Can the Fat Come Back After Liposuction?
What happens to the removed fat after liposuction? In New Jersey, our patients often ask us whether the results from this cosmetic surgery will last for good and how they can maintain their new contours.
Liposuction has long been regarded as one of the most popular and effective cosmetic procedures for targeted fat removal from isolated problem areas. Many individuals turn to liposuction to achieve a more sculpted physique and address stubborn areas of fat that are resistant to diet and exercise. However, a common question that arises is whether the fat can return after liposuction.
To understand how fat is removed with this procedure, you first need to understand how liposuction works. Keep reading for more information on the dynamics of fat removal via liposuction and what happens to the fat that has been removed during this procedure.
During a liposuction session, fat cells that are removed are taken out of the body for good. The surgery does not stimulate the growth of new fat cells in areas that are treated, and once they have been literally suctioned away by the surgery, the removed fat cells can’t grow back.
A thin, hollow tube called a cannula—which is connected to a type of suction device—is used to precisely extract those unwanted fat cells from the selected areas. This leads to a slimmer, more contoured appearance.
As mentioned above, the fat cells that are eliminated can’t grow back. However, this treatment won’t prevent new fat cells from forming in other areas—and it also won’t prevent the remaining fat cells that are left behind in the treated areas from expanding if you were to gain weight in the future. This means that if you gain a lot of weight, your body shape could potentially change.
As such, maintaining a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and watching your weight will be important if you want to preserve the results you achieve from liposuction. Ideally, patients should strive to maintain what is known as their “post-lipo weight.” To give an example, if you weighed 180 pounds prior to liposuction and lost five pounds during the procedure, you will maintain the best results if you stay at or below 175 pounds.
Have more questions? Our New Jersey-based team at The Peer Group will explain more about how reducing diet-resistant fat with liposuction works. Call us at 973-822-3000 or fill out a contact form to request a consultation.