and some patients have been known to return to work in a few days. Healing from the bruises and swelling might take more than a week to 3 weeks.

Birmingham AL liposuction at Hedden & Gunn

Our plastic surgeons in Birmingham, Alabama are recognized experts in performing liposuction and have years of experience helping patients get rid of excess fat that is diet- and exercise-resistant . Contact our Alabama Cosmetic Surgery Center today to schedule your consultation.